A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF THE LAST STRIDE, TOUCHDOWN, AND TAKEOFF CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MENS LONG JUMP

This study was concerned with the measurement of performance variables from competitors in the men's long jump final of the World Student Ga mes held in Sheffield, England, in July 1991. Several performances of 10 finalists were recorded on cine firm at 100 Hz. Resulting sagittal plane kinematic data were obtained for the last stride, touchdown, and takeoff for a total of 27 jumps. It was confirmed that takeoff veloci ty was a function of touchdown velocity, and that there was an increas e in vertical velocity at the expense of a reduction of horizontal vel ocity. It was concluded that there was evidence for mechanisms which m ay be termed mechanical, biomechanical, and muscular. The former relat es to the generation of vertical velocity by the body pivoting over th e base of support during the compression phase, and a lifting of the a rms and free leg during the rift phase; the second is the elastic reut ilization of energy; and the third is the contribution by concentric m uscular contraction.