Learn the stride long jump: approach, take-off, the step in the air and landing in five stages with milestones, typical mistakes and safety notes.
In the stride jump you take a single step in the air: after take-off you bring the swing leg forward and block it at about 90 degrees in hip and knee, at the highest point of the flight the take-off leg follows into the same position, then you land [1]. It is regarded as the simplest long jump technique and is preferably learned in foundation training [1]. Do not confuse it: the hang and the hitch-kick (running jump) are separate techniques [1].
The honest answer to "How do I jump farther?": not with a trick in the air, but with the speed you carry over the board. In a comparison of two groups of long jumpers at national competitions (8.00–8.20 metres versus 7.80–7.99 metres), horizontal speed at take-off differed: 8.63 versus 7.77 metres per second [3] — roughly 31 versus 28 kilometres per hour. Joint angles at take-off did not differ meaningfully [3].
And it is never a single feature. In a 3D analysis of 14 long jumpers, the important variables were interdependent and could only be explained together [5]. For you that means: do not fiddle with one adjusting screw, get the whole sequence stable — approach, board, flight, landing.
In the skipping bound ("Hopserlauf") you learn the building blocks: an active, grasping foot strike with the whole sole, upright trunk, high hips, swing leg and swing arm blocked briefly at horizontal [1].
Milestone (practice standard): 3 × 20 metres of skipping bounds, hips staying high and swing leg and arm blocked briefly.
The take-off jump comes closest to the target technique [1]. You run up briefly, jump into the pit or over low obstacles and hold the take-off position as long as possible so the flight curve stays stable [1].
Milestone: 8 out of 10 take-offs where you visibly hold the position until the highest point.
The last three steps run short – long – short. That lowers your centre of mass slightly in the second-to-last step, and you can redirect horizontal speed into an upward impulse [1]. You run the last phase of the approach with high hips and quick steps [1].
Milestone: 8 out of 10 approaches hit the board without overstepping.
Now comes the step: bring the swing leg forward and block it at about 90 degrees, at the highest point bring the take-off leg through into the same position [1]. The trunk stays upright.
Milestone: on video you see two legs in the same position before the landing begins.
Stretch your legs forward and land in the pit with soft knees. Mind the scoring: the jump is measured from the imprint nearest to the board — made by any part of the body, so also by a hand if you fall backward [2].
Milestone: 5 landings in a row where you leave the pit forward without falling back.
At take-off, forces act on your leg that are a multiple of your body weight [6]. In a two-year survey of collegiate jumpers, the injury rate was 8.65 injuries per 1,000 training and competition exposures, and for long jumpers the ankle sprain was the most common injury (23.3 %) [6]. The data come from a single college in Japan, so they are no yardstick for every recreational athlete.
Translated: warm up ankle and back of the thigh before you run in at full effort. The pit must be loosened, the sand surface level and free of hard objects. Watch on video how you land, and increase approach length and speed step by step.
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Block the swing leg deliberately. In a 3D analysis of eight elite long jumpers, fast braking of the swing leg increased the extension velocity of the take-off leg, and a somewhat later onset of braking went with better performance [4]. That is an elite observation in men — for you it does not mean "as late as possible", but: practise the braking as its own clear moment (swing leg forward, knee up) and use video for comparison. If you can show the block cleanly, the step in the air almost falls into place by itself.
In the stride jump you take one step in the air and bring the take-off leg into the position of the swing leg at the highest point [1]. The hang and the hitch-kick are separate long jump techniques [1]. In foundation training the stride jump is preferably learned because it is the simplest form [1].
In the U14 range, 12 to 16 approach steps are recommended [1]. Rule of thumb: the better the sprint ability and jump and take-off technique, the longer the approach [1]. More important than the exact number is that you hit it the same way every time.
For example when your foot breaks the vertical plane of the take-off line at take-off or you take off from outside the board. Somersaulting in the run-up or take-off is also forbidden [2]. In addition, the jump is measured from the nearest imprint in the sand left by any body part [2].
Not necessarily, but it is usual in foundation training: the stride jump is the simplest form and trains take-off, swing-leg use and blocking at the same time [1]. Then you can build the hang or the hitch-kick on it.
At national level, mainly horizontal speed at take-off separated the groups, not joint angles [3]. The flight phase makes the jump stable — but distance depends mostly on speed and take-off.
Standing Start: Starting from an Upright Split Stance