Why it is so difficult to improve on Triple jump distance in Europe?

People keep asking me the same question every time- why is it so difficult to improve distance in triple jump when they train 5 days a week and they train really hard?

I had been doing research in different European countries about why it is so difficult for a woman to jump even over 13.50 and the men 16 or 16.50m.

Triple jump is not an easy athletics discipline, therefore a good training program guided by a coach with extensive knowledge specialized in triple jump is fundamentally necessary.

Although in Europe there are good coaches specialized in this discipline, there is a lack of practical knowledge and experience amongst some of them.

When a coach selects an athlete to be a jumper, the first thing to do is start working with the special triple jump base. When I talk about the base, I am talking about to improving development and the quality of athlete through special exercises such as those shown in the examples below;

Here I want to give you an example of what you can do to work with your athletes. Remember as a coach you have to make your own training program for each athlete.

1-      To improve coordination, rhythm and explosiveness, exercises between high and low hurdle,

2-      To improve distance, series of jumps uphill, also exercises between hurdles and cones with different distances

3-      To improve time and space, series of jumps down hill

4-      To improve reaction time, box plyometric (statics)

5-      To improve the speed between the jumps, box plyometric exercises with speed. (plyometric speed has to be made also on the track so fast as you can but with rhythms)

There are so many exercises you can use but it is up to you to look for those that they are suitable for the athlete.         

 

I want to explain to you that before the athlete starts working with those exercises, to avoid injury the athlete has to work with different exercises to strengthen the ankles, knees and natural physical strength. This work should be performed in different types of surfaces like grass, sand, tarmac and pavement (exercise on pavement can only be done under an experienced coach)

It is also very important to work with gymnastic exercises to improve the posture of the athlete as well as the positions of the legs in each flight phase.

Something very important that has to be in every training program of each athlete, is the continuous work of core exercises with medicine balls and others equipment for strengthening the hips and body stability and a special weight circuit for triple jump, done in the weight room.

I hope this information has been of help, and if any of you have any questions, please let me know.