The one and a half long jump hitch kick style [2]
All long jump movements in the flight phase are simply to counter unwanted forward rotation, while the takeoff for each style in flight remains the same. Coaches and their jumpers will decide on a style of flight that suits the physical capabilities of the individual jumper. Men tend to hitchhike simply because it is easy to develop and the fact that they are faster and stronger than female jumpers. You must be quick to achieve an efficient kick style because the jumper needs time in the air to move his upper and lower limbs in a very agile way. As coaches we look for ‘big moves’ of arms and legs.
But let’s take a closer look at what happens at the moment of landing and the moment of getting off the board. The jumper has reached its optimum speed on the runway and is preparing to take off. His arms are very lanky with his shoulders down, so there is “no tension” as he runs to the board. Many coaches have liked the jerk kick to run towards the backboard and then run off the backboard. There is no forced takeoff. The takeoff board is ‘kissed lightly’ as the nails engage and ‘drag back’.
Now we assume that the jumper is a left foot take off. At the moment of touchdown, the left foot is placed almost flat on the board and is actively trying to pull and push back like a claw action or trying to kick a foot ball backwards down the court using the heel of the toe-off . football. I call this the backward ankle sweep.
The left arm that is bent at 90 degrees pulls the left side of the body up; this arm contributes about 25% of the vertical drive and is very important. The right arm at the time of
touch-down is actively driving backwards and will continue on its way back and up until it reaches vertical and CONTINUES moving forward like a windmill.
The left arm, having reached a right-angled position, is now straightened forward and pushed back like a long lever and works correspondingly with the right arm in an alternate forward windmill action. The arms must be ‘long and wide’ throughout the flight phase until landing.
But this article only discusses the initial stages of the hitchhiking flight phase. At takeoff, the thigh of the right leg moves parallel to initiate a dynamic vertical drive and works in conjunction with that vigorous drive of the left arm: VERY IMPORTANT.
this free leg [non-take leg] leg, once it has started the vertical drive is held momentarily with the thigh parallel to the track THEN QUICKLY STRAIGHTENS forward BEFORE BEING DRIVEN back like a LONG LEVER under the body and back where it flexes at the knee joint. the knee become a short lever.
I call this Phase 1 and it is probably the most important part of the whole jump. [although the other parts are equally important]. Initially, this first phase should be a wide opening for the jumper to balance in the air. If you set a narrow base then rotation will occur and the rest of the jump will be ‘useless’. A narrow base occurs when the jumper does not hold the front thigh parallel for a brief moment. In terms of time, I’m only talking about 0.05 of a second. Any longer than this and you won’t be able to continue hitchhiking per se.
Also, the head and eyes face forward and slightly upward with the ‘neck’ in an open position. The back is straight and the rear is tucked in. The upper part of the torso is vertical, this is very important at the moment of take off.
So, in summary, the initial stages of the shot and a half are very important and a lot of specific practice needs to be done. The use of low, flat platforms as a training tool should be a prerequisite. Establishing the correct movement patterns in landing and takeoff is a serious matter and should be implemented early in the learning process.
