Use the Force - How to Develop High Jumpers

Specific Program Concerns

If you have a High Jumper on your track team then you need this information.   Some of the most spectacular athletes to watch at a track meet are the high jumpers who seemingly have no limits.  Have you ever wondered how these athletes get to the point where they are so explosive and graceful to make every jump look as though it was the easiest thing in the world to accomplish?  If so, read on.  If not, it’s your high jumpers that we all talk about.  In either case there is certainly some things that you can add to your coaching tool box to improve your athletes.  It’s not enough to have or coach the best athletes.  Can you, or have you caused them to improve their skill?  That’s what I am going to help you accomplish.

What do you see when you watch a high jumper?  I see the start position, the single leg bounding on the approach, the seamless coordination of a non-dominant single leg vertical jump, dominant hip and knee flexion with simultaneous rotating of the torso to ‘flop’ over the bar.  I also see the trunk extension and hip power that allows the jumper to finish the jump cleanly.  It’s no accident that an athlete can do all these things in a seamless and coordinated manner.  Sometimes it’s just talent, but in most cases the jumper has been trained to execute these components.  It’s here where I want to start our discussion. 

If I could do strength and conditioning for your high jumpers I would train them as follows:

First every workout would begin with a dynamic warm-up and some additional specific warm-up components to address any deficiencies in flexibility or range of motion.  This is important to understand because static stretches will not prepare muscle tissue to perform dynamic work.   

One of the other things to understand is that the entire body must be developed for the purpose of clearing new heights efficiently and consistently in competition.   Nothing in the human body happens in isolation; therefore you cannot train parts of the athlete and expect a complete performance.  Some of the key areas of interest for the high jumper development are:

The Stance / Start / Approach / Vertical / Rotation / Finish  

I hope that you can forgive the following stream of consciousness – I’m a coach, not a writer.

Stance / Start -I would train these together using several different mechanical points to maximize the force production and acceleration of the start.  For example, Resisted Release, Phase 2 Starts, Phase 2 Hill Starts, Up Hill A- Skip, Db Leg Curls.  A great start is the only acceptable kind of start to allow.  You know that your athletes will rise to your expectation.  Teach perfect – perform perfect!

Approach – I would use several different exercises to replicate and perfect the ‘bounding’ of the approach phase.  I would have the high jumper perform Banded Glutes, Single Leg Bounds, A-Skips, Elevated Split Squats, Box Lunges, Single Arm Jerk, Walking Pistol Squats, and Bottom Squats.  All these movements contribute to the improvement of muscle activation within the lower posterior chain, acceleration, and coordination.

Vertical – Again, I would reach into my coaching tool box and train the High Jumper within this component using the following movements:  Lift Offs, Clean Pulls, Banded Vertical, Single Leg Vertical, Single Leg Drop Jumps, Box Jumps, Seated Long Jump, and Pogo Jumps.  There is also an opportunity to combine the approach and vertical segments in a pool; taking advantage of the water resistance to generate a more explosive approach and vertical for the High Jumper.

Rotation – This segment would be trained specifically and purposefully, just like the other segments, using the following exercises:  Hanging Twist, BB Russian Twist, Twisting Swiss Ball Knee Tucks, Hanging D Lotz, Reverse Hyper Twist, Banded Suitcase Crunches, and Alternating Tire Strikes.  The rotational action of the High Jumper should not be overlooked.  There will be some carry-over benefit between these movements and the movements of the Finish segment.

Finish – In this component, it is important to understand that the High Jumper’s trunk will be extended at this point of the jump in competition.  For maximum translation of training to occur the athlete should be in a similar body position while training.  The tools I would use for this are:  Arc Overs, DB Pullovers, Pull-up to Tucks, Ab Rollouts, Drawbridges, Banded Reverse Crunch, Alternating Swiss Ball Toe Touch, and Hanging DB Knee Raises.  Without the specific training of the lower abs and hip flexors, your High Jumper will not successfully reach new heights.  

Remember, if you are expecting your athletes to consistently perform at the highest levels of their potential, your athletes need to be conditioned in that manner.  Make sure that the Strength and Conditioning coaches that work with your athletes are credentialed – this is the first step in keeping all of your athletes healthy.

In summary, some of these exercises are familiar by name and some aren’t.  Understand that every coach has their own terminology for things.  What is most critical about the above information is the appropriate, progressive, and systematic training principles used during the training process.  Although each coach may have unique terminology, the physiology of how to specifically develop an athlete is fundamental.  Appropriate attention to this detail must be paid for you and your High Jumper to enjoy the rewards of consistent victory.

If you have any questions or comments for me please feel free to share those with me.