Hi
Guys- I haven’t had time to write updates in my blog over the past few months,
as I’ve been so busy with my coaching commitments, but I’m now going to make
every effort to write an update every month, for those of you who have been
making enquiries.
Rhythm and speed has to be in perfect balance for
any jumpers, especially for long and triple jump. Although long jump is formed
by an approach followed by a takeoff, it doesn’t mean that the athlete doesn’t
need to have a rhythm- on the contrary, to have a perfect rhythm make the
athlete have a perfect takeoff, and good control in the flight phase at the
moment of the jump. Also to have a good rhythm, the athlete will have a perfect
speed control for the approach. This combination between the speed and rhythm
is the most important thing in the technical part of the jump.
For Triple jump, it is even more complicated, as
this discipline is composed of approach, hop-step and jump. Here the rhythm and
speed have to be almost perfect, as after the approach, the athlete has to realize
3 perfect horizontal jumps, and each of them is destined to gain distance.
They are many exercises to improve rhythm, and you
can use from simple to really advanced exercises. The most important thing is
to work continuously every day to improve the technique to perfection.
Good rhythms make the athlete have greater suppleness
and mobility in each technical movement. If you look at the 8.83m from the
Cuban Long jumper Juan Miguel Hechabarria, you can see clearly how perfect he
is working with the speed and rhythm, and also his technique in the air is
completely perfect.
What could you do to improve rhythm?
Variations of exercises with hurdles from lower to
high level, coordination run techniques with cones, plyometric with light
weights , exercises with continuous short jumps to train your mind for
exactitudes etc. They are many exercises
that you can use, but to improve your technique, you need specific exercises
designed for each individual athlete.
