OCR Unit 6.1
Athletics Based Sport - High Jump
What is it?
High Jump is a field event in which men and women compete. It is performed in different competitions including the Olympics. The objective is to jump as high as possible and clear the bar.
Techniques
The most popular technique used nowadays is the Fosbury Flop, invented by the Olympic champion Dick Fosbury in 1968.
This method begins with a straight run to build up as much speed as possible. Then, athletes curve their run towards the centre of the bar (lowest point). The speed of the approach varies from athlete to athlete however the smaller the athlete, the faster the run - up.
On the second to last stride, athletes lower their hips and move their arms backwards behind their body. As the take - off foot touches the ground the athletes body should be angled away from the bar. The free leg is driven upwards and often reaches a 90 degrees angle, which ensures that the athletes body rotates towards the bar.
Athletes then swing their arms forwrds and upwards with the shoulder of the arm closest to the bar kept as high as possible.The athletes arch their back and during the clearance of the bar the free leg drops slightly.
As soon as the hips have cleared the bar, the athlete brings their legs over the bar and land naturally on their back. This technique requires absolute precision and some common mistakes are jumping slightly too early or over arching your back.
The other three techniques are the Scissors, the Eastern Cut Off and the Western Roll.
The Scissors begins with the approach being in a straight line at 30 - 50 degrees to the bar, jumping the lowest point (usually the centre). The run - up is not a sprint.
At the take - off the drive leg is held straight and swung into the air to clear the bar. Athletes tend to land on their feet during this technique, therefore sand or a soft mat is provided as a landing area.
The approach in the Eastern cut - off technique is the same as the scissors jump. At take - off the leg nearer the bar is swung into the air and as the hips rise the athlete lies back facing upwards. The take - off leg has to be swung up to the bar and during take - off, athletes have to drive their arms into the air to create more momentum.
Foam matting is provided for landing which prevents injury to the athletes back or neck.
The Western roll is a well known version of the straddle jump. The Western roll is a technique in which a roll style jump is used. One leg is swung up first, followed by the body of the athlete. In this technique the bar passes underneath the athletes body.
Records
Men
Olympic Record - Charles Austin of the USA jumped 2.39m on 28th July 1996
World Record - Javier Sotomayor of Cuba jumped 2.45m on 27th July 1993
Women
Olympic Record - Yelena Slesarenko of Russia jumped 2.06m on 28th August 2004
World Record - Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria jumped 2.09m on 30th August 1987
Equipment
There is not a huge amount of equipment used in high jump. The equipment is quite simply -
 |
| 1 Bar |
 |
| 2 Posts |
 |
| 1 Landing mat |
Athletes often wear spring shoes. These shoes are similar to ordinary running spikes except they have thicker soles.
Rules of Competition
- Jumpers must take - off on one foot
- A successful jump must not move the bar from it's original position
- Competitors may begin jumping at any height announced by the chief judge, and can pass at any height as well. Three consecutive missed jumps, at any height or combination of heights, will eliminate the jumper from competition
- The victory goes to the jumper who clears the greatest height during the final
- The tie breakers are - the fewest misses at the height at which the tie occurred and the fewest mises throughout the competition
- If the event remains tied, the jumpers have a jump - off, beginning at the next highest height, and each jumper has one attempt
Athletics Governing Body
The IAAF is the governing bosy for both track and field athletic events. It is essential that members of the IAAF abide by the rules and regulations. The IAAF is one of the biggest and most known governing bodies in sport.
History
The first event recorded for high jump was in the 19th Century in Scotland. The two techniques commonly used were the scissors jump or straight on. The standing high jump competition was from 1900 to 1912. Raw Erwy was the best standing high jumper as he set many World records. Other than the athlete jumping from a stationery position with their feet together, it is not much different from the Fosbury Flop technique.
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