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1. Take-off point Most jumpers will find themselves at a point about 1-2 feet from the standard along the crossbar. This distance is called xstd. From that point on the crossbar, you will be somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 feet perpendicular measured out, depending upon your speed and jumping ability. This distance is called ystd. Typically, the higher you jump, the further away from the crossbar (ystd) you will find yourself when you plant your take-off foot.
2. Take-off angle Next, you will choose your take-off angle. Jumpers will sometimes say that their take-off leg feels like it collapses when they plant and try to jump. One cause of this "collapse" is a take-off angle that is close to 0 degrees, or possibly even parallel. It should NEVER be parallel!!! This is very important!! A good starting point is to be somewhere between 15 and 30 degrees. This is a variable that you will play with until you find one that works well.
3. Number of Steps on the Curve Now you need to decide how many steps you will take on the curve portion of your approach. It is recommended that you use five(5) steps as your starting point. Do not change this, unless advised by your coach. I have found that five steps is ideally what a jumper should be using.
4. Stride Length Your stride length makes you unique from every other jumper. This is the main variable that determines your approach. Your stride length on a curve determines how much distance you can cover in 5 steps. You will need to obtain a measurement of your stride length, while running a curve. To accomplish this, you will need someone to assist you. Using a tape measure, mark a circle with radius of about 25 ft. (for high school athletes and above). Then run this circle with the same tempo and rhythm you would normally use for your actual high jump approach. Remember to maintain inward lean while you do this. Have an assistant watch where each step lands on the circle's perimeter. You will then measure the distance between these steps. Add the distances together and divide by the number of measurements you make. The result is your average stride length. You only need to take about 5-7 steps on a portion of this circle to obtain the measurements.
With these four(4) variable defined, you can now use some applied math to find a very, very good approximation of the intercept point where an athlete should be starting their approach curve.
INTERCEPT POINT
What is the intercept point? This is the point on the track, unique to each jumper, where the approach curve starts. The location of this point is dependent upon the 4 components of your approach. Changing any of those 4 components, will change the location of your intercept point. This point is actually located by measuring "X" from the standard closest to your takeoff point, and then measuring "Y" outward and perpendicular from "X" (see diagram). Most jumpers do this anyway to find their start point, only now, you will find the point at which your curve begins. Once you locate this point, you will be well on your way to higher heights. You find your intercept point based on the variables you defined in the previous section. It's not enough to have a starting point marked on the track. The starting point is only secondary to the intercept point. As long as you hit your intercept point with each approach, your jumping will become more consistent. More consistency means a better probability at clearing higher heights. After all, that's what it's all about, HIGHER HEIGHTS!
