Tips For Foot Placement On The Board To Mark A Long Jump Run-Up
When first measuring out a long or triple jump run-up, an athlete will often stand on the take-off board and run a predetermined number of strides away from the landing pit.
Where an athlete should stand on the board – and with which foot – is a source of a lot of confusion.
Foot Placement on the Take-Off Board
When first measuring out a run-up, an athlete should stand on the runway with their back to the landing pit and with the heel of their front foot next to the take-off board foul line.
Facing away from the landing pit, the heel of the front foot is placed next to the foul line.
They should stand exactly as they would to begin their long jump run-up, even if it means that their take-off foot is not the one on the board. The front foot must be the one on the board.
Why?
Only athletes with an even number of strides in their run-up will begin their approach towards the pit with their take-off foot forward. Therefore their take-off foot, being their front foot, will be placed on the board to measure their run-up.
But athletes with an odd number of strides in their run-up begin with their take-off foot back when starting their run-up. This means that their take-off foot should also be back, and not on the board, when measuring their run-up.
Stand the same way as if beginning a run-up, even if it means that your take-off foot is not on the board.
From here, the athlete runs a predetermined number of strides away from the pit, to mark the beginning of their run-up.
When measuring a run-up, the heel of the front foot is placed just behind the foul line.
Has this article helped you?
I would love to hear if this article has been helpful to you. Let me know by leaving a reply/comment or by using the contact details below.
Further reading
Coaching Young Athletes E-Book:
How To Teach Young Athletes To Long Jump (plus bonus cheat sheet)
Articles:
How to Teach a Long Jump Run-Up in 7 Easy Steps
Long Jump Run-Ups: Why Close Enough Is Good Enough
If this post helped you please take a moment to help others by sharing it on social media. If you want to learn more I encourage you to leave questions and comments or contact me directly.
Darren Wensor is a sports development professional, coach educator, specialist coach of young athletes, and founder of the blog coachingyoungathletes.com. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, or via email. Check out Coaching Young Athletes on YouTube, the Coaching Young Athletes podcast, and the Coaching Young Athletes E-Book Series.
Coaching Young Athletes 