CAN SPRINTERS LONG JUMP? WHY IS IT ACTUALLY DIFFICULT?🤔

[@robinmihrshahi4760]

Many of the top long jumpers of the 80s and 90s were also world class sprinters. They also jumped further than today's jumpers. Maybe today's jumpers would benefit from training more like sprinters as they did back then.

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Robin, potentially ... but there were a number of other possible reasons for the greater number of longer jumpers in the eighties in particular - Easter Bloc countries and State sponsored doping/State sponsored sport and less stringent drug testing. The recent NCAA indoor champs might user in the dawn of a new era of jumpers as if I recall - 8.40m won and there were 2/3 other guys over 8.30m. Thanks for passing by.

[@robinmihrshahi4760]

@@Johnshepherdtrackcoach Yes, that too. I wasn't only thinking of athletes like Heike Drechsler, though, but also Carl Lewis, Larry Myricks and Mike Conley, for example. The latter two had 200m PBs in the 20.0-20.2 range. A bit later we had people like Dwight Phillips with PBs of 10.06 and 6.47 and, Kareem Street-Thompson ran 9.96. Christian Taylor was a world class 400m runner. N. Makusha had PBs of 9.89s and 8.40m. Leroy Burrell started out as a long jumper (PB 8.37m), but his body couldn't handle the demands of that sport, so he became a (world record breaking) sprinter. Similar story with Lamont Jacobs. Mathew Boling seems to long jump for fun occasionally and has gone 8.25m indoors aged 21. I would say that people that have the potential to be world class sprinters quite commonly also have the capacity to be world class long jumpers, but they don't necessarily train for both at the required level to get there. On the women's side we had Marion Jones and Tianna Bartoletta (10.78).

[@GrahamCStrouse]

@@robinmihrshahi4760Stocky sprinters like Burrell probably aren’t all that well equipped to long jump, at least not in the long term. I expect it probably put a lot more stress on his knees and back. He also had (relatively) short legs for his height. The best long-jumpers, even ones who aren’t that tall, usually have a long inseam.

[@gordainramsypie2960]

Thank you for this! I am a sprinter, and I am always wondering why I’m not jumping as far as others but can run a fast 100m as time. I had a meet today and I noticed that I can’t really control the penultimate step because of my natural sprinting pelvic tilt (watched your other video 😅) This makes so much sense now! When running for LJ, it’s more of standing tall, and running not on your toes but more midfoot?

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Glad the combination of videos is providing you with help and reasons. Yes, if the hips are in the "wrong" position then jumping will be compromised. It is a forefoot strike for long jump post acceleration ... to be honest it should also be for sprinting, if you are on your tip-toes (too far forward on the foot) that could part explain a forward pelvic tilt. You maybe more of a pusher and knee lift is being affected because of that. The forefoot will provide more of a power base for you to exert and return force. Hope this helps and all the best.

[@eldarthomassenfagerbakke2765]

Hi John, very interesting video. I am wondering if there are differences in the capabilities of sprinters and jumpers to store and release elastic energy. You already mentioned differences in polymetric training. I guess jumpers need to store and release more energy because their foot strike is longer in front of the center of mass in the jump. Maybe longer legs, stronger og bigger plantarfleksors, longer achilles tendons and stronger quadriceps and glutes are advantages for jumpers but not for sprinters?

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Eldar an interesting observation. I think that much has to do with the way the athletes train and from their starting position ... meaning many jumpers are lost to sprinting and once they are training mature there is a difficulty in turning their speed into jump speed and take-off power. From my opinion developed sprinters "appear" heavier in the way they apply force and in body type. Female elite sprinters in particular often also run in a way thats potentially not suited to long jumping. (pelvis forward and more work being done behind the body). Jumpers tend to be taller and leaner (well, less muscled) and more reactive. Often I will look at sprinters and have a good idea as to who would make a better jumper than others. One area that I was going to talk about but didn't was hurdlers - where there is a great or at least more significant cross-over between long jump and the event. Grant Holloway being an 8m jumper many years back, for example. I guess the event similarities are very much closer and therefore the transference possibility is greater. Thanks again for the comment and passing by.

[@eldarthomassenfagerbakke2765]

@@Johnshepherdtrackcoach It makes sense that jumpers have less muscle mass i the thigh and hip if we assume that muscle mass i thigh and hip don´t contribute much to ground reaction force i jumping. I guess that it doesn´t contribute much to ground reaction force in top speed sprinting neither, but it contributes to front side mechanics and acceleration in sprinting. Maybe I am wrong ;)

[@grandmastermario3695]

I guess thats why only carl Lewis and maybe matt boling are the only ones to have ever been good at both.

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

There are others … my focus was also on everyday level sprinter/jumpers as well. Most of us will never be elite, so the message was to focus on the event you are best at! Thanks for passing by

[@GrahamCStrouse]

Mike Conley long-jumped, tripled-jumped & ran low 20s in the 200 back in the ‘80s. Dwight Powell was a low 10 second 100 meter guy. These combos are rare though.

[@xenatulin]

Thx for this nice video 🌺🌸

[@yashjumper]

I'm always learning from your content sir always great full for that.. I have big problem in my run up I can't able to generate speed when I'm on runway if I try to do that I'm not getting tall posture run and also mistake in penultimate step. Because of this problem I can't cover good distance but my air time is good 0.82 sec and 30mtr is 3:96 any suggestions for run up

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Potentially it might be because you are not focussing on the run-up as a skill. As I say in the video you must focus on the distribution of speed and the take-off set up very specifically in order to get a great run-up. This is what separates sprinters who try to jump from long jumpers. I would mark your run-up out on the track (not pit) and work on running fast through the last few steps (don’ overly concern yourself with accuracy). Try to pick up and learn your run-up rhythm . Potentially doing this on the track will channel more of your sprint speed. Then after a number of sessions transfer to the pit. Perhaps do 3 run-ups on the track and then another 3 to the pit. See if you can keep the same speed distribution. Again don’t worry too much initially about accuracy. Then over a number of sessions add a take-off and focus on last 3 step movements. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what you can do.

[@muditdhauta6082]

Sir, what is your openion on static and dynamic stretching, I've read that dynamic stretching is better before a workout, and static stretching hampers stretch shortening cycle, but what if you want to increase range of motion, and is static stretching better if we do it after workout for increasing range of motion in a particular area?

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

Thank-you for the question - this s something that would make a good subject for a video. It would take me too long here to write a reply. One thing - you need to have sufficient flexibility to get into the positions you need to jump and sprint and avoid injury.

[@muditdhauta6082]

@@Johnshepherdtrackcoach thanks for considering sir, a vedio on this subject would be great!!!

[@rohangupta6207]

I understand the concepts you’ve talked about, but just given your experience what do triple jumpers who jump 47’ (14.3 meters) usually run in the 100?

[@wendyleeconnelly2939]

What about sprinting with high jump or pole vault? I haven't seen as much crossover success there either... but some pole vaulters are SO fast! And high jumpers generate such power from their legs.

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

It's about specific application of speed, power and strength. There are new thoughts on the eccentric action and the compression and return of energy which happens during the stretching phase that many coaches are trying to capitalise on and fully understand. Whatever the event speed is the number one determinant - everyhting else being equal.

[@GrahamCStrouse]

Although there are exceptions to the rule most high jumpers rely a lot more on precision, quickness & back flexibility than raw explosiveness.

[@nohemimarchan3434]

Hi John and thank you four fantastic videos. If you allow me, I would like to ask you for a suggestion since I have a 10 years old daughter that is 140 cm high and she makes a 205 cm standing long jump. She has no formal trainnig but loves to jump. Is it fine for her age to start training for long jump or at her age is it better to start training for sprinting and once she develop the technique for running short distances fast start trainning for long jump?

[@paulyoung5393]

Hi John, many thanks for the interesting video. I am interested to know your thoughts about the long jump potential of American collegiate athlete, Matthew Boling? With pb's of 6.56 (60m), 9.98 (100m), 19.92 (200m) and an indoor best of 8.25m in the long jump he seems to fit the bill as a great sprinter/jumper but does not seem to compete much in the long jump at all. Do you think this is a case of the "You're fast, just do a jump for us" college/club mentality or do you think he has the potential to jump much further?

[@Johnshepherdtrackcoach]

That’s a very good example (and I did overlook Mathew - probably as he does not jump that much). It could be the collegiate mentality of maximising his use across all the events he does for points as you indicate. If I coached someone with his speed and ability to jump I would (and not surprisingly 😂) put his focus on the long jump. I would be looking long-term (something colleges can fall short on)… he has more than enough speed to challenge the vary best long jumpers in the world right now. He does not have sufficient speed to really do that over 100m, for example. His speed could take him over 8.50m at least right now. I don’t in all honesty know much about his long jump ability as I’ve not studied his jumps to see whether he is fully proficient or that he has that “x factor” that indicates a much longer jump is possible. There are often US jumpers that jump well based on their speed and power but who don’t possess the same finesse that a European might have. With less of a talent pool European nations often have to often turn over ever stone when it comes to developing jumpers to elite level. We have much slower guys than Matthew jumping further … but that’s great for Matthew should the long jump become his focus as speed is really the no1 determining factor everything else being equal to really long long jumps. Thanks for passing by and your thoughts.

[@wilhelmw3455]

Another athlete worth mentioning is Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs who has long jumped 8.07m plus a wind assisted 8.48m though he started his career as a sprinter.

[@paulyoung5393]

@@wilhelmw3455 and another is decathlete Simon Ehammer, 10.46 for the 100m but a 8.45m long jump within a decathlon. Not as much speed as Boling but perhaps more of the finesse that John mentions and the ability to work on the specific jumping skills required, to a certain extent, by all multi eventers.

[@Alliswell7856]

Is height matter for long jump My height is 165 cm can i long jump

[@GrahamCStrouse]

It’s better to be tall than not but having long legs relative to your height matters more. Pedroso was only 175 cm tall & Emmiyan was 178.