LONGJUMP- OVERVIEW

Long Jump is a track-and-field event in which an athlete is required to jump to a distance

as far as possible from a given take-off point. Among all the athletes, the person who
covers a maximum distance is usually declared as winner. The sport is played under both
men and women categories.

A Brief History of Long Jump

The traces of this sport lead us to ancient Greece. It was then played as Olympics pattern.
The presence of this sport at that time was believed to be due to its usefulness in warfare.
However, the practice methodology was completely different from what we see today. In
those days, players used to take-off after running a short distance only. In addition, they
were supposed to carry a weight known as halters to give them momentum while
swinging forward.

In the late 1800, United States and Europe added this sport into their sport events and
soon in 1896 it was introduced in modern Olympics for the first time. However, during this
period, the use of halters was completely eliminated. In 1928, Olympics was organized in
Holland in which women took part for the first time. Soon after that event, the
International Association for Athletic Federation (IAAF) was formed to govern this sport.

Long Jump – Playing Environment

In Long Jump, an athlete has to jump as far as possible from the take-off point. Landing
is generally done on a sand pit. For more comfort, the land is filled with silicon sand. The
run-up before the jump is also limited.

The runway for this sport should have a length of 40 meters and width of 1.22 meters.
There is a take-off board present before the landing area. It has the length of 1.22 meters
whereas width and depth are 20cm and 10 cm respectively. From at least one metre from
the landing area, there should be plasticine to record the athlete’s foot-faulted prints. It
is generally white in color.

The landing area should be filled with silicon sands. The length of the field from the take-
off point to the end should be at least 10 meters, whereas its width should be of
2.75 meters.
 LONGJUMP- TRAINING

Instead of learning much difficult techniques, one should focus on the basics to master
this sport. Two things that matter the most in this sport are speed and lift at the take-
off point. Flight techniques and landing are equally important. An athlete needs to attain
a good speed within a given specific distance boundary.

During the preliminary training, one should not be introduced to the take-off board
directly. The following points should be kept in mind during the initial stages of training:

 Your head should be upright throughout the jumping session.

 Choose a jumping area that is more suitable to have sideways jumping.

 Initially, you should make short approach run and should mark the places where
the running actually starts.

Apart from these, it is also advised to the starters not to take long run initially. Take short
approach, run, take-off, and land naturally at whatever position you are comfortable with
your speed. If you take-off through a long run without practice, then fatigue can occur
quickly and this will affect further practice.

 Make sure that you run fast during your practice session with your head upright.

 Make a flat back land off with your legs being stretched straight.

 Take-off leg should be extended as much as possible to cover a good distance.

 Do not keep your arms tight. Instead, keep them free and swing them with body
movement to get maximum momentum.

Some points should be noted about take-off foot. Only sailing is done with proper tactics.

 Make sure that the heel of your feet will lands first.

 As the take-off proceeds, there will be a rolling action of the ball of the foot.

 Make the use of the toes of your take-off foot and rise it up against air as high as
possible.

Running should be done in fast-foot action manner. That means, pawing should be done
first, then extension of the take-off leg should be made with much speed. During the take-
off process, the mid-line of the body should contain the foot. The pointing direction of the
foot should be in the forward direction of jump.

Dos and Don’ts during the Practice

The following points should be in your checklist during practice:

 Till the take-off point, do maintain your speed at any cost.

 As soon as you cross the board, give a rapid boost to your speed.
  To maintain more upright positions, do experiment on your running styles that suit
you better.

 Compensatory action of the arms should be done to give the momentum.

 Landing drills should be added to the practice schedule.

The following are the things that you should not do:

 Just before take-off, shortening or lengthening the stride.

 Without attaining much speed, taking-off from the hill.

 Inclining the trunk too far forward or backward.

 Imbalance during the flight.

 Positioning one foot below the other foot during the landing phase.

LONGJUMP- HOW TO PLAY ?

It is wise to practice the sail techniques effectively for the improvement of take-off
techniques. Through this practice, the upright trunk will be maintained and striding
position of the free leg will be improved.

We can divide basic jumping into three distinct sections:

 Approach

 Take-off

 Flight

Let’s discuss about these techniques in detail and try to understand how to apply them
effectively in our practice.

Long Jump − Approach

The number of strides varies depending upon the level of competition. For primary school
performers, the number of strides varies in between 11 to 15 whereas for senior athletes,
the number of strides varies between 19 and 23. Due to low muscular strength, the
approach run for women is 3-4 metre less in comparison to men.

A systematic rhythm must be set to achieve a high horizontal velocity. To achieve this,
the speed pattern must be modified. Maintain this rhythm till the take-off point and at the
point of take-off, lower your hip and rise with a sudden force to gain an instant momentum.
From the normal stride, the sinking of hip stride should be 25 cm below.

It is a general practice that in the approach run, if an athlete is running in 19 strides, then
his take-off foot is going to touch the ground 10 times. Hence to mark the starting point,
the player initially runs backward from the take-off point. He continues to run till his take-
off foot touches the ground 10 times.

The moment it touches the ground; the coach will mark that point. This type of practice
will be done minimum six times. The farthest point from the take-off point is taken as
starting point. The wind is also a factor in it. If the wind is blowing from the back the run
up distance will be longer and vice versa.
Long Jump − Take-off
When the athlete’s leg gets on the board during the take-off phase, its position is much
ahead of the Centre of gravity and this helps in imposing maximum vertical velocity. In
addition to this, an athlete can attain more speed by making the upward acceleration of
his non take-off leg, arms and free limbs. To impose vigorous impulses, strengthen your
take-off leg as much as possible.

You need to keep the following things in mind:

 Extensions should be made up to maximum with the help of ankle, toe, hip, and
knee.

 Position of your free thigh should be parallel to the ground.

 Your opposite arm should do the coordination.

 Chest and back should not lean down and your eyes should look forward.

 Instead of making variable speed, maintain a constant rhythm throughout the

approach.

Determination of take-off leg is very simple. Just kick a ball with your left leg, having your
right leg on the ground. If the right leg maintains the balance of your body well, then it is
your take-off leg and vice versa.

Long Jump − Flight

Flight is the most important part of the jumping. You need to keep the following points in
mind during the Flight:

 Free leg should be raised to a horizontal position during the take-off.

 Position of the free leg however should trail back as much as possible during the
whole flight.

 Best position for the hands is above the shoulder level.

 Keep the trunk in the upright position as much as possible otherwise it will make
obstacles in moving your leg up during the landing time.
During the flight, it is crucial that you maintain perfect alignment between your head,
back, and hips.
All rules for long jump are made and monitored through International Association for
Athletic Federations. Playing by rules will fetch you points on your performance and the
reverse may cost you penalty which may lead to disqualification from the entire
tournament.

Here is a list of some important rules that every athlete needs to follow while participating
in a Long Jump event:

 The number of trials varies depending upon the number of competitors. If the
number of competitors is more than eight, then each one will be given three trials
and best eight among them may be given additional three trials. However, if the
number of competitors is less than eight, then each may be given six trials.

 If a competitor wishes, he can have some practice trials before the beginning of
the competition under the supervision of judges. Once the competition has begun,
they are not allowed to use the competition or take-off area.

 Markers are provided by the organizing committee to the players to mark their
take-off and run off points. No other substances like chalks should be used which
can leave indelible marks.

 Soon after the athlete jumps, measurement is done from the nearest point that
has touched the take-off point.

 All measurements are done perpendicular to the take-off point.

 For the trial to be legal, the wind meter reading is also important. It should show
the parameters within the required specific zone.

 The performer has to complete his jump within one minute.

 If there is a tie between two players after scoring, chances are given to them till
the time one performs better than the other and gain more points.
 RUNNING- OVERVIEW
History of Running

The original running ancient Olympic games held in Olympia, Greece had just one event
-the ‘stadion’ race. This was a simple race from one end of stadium to the other. It was a
race over a distance of about 200meters. Sprint race have been included in all Olympic
games from 1896. Women took part in sprinting events from 1928. Now sprinting events
for men and women include individual and relay events and sprints over hurdles.

Basic Requirements/Equipment

 An area that has a safe surface for running.

 Students should be appropriately dressed to participate safely in running events.

 A starting line and a finishing line.

 Cones or markers.

 Stop watches/measuring tapes.

Facts about Sprints

 It is only possible to maintain near maximum speed for not more than 30
seconds.

 The winner of a sprinting event is the athlete whose torso reaches the closest
edge of the finish line first.

 Usain Bolt is currently the world's fastest man, setting a world record for the
100m of 9.58 seconds.

 Abdul Najeeb Qureshi, an Indian sprinter from Hyderabad, ran the 100m at the
Commonwealth Games in 2010 in 10.30 seconds.

TRACK EVENTS
Track events are running events on a track for specified distances. These include (i)
Sprints (100m, 200m, 400m), (ii) Middle Distance (800m, 1500m), (iii) Long Distance
(3000m, 3000m, Steeplechase, 5000m, 10,000m), (iv) Relays (4×100m, 4×400m), and
(v) Hurdles (110/100m, 400m).
Sprints
Sprinting is the name given to short distance running in which the runner tries to
maintain maximum speed for the whole race.

These include track events covering distances of 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters,
4×100 meters relay, 4×400 meters relay, and hurdle races of 100 meters for women,
110 meters for men and 400 meters for both men and women.

At the professional level, sprinters begin the race by assuming a crouching position on
the starting blocks.

Then they lean their body forward and gradually move into an upright position as the
race progresses and momentum is gained.

Athlete remain in the same lane on the running track throughout the sprinting distance.

The man or woman who runs fastest and takes minimum time over 100m, wins the
race.

The winner is often named ‘the fastest man/woman in the competition’. Some sprint
events start in lanes, to cover the same distance for each runner.

Relays
Relay races are the only track events in which a team of runners directly compete
against other teams. Common relay races are the 4×100 meter and the 4×400 meter.

The exchange of baton takes place within a specified area of the track called baton
exchange zone.

Teams may be disqualified if the team fails to complete the baton exchange within an
area of 20 meters, the team is considered as disqualified.

A team may also be disqualified if its runners have deliberately created hurdle for the
other competitors.

The 4×100 meter event is run strictly within the same lane on the track. It means that
the team collectively runs one complete circuit of the track.

Teams in a 4×400 meter event remain in their own lane until the runner of the second
leg passes the first bend, at which point runners can leave their lanes and head towards
the inner-most part of the circuit.

the second and third baton change-overs, team mates must align themselves in respect
of their team position. The leading team takes the inner lanes while team mates of the
slower teams must await the baton on outer lanes.