Tips And Tricks For Introducing Triple Jump To Beginners
Check out this Little Athletics NSW video. (I am the host and on-camera coach).
A handy summary can be found below the video. Throughout the article, you will find lots of links to more information about teaching triple to young athletes.
Video Summary
Assumption
This approach to teaching beginners to triple jump assumes that the kids can already perform a basic hop, can leap from one foot to the other, and can perform a safe two-foot landing. If not, remedial teaching is needed.
Equipment
- Ground markers/cones or ground dots in a variety of colours
- Rake, shovel, and broom to create and maintain a safe landing surface in the sand pit.
Basic Rules
- The kids must perform a hop, a step, and a jump sequence. If this sequence is not performed (e.g. a child performs two hops and lands in the pit) it’s a foul jump.
- To receive a measurement, an athlete needs to land the jump phase in the sand pit. If the child lands on the runway the jump can’t be measured.
- The triple jump is measured in its entirety from the start of the hop to where the child lands in the sand.
Safety
- Ensure that the runway and the take-off area are stable and non-slippery and that the sand pit is safe to land in. The pit should be well dug over and raked and checked for objects/debris.
- Ensure that the kids can reach the landing pit with their jump. You don’t want them landing on the runway at the end of their triple jump. If the kids are having trouble landing in the sand pit allow them to start their hop from a point closer to the pit.
- Make sure that the kids have the minimum skills to do this event. Ensure a progression from easy to more complex.
Terminology
The triple jump is commonly known as a “hop-step-jump” or a “hop-skip-jump” sequence.
“Take-Off Foot”
This is the foot from which the child will hop at the beginning of the sequence. It’s that foot that hits the take-off board or the take-off area.
“Hop“
A child takes off and lands on the same foot.
“Step”
A child takes off from one foot and lands on the other. This terminology can be confusing. Rather than looking like a “step”, the action should be more like a leap or a bound.
“Jump”
A child takes off from one foot and lands on two feet.
For more about triple and long jump terminology CLICK HERE.
How to Help Kids Remember the Sequence
We need to give beginners an easy way to remember the correct movements. “Hop-step-jump” can be difficult for kids to remember. When you triple jump, you take off then land on the same foot (hop), then the other foot (step), and then both feet (jump). So you can describe a triple jump to a young athlete as a “same-other-both” sequence. This easier for young athletes to remember and interpret.
Setting Up The Teaching the Sequence
When teaching the correct triple jump sequence, also introduce the concept of common, even phases right from the start. This means that the distance and the timing of each of the phases – the hop and the bound and the jump – are all relatively similar.
- Introduce the sequence away from the landing pit; a soft grassed area is ideal.
- Set up a line of markers to guide the athletes’ hop, step, and jump landings.
- The first and second markers that indicate the hop take-off and landing should be the same colour. The next marker indicating the step landing should be another colour. Two markers – one of each colour – indicate the jump landing. The athletes land on the same foot (same colour), the other foot (other colour) then both feet (both colours). For more details about this activity CLICK HERE.
The Teaching the Sequence
1. Pause on Each Landing
The athlete balances on one leg next to the first cone. They hop to the first marker and pause, step to the next marker and pause, then jump and pause next to the last markers.
2. No Pause on Each Landing
The athlete hops, steps, and jumps next to the cones without pausing. Look for an even rhythm and sound as they are landing.
3. A One-Step Approach
Have them do the same skill but from one step back from the first cone. They will step to the first cone and then perform the basic triple jump sequence with even phases.
4. A Walking Approach
Extend the approach. Take them back a few steps back so they will walk in then transition into their triple jump sequence.
5. Jogging Approach
Introduce a jogging approach. If they’re very easily making the distances between the markers, you might like to increase the distance between the markers to increase the challenge.
6. Land in the Sand Pit
Once you’re confident that the child can consistently perform the sequence correctly from a running or jogging approach, it’s okay to move them over to the landing pit.
The Triple Jump Take-Off Boards
At most athletics facilities, the triple jump take-off boards start at five metres back from the edge of the sand landing pit. A lot of kids will be able to attempt this distance.
If you think any young athletes are going to struggle to reach the landing pit from the five-metre board, allow them to take off from a bit closer to the pit. i.e. Create a four-metre board or a four-and-a-half-metre board so they can safely land in the sand.
As kids get better at the triple jump, you may find that that five-metre board is too close to the landing pit for them. This can result in them “jamming up” their technique so that they don’t perform their step landing in the sand. The answer is for them to transition to a new take-off board that is further away from the pit. Athletics rules commonly require that the triple jump boards are marked on the runway at five metres, seven metres, nine metres, etc. Transitioning from a five to a seven-metre take-off board is quite a big change and can be confronting for kids.
The best way to transition kids to a new triple jump take-off board is to do it incrementally. Starting from a five-metre board, you might then teach them from a five-and-a-half-metre board to a six-metre board, to a six-and-a-half metres board, all of which you will need to mark yourself, even just with tape or ground markers next to the runway. Finally, the child can then try the seven-metre take-off board.
Common Faults
1. A Huge Hop
Rather than do even phases in the triple jump a lot of kids will try to perform the biggest hop they can. A huge hop means the child will come crashing down in their landing. They will then find it very difficult to perform their step phase.If this is happening, go back to the earlier drills that use cones at predetermined distances so they can feel the rhythm of even phases as they perform their triple jumping sequence.
2. A Short Step
A very short step phase is often related to a huge hop. The step is often a child’s weakest phase in the triple jump. Onlookers will see a big hop, a short step, then a big jump. As a coach, you need to teach them to even the phases out. That often means returning to those drills where they’re jumping to cones at even, predetermined distances.
3. Using a Take-Off Board That is Too Close to the Pit
As kids improve at triple jump they may find that their step is landing too close to the edge of the pit. The space in which they have to perform the three phases has become too short, “cramping their style”. Fearful that their step phase will overshoot the runway and land in the sandpit, the athlete will pull back on their step and therefore shorten the overall distance that they’re jumping. As mentioned earlier, this can be solved by progressing them to a board that is further back from the pit.
Conclusion
some ideas to help you introduce the triple jump to beginners. It’s important to start by teaching the correct sequence and even phases. This can be achieved by sub-maximally triple jumping away from the sand first and then transferring these skills over to the pit.
Triple Jump Teaching Aid From Coaching Young Athletes
Triple Jump Phase Landings Quick Reference Guide
This guide lists the “ideal” landing points for each phase to achieve a target distance. Simply look up the target distance to find the recommended landing points. Put target markers next to these landing points to provide young athletes with a visual cue. Assists with learning effective technique and rhythm.
For more information and to buy this resource, click HERE.
Further reading
Where To Start With Complete Beginners In The Triple Jump
10 Biggest Mistakes Young Athletes Make In The Triple Jump
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.
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