Second Phase The Athlete example essay topic

When talking about the things that make a good track athlete, technique is the single most important thing. Even in events such as the hundred meter dash, the proper technique can mean the difference between a win and a loss. In the events that require more than just running, technique separates elite athletes from second tier athletes. In this paper, I will be talking about the different levels of development required to become an effective triple jumper. To begin with, the Triple Jump is a complex event which requires balance, speed, jumping ability, the ability to perform multiple task at once (counting steps, running and jumping) and the ability to move multiple body parts independently of each other.

The Triple jump requires the participant to make three consecutive jumps and land in a pit of sand. Participants have a set point which they must jump from called boards. The foot of the participant may not cross the far plane of this board. Boards are set at different distances from the pit depending on the ability of The jumper. At level one, the athlete should get a basic understanding of the event, and also gain the basic skills of performing the event successfully. The participant should begin by getting a feel for the runway (the runway is roughly three feet wide and up to one hundred and fifty feet long).

Now the participant should decide which foot will be the foot that he / she will jump off of in the first phase (keep in mind that the athlete will have to jump off of this foot twice. The dominant foot is not necessarily the best foot for the first jump. The athlete should decide). Participants should first practice a slow jog down the runway and into the sand pit. The athlete should also learn the basics of the three jumps (phases 1-3) Phase one is the opening phase of the triple jump and the athlete should concentrate on distance instead of height and landing on the same leg that they initially took off with. In the second phase the athlete should simply concentrate on making the second jump off of the same leg, again concentrating on distance instead of height, and this time landing on the foot that they did not jump off of.

In the third phase the athlete should concentrate on keeping his / her balance and jumping up and out (distance and height on this phase) and landing with both feet together in the pit. At the second level, the participant should have the basic knowledge associated with the triple jump and should now be able to grasp slightly more advanced concepts. At this level, the athlete should now be comfortable enough with the basic mechanics of the jump that he / she can now learn how to jump from a board and focus on the movements of the different phases. The instructor should create a board closed to the pit than normal (using white tape) to give the athlete a reasonable goal to attain.

The participant should begin a few feet behind this board and begin a slow jog up to the board and begin the first phase when the selected foot for the first phase lands on the board. ( The athlete should watch the board and make adjustments to land on the board with the proper foot). Once the athlete begins his / her first phase, repeat the steps of the paragraph above with a few new inclusions. The athlete should now be using his / her arms along with the opposite knee to propel the athlete forward (knee / arm drive) and maintain balance.

In the third phase the athlete should be very comfortable with the jump and the runway and should now learn how to approach the board at high speed and still maintain the proper jumping technique. At this level, the athlete should now be jumping from a competitive board in practice most of the time, and should also be learning how to count his / her steps instead of looking at the board. The athlete should now work on an eight left / right foot (this refers to the number of times the corresponding foot strikes the ground before reaching the board) approach. To do this the Athlete should stand with the foot which will perform the first and second phases on the board facing down the runway away from the pit.

The runner should begin running at top speed and count how many time the foot that began on the board strikes the ground. On the eighth strike, someone should mark this point with a highly visible object (tape is the best option). This is now the athletes mark and should be wee the athlete begins from every time he / she attempts a jump. Once the mark has been established, the participant should now attempt a full speed jump from this point. The athlete will now jump when his / her preferred foot strikes the ground for the eighth time, but should still be allowed to watch the board to gain confidence.

Once the run-up is complete and the athlete makes his / her first jump, repeat the things discussed in the two paragraphs before with more inclusions. The athlete should now be concentrating on keeping his / her back straight and chest high. In the fourth phase, the athlete is at an advanced level and should be ready for competition. At this level the runner should now be comfortable with a full speed run up and jumping with a number system.

At level four the jumper will now be learning the fine points of the jump and should already have a solid base to work off of. On the run-up, the athlete should gain as much speed as possible in his first six steps (this refers to left right counting. if you are counting the way the jumper will be this is considered the first three steps). After this initial phase of the run-up the athlete should now concentrate on proper running technique (staying tall) and his / her count. At this level the athlete will not look at the board and will jump when his / her preferred foot strikes the ground for the eighth time.

Once the jump begins, repeat the things discussed in the first three paragraphs with these inclusions. In the first two phases, the jumper should now concentrate on driving the opposite knee and keeping it high while the active leg cycles through. On the last phase the athlete should concentrate on driving both arms into the air and pulling his / her knees to the chest once the last jump has been made. The participant should also now be aware of the sand pit and try to keep his / her legs as high as possible to increase the distance of the jump.