The Last Three To Five Strides In The Long Jump Approach

By Mike Jones, Head Track & Field Coach Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR

    Coach Jones has been troubled for some time by recommendations to shorten the final stride in the long jump approach, when visual evidence of some of world's longest jumps seems to indicate otherwise. In this study, he quotes some of relevant observations on the subject and wonders if it's anything more than "different strokes for different folks."

    The purpose of this paper is to assess the current information available on the last three-to-five strides in the long jump run-up. The initial impetus to research this area stems from my involvement in the sport, and specifically my experience analyzing video of the former world record, 29 ft.- 2.5 in./8.90 m, established by Bob Beamon, in the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City (elevation, 2300 m/7546 ft.).
    I have always had an interest in film and videotape analysis, and have spent numerous hours reviewing Beamon's historic jump. From that analysis I was convinced that Beamon's last two strides were contrary to the recommendations found in most of the current literature, which is that the last stride is shorter than the penultimate, or second to last stride. I felt that Beamon's penultimate stride was shorter than his last stride, which has been confirmed through file / video and biomechanical analysis.
    The question arises: why does most of the current literature recommend a shorter last stride, when in fact a world record that stood for 24 years indicates a stride pattern that reveals a shorter penultimate stride? This is the basis of this paper, and a review of the current literature will hopefully reveal a reason why there is a contradiction between theoretical recommendations and actual fact.
    The aim of this review is to evaluate the information found therein, compared to the data available through biomechanical analysis of Beamon's jump, as well as any other world class performances that provide relevant comparisons.
    The following are excerpts from literature that recommend a shorter last stride: "The jumper's last two strides should be somewhat shorter, 6-12", than the three preceding strides." Championship Track and Field, edited by John Randolph, vol. 2, 1982.----"During the last 3 to 4 strides before takeoff the athlete brings his trunk into an upright (or near upright) position, lowers his center of gravity, and then, as he takes the last 1 to 2 strides, raises it again in an effort to have it moving upward as his takeoff foot strikes the board. These changes in body position produce accompanying changes in the athlete's stride length-generally a lengthening of the second-to-last stride and a relative shortening of the last stride." The Biomechanics of Sport Techniques, James G. Hay, Prentice-Hall, 1973.----"The preparation for the takeoff is a function of the last two strides: the penultimate stride, and the ultimate stride. In order to accomplish the proper preparation phase, the athlete will need to be focusing on the preparation during the third from the last stride. There is a definite rhythm to these last two steps. The athlete can think of this rhythm by thinking of the last two steps being long then short. The penultimate stride length will not vary greatly from the other maximum speed strides, but the ultimate stride should be an emphasis of a very quick step (get the foot down on the board as quickly as possible). The last stride often is 6-10 inches shorter than the penultimate stride." From "The Long Jump," Joe Rodgers, Ball State University, Track and Field Quarterly Review, Winter, 1993.
    There are other examples of articles that suggest a shorter last stride, but these are representative. I would not argue that these recommendations are incorrect because biomechanically they make sense, as does the Beamon approach. Beamon, and the current world record holder, Mike Powell, 29ft.- 4.5 in., are simply using a different technique of creating optimum forces to generate improved performance. Maybe, as with Beamon and Powell, the steps leading up to the last stride are worth examining. Maybe, as the research suggests, there are individual differences that necessitate different ways of achieving optimum performance.
    Beginning with Beamon's jump, there were several factors that affected his performance. He was able to use his speed, his limbs, and a stride pattern that helps generate optimum horizontal and vertical velocities. It appears that he was more proficient in the acceleration and deceleration of his limbs to create vertical forces without adversely affecting horizontal velocity.
    "A computer program was used to obtain body segment angular velocities and accelerations, forces of motions, and joint moments of force ... to show how Beamon obtained a resultant force direction due to perfectly timed accelerations and decelerations of all body segments that enabled him to get off the board for his long flight... The forces of motion of the free leg (free thigh) attained a maximum absolute velocity of 28.6 rad/ s for Beamon, 18.2 rad/ s for Williams (Randy, 27ft.-0.5in.) ... The maximum absolute deceleration, which produces in the desired direction, was 575 rad/s2 for Beamon, 525 rad/s2 for Williams ... The angle of the thigh when maximum deceleration occurred was 26 degrees from the horizontal for Beamon, and 35 degrees for Williams .... Beamon not only had greater forces due to the thigh motion alone, but the resultant direction was more upward than the other two ... The conclusions that may be drawn ... the thigh should be moved as fast as possible as early as possible to obtain a high deceleration and low velocity by takeoff, and the thigh should be as close to the horizontal as possible by takeoff." From" A Biomechanical Analysis of Beamon, Williams, and an Average College Long Jumper," Stan Plagenhoef, Track and Field Quarterly Review, Dec. 1973, p. 214.
    Beamon generated superior power by using a more optimum range of motion, acceleration, and deceleration of his limbs. Also, the timing of these movements appears to be critical. He is what I like to call very "whip-like." The deceleration part is what I find very interesting, and it is not something that is commonly taught. Michael Johnson, who is considered the best 200-400m sprinter of all time, and Jesse Owens, who was one of the greatest sprinter/long jumpers of all time, have a running style that emphasizes rapid turnover, which inherently has superior accelerations and decelerations of the limbs. The principle behind it has to do with transfer of momentum, which states that: "When a body part is airborne and the angular momentum of one part of the body is decreased, some part (or all) of the rest of the body must experience an increase in angular momentum if the total angular moment is to be conserved (or held constant)." James G. Hay, ibid.
    Another description of deceleration follows: " ... proper timing of body extremities (deceleration) aids a jumping action by reducing the vertical forces at takeoff. This is done by attaining maximum deceleration of the arms just before takeoff in a standing broad jump so that the forceful straightening of the legs has less weight to lift. The same action occurs in the takeoff of the high jump and long jump. The driving leg and both arms should have a perfectly timed deceleration, so that extension of the takeoff leg is done against the smallest force possible." Patterns of Human Motion, Stanley Plagenhoef, Prentice-hall, 1971.
    I don't mean to be getting off the subject of the last three strides in the long jump, but it's important to note other contributing factors, and it does give rise to an impetus for continued research. Specifically, what can we do to optimize acceleration and deceleration of the limbs in running/sprinting? The study by Plagenhoef did not address the strides prior to takeoff.
    A comparison of the last two strides in the three longest jumps in history, Powell, 29ft.-4.5in./8.95m; Carl Lewis, 29ft.-2.75in./8.91m; and Beamon, 29ft.-2.5in/8.90m; reveals differences worth checking out in Table 1.

    The question then arises why the difference? Theory explains that in order to generate vertical velocity without adversely affecting the horizontal component, the center of gravity should be lowered slightly prior to takeoff. In the case of Beamon, he was able to achieve this by a shortening of the penultimate stride. This shortening also sets up the potential to drive or push into the takeoff, which in turn allows an athlete to continue that drive as he or she runs over his or her takeoff leg with a spring-like motion-keep in mind the above discussion of limb acceleration and deceleration. Beamon was able to accomplish this very effectively.
    "The preparation phase for the takeoff aims to provide through a change in the movement structure the best possible conditions for the takeoff. This takes place over the last 4 to 6 strides of the run-up. The last 2 to 4 strides show particularly noticeable deviations in which the proportion of the stride length is changed and the athlete's center of gravity is lowered. The lowering of the center of gravity in the penultimate stride is expected to change the acceleration path to a more vertical direction and therefore create a stronger vertical parameter, provided the change in the stride structure is performed without horizontal velocity losses. The basic variation of the lowering of the center of gravity takes place with a lengthening of the penultimate stride in comparison to the previous and the following strides. Studies indicate that in the majority of cases the last stride is 84.5 to 97.5% shorter than the penultimate stride. At the same time, routine stride measurements in actual competition have shown that in some athletes the last stride was even longer than the penultimate stride. This variation, however, has not been observed in other world class jumpers." Heinz Weider and Hartmut Dickwach, ibid.
    So it appears that Beamon and Powell are on to something different that "has not been observed in other world class jumpers." A shortening of the penultimate stride which allows for a lowering of the center of gravity, combined with an exaggerated drive or push into the takeoff stride. In other words, both start their takeoff with the penultimate stride and complete the launching process with a longer, or close to the same length, last stride that sets up the support leg to act as a spring-very resilient, with limited collapsing, and short contact time. It is also important to note the contribution of the free leg and arms towards the generation of optimum forces (limb acceleration with corresponding deceleration), as well as the timing of these movements.
    On of the best articles I found dealt with a comparative analysis of Powell's and Lewis' jumps. The details are extensive and technical, but the main differences between the jumpers reads as follows:
    "The 'Jump formula' for Powell might be summarized as follows:
        • shortened second-to-last stride
        • vertical lead leg landing
        • stiff landing of the takeoff leg with a large offset
        • incorporation of the pelvis in the locomotion due to powerful trunk muscles
        • energetic swing.
    The lowest center of mass position is reached in the beginning of the last surface interaction. Considerable loss in the horizontal velocity is compensated by a large gain in the vertical component.
    "The 'Jump Formula' for Lewis:
        • significant elongation of the second-to-last stride
        • early lowering the center of mass
        • entering a very short last stride with zero vertical velocity
        • very short last stride
        • takeoff with fast inward hip motion
    Comparison of the original video recordings of the two attempts ... consider these two jumps as belonging to two different' classes' and thus suggesting some basic, essential variance of approach exploited by the two athletes." Gideon Ariel, et aI., ibid.
    So it appears that we are all unique and there is no magic formula that works for everyone. There are fundamental principles that should be considered, including running speed, limb movements and timing, lowering of the center of gravity, and other variables including flight, landing, training, etc., that affect how an athlete performs a given task. I suppose the long jump is like any other track and field event, in that you rarely see athletes who are identical in performance technique. In other words, everyone has to find what works the best for him/her. That is not to say that world class performances should not be studied and emulated, but individual differences need to be considered when analyzing a model and designing a training program for optimum results.
    The conclusion to one of the articles on Beamon states it well: "It should be evident that all the body parts must move in a pattern that will help lighten the load on the takeoff leg and also contribute to the upward and forward direction ... The breakdown shows that the magnitude of the velocities and accelerations are important, but not nearly as important as the timing of the maximum values relative to the segment positions. Large forces are not wanted unless they occur at the proper time in the proper direction. Beamon integrated all the body segments to obtain desired force directions from almost every body part. The correct combination to a perfectly synchronized jump, performed at high speeds and large decelerations, awaits the nine meter (29' 6.5") jumper." Stan Plagenhoef, Track & Field Quarterly Review, ibid.
    In an attempt to answer a technical question about the last 3-to-5 strides in the long jump, I hope I've imparted a somewhat better understanding of the techniques and individual differences that give rise to different ways of accomplishing similar tasks. One of the dichotomies of track and field, as well as any sport or endeavor, is that we know we can never achieve perfection because we can always do better, yet we constantly strive for it. The principal conclusion I can make is that continuing research is always needed in order to gain a better understanding of all factors that influence optimum human performance.

FROM: TRACK COACH 182