What is the best way to teach a new long jumper how to preform a proper penultimate step?
Thanks, Paul
I mostly ignored the technical issues of LJ until i got to college so my coach had to try to pound the penultimate idea into my head. We do a lot of rhythm hops and things over little hurdles (8 in.) focusing on heel strike. I originally was looking at is as trying to get a “long-short” on the last two steps, but this actually led me to sort of gather up for the long step and in effect I didn’t get much of the lowering action.
Watching film of others doing it properly was REALLY helpful for me, some people learn better that way.
Huge for a high jumper, less for a long jump, even lesser for PV and almost non-existing in TJ.
Dont over fixate on the penultimate. What you might think about is…
Havent you been jumping since you got out of diapers?
Your kindergarden didnt have a jumps coach? Yet some how you jumped.
If you ever played basketball, you jumped,
Soccer goalie, yup you jumped.
At the same time, all these sports have coaches dont they? Do you really think Michael Jordan had someone in his ear telling that he was doing it all wrong?
Now there is some logic to a little bit of focus on the penultimate. In an earlier thread I described the difference between Carl Lewis and Mike Powell’s LJ. To make a long story short, Powell had to place more emphasis on his penultimate than did Lewis.
So if your speed is less than one would expect for a goal distance, then force over a greater range of motion along with takeoff angle becomes more important than say to some long jumper with blazing speed.
But at the speed of a LJ runup, most non-elites tend to risk losing more than they gain by too much focus on the penultimate.
You want to go farther? Develop a faster runup, and develop more Quad strength would be a good starting point.
The key to the kingdom so to speak, is that you dont (long -jump) you deflect.
The contact plant on the penultimate stride should be flat-footed.
kk
I second what Coach Mdd says. New long jumpers should not be taught this. Just get them to run through and jump till they are fast and more advance. The penultimate step will happen almost naturally when they are fast enough and strong enough.
I second kitkat as well about teaching them to land with a flat foot.
Can somebody please explain the penultimate step for me. From what i gathered it is the second to last step? I am not sure exactly what this is.
Thanks
Second last step.
thank you Charlie
It’s a word discovered by snotty British Athletics commentators to prove how much smarter they are than you and me.
(To them, my penultimate word is Fk, as in Fk off!)
Excuse me Charlie Chalk, which commen-potatoes are you talking about?? The only smart commentator to every work on British television was Michael Johnson! and maybe jonathon Edwards…
I cant stand that Steve Cram, Colin Jackson and Sally ‘Big Nose’ Gunnell. Need to be given a big SLAPPED face!
I liked Ron Pickering- but you can keep the rest- and take back the twit-bag who commented here for years!
I think the worst British commentators are on Eurosport, Tim Hutchins and his side kick are wankers plain and simple.