Learn the triple jump: hop flat, step high, jump far — built up through hops, rhythm, rules, load advice and the current state of research.
The triple jump consists of three take-offs in a row: hop, step and jump. In the hop you land on the leg you took off from, in the step on the other leg, from which you jump into the jump [1].
The honest answer to what makes it hard: after the first, flat take-off you have to produce two reactive take-offs to carry as much speed as possible into the pit. That requires jumping skills and balance [2]. The state federation describes the triple jump as a high load for the young athlete because of the chained take-offs and their drop heights, and it demands very good technique in all partial jumps [2].
Research helps only to a limited extent. A computer simulation (one jumper, one model) found a hop-dominated split of about 36 : 31 : 34 per cent of the distance best for him, with a plateau between balanced and hop-dominated technique; a jump-dominated technique was worse [3]. Another model found a jump-dominated technique only marginally best at approach speeds of 10.0 to 10.5 m/s and concluded that phase ratios are not controllable quantities but results [6]. So models contradict each other. For you as a learner, what counts is clean take-offs and rhythm.
In the children's athletics concept, single-leg hop relays, alternate jumps, the five-jump and long jump relays lead into multiple jumps [2]. Use them as a base.
Milestone (practice standard): 3 × 10 hops per leg with a secure, active foot strike.
The 5-bound and the five-jump are part of the competition programme in Baden-Württemberg in order to offer horizontal multiple jumping consistently in youth athletics [2]. Run them without haste, with a high knee lift.
Milestone: you hit the same jump sequence in 8 out of 10 attempts.
The flat-jump technique suits learning: the first jump (hop) is made flat so that the step take-off succeeds. The step is made with the same take-off leg as the hop, the jump follows with a final jump similar to the stride jump [2].
Milestone: three jumps with a controlled landing.
All three take-offs share a slight bending of the take-off leg at the knee so that it can be extended again quickly. The jumps should be even, that is, have the same flight time [2]. The picture for the rhythm: hop flat, step high, jump far [2][7].
Milestone: you can repeat the rhythm without losing balance.
At U14, 12 to 14 run-up steps are common. Unlike in the long jump there is no clear take-off rhythmisation: the athlete accelerates to the end over the board without lowering the centre of mass in the second-to-last step [2].
Milestone: 6 out of 10 jumps with take-off before the board.
The triple jump loads the young body heavily. The state federation stresses the drop heights and the high horizontal speed of the jumps and demands very good technique in all partial jumps before you increase volume [2]. So increase run-up length and number of jumps slowly and stop with pain in knee, Achilles tendon or back.
Jump into a well-kept pit with loose sand. The landing after the jump matters as in the long jump: the nearest mark counts [1]. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
If you ask yourself how to get “further”: strength and approach speed count. A simulation in which the model's strength and approach speed were increased by up to 30 % always gave more distance through more strength. More speed alone eventually brought nothing if strength did not grow with it [4]. That is a model of a national-standard jumper, but it fits practice: train sprint and strength, do not force the phase ratio. Jumpers also differ: a study of 18 men found hop-dominated and balanced jumpers who jump with different leg and arm movements [5].
Hop, step, jump, in that order. The hop lands on the same foot you took off from, the step on the other foot, from which you jump into the jump [1]. The “sleeping” leg may touch the ground [1].
In youth athletics (U14), 12 to 14 steps are common [2]. The higher the sprint ability and take-off technique, the longer the run-up may be [2].
The picture for beginners: hop flat, step high, jump far [7]. Scientifically it is open: one simulation saw a hop-dominated jumper at an advantage [3], another model saw hardly any differences and phase ratios as results [6]. Choose what suits your strength and speed.
It loads the joints heavily through drop heights and horizontal speed [2]. That is why you learn it with hops, the five-jump and low volume, not with a maximal run-up.
In competition at least 13 metres for men and 11 metres for women, for other competitions appropriate to the level [1]. It depends on the facility.
Discus Rotation: Turning Through the Circle into the Throwing Position