CITIUS, ALTIUS, LONGIUS (FASTER, HIGHER, LONGER) - THE BIOMECHANICS OF JUMPING FOR DISTANCE

The purpose of this paper is to review current knowledge concerning th e long and triple jumps. Much has been learned over the past two decad es about techniques in the long jump. Many myths have been dispelled a nd many training practices have been altered as a result. In all of th is, the techniques employed during the takeoff have received little at tention. It is in this area that the most important developments are l ikely to take place in the next decade. In contrast with the long jump , satisfactory answers have yet to be obtained to even the most fundam ental of questions about techniques in the triple jump. The triple jum p is an experimental task with potential for use in studies of human l ocomotion, of visual perception and control, of the strength of biolog ical materials and of the mechanisms of soft tissue injury.