I have a really inconsistent run. I don’t always hit the board due to that reason. I can start from the same mark and always end up differently whenever i reach the board. What should i work on?
Quite often the place to look in inconsistent approaches is the beginning. Attempt to make the way you begin your approach as consistent as possible since this is where you set up the rhythm of the approach-approximately the first 2 to 4 steps-same speed, same distance of your steps, etc. (For example, you might step further or shorter on your first stride on one approach and not on the other or I’ve seen people unknowingly step off to the side instead of forward(unless you did that everytime) which will disrupt the following steps)What you do early will often determine what you do late-i.e. hitting the board. If you take a good look at your approach and find that you have been starting it somewhat differently everytime(even if just slightly) you run-then that is probably your answer.
As most people will start with their board/takeoff leg forward, be sure to start with the same foot forward every time. I’ve seen people hit their wrong foot on the board and it turns out that they simply were starting with the non preferred foot.
I agree with all that was said above. Plus, if you’re a serious jumper you need some work with checkmarks.
A. To get started you need to have a checkmark about 10 meters from the start of your runway. You’ll need a helper to do this. What you want is a mark (which foot hits it is a personal preference) that when hit results in a runway that also hits the board. Then you practice hitting that mark, leaving out the rest of the runway. Once you are good at hitting the mark, you can add the rest of the runway. You should be hitting the mark and the board - if not, you should be able to make minor adjustments (either by moving your starting point or the checkmark, or both).
B. Once you are comfortable with the first checkmark (good at hitting it), you can add a second. This one should be around 10 to 12 meters from the board (I hit this one with the same foot as I jump from). I use this checkmark to know if I’m going to be on the board or not. If I’m off a little at this checkmark, I can make a small adjustment (slightly longer or shortened strides) and know I’m going to be right on the board - practice makes perfect.
In summary, Checkmark A will get you consistent in the most variable part of your runway, Checkmark B will give you confidence and allow you to make minor adjustments.
This all takes practice learning to see where your foot is in relation to the checkmark(s). A helper of two can be valuable to confirm where your foot is actually landing in relation to what you think is happening.
While you don’t want to be looking down to see if you’re on the board, don’t be afraid to actually look where you are on your checkmarks.
Things can change a bit due to competition adrenalin, wind, different surfaces etc. so you’ll need to do a full out runway in warm-up prior to your first competitive jump. It’s not unusual to require a small adjustment in your starting point and checkmarks.
During competition, a benefit of Checkmark A is that you can abort your runway if you miss it and you won’t be penalized as long as you don’t run past the board. The same is not true for checkmark B. If you miss it badly don’t even think about trying to stop before the board. It’s too dangerous to put on the brakes at that speed. Best to just run through the pit and take a no-jump.
There’s a snippet of CL working on the runup on this site selling a CL instructional video:
http://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/TV-00624C.html
Also came across this page w/ a bunch of links to vids, some LJ, some other events:
http://www.bhs.bismarck.k12.nd.us/athletics/bhsboystrack/misc/videopage.html