What happens in the air decides your landing. Sail, hang and hitch-kick compared — and which style fits your level – technique, common mistakes and a practical tip.
The honest answer first: in the air you can no longer increase your distance — but you can ruin it. The moment your feet leave the board, your flight path is physically fixed. What matters during the flight phase is just one thing: getting your body into a position that sets up the best possible landing.
The problem every flight style solves is the forward rotation created by the takeoff. Your body tips slightly forward after the board — without countering it, you'd tip forward in the air and land far too early. This is exactly where the three classic techniques come in, in ascending order of difficulty: sail, hang, and hitch-kick.
The sail is the simplest variant: right after takeoff you pull your legs up toward your toes — your body essentially "sails" through the air in that position. The hang style keeps both legs extended throughout the entire flight, with no active leg movement — this creates less angular momentum and more stability, which is why many coaches recommend it to beginners. The hitch-kick is the most demanding technique: arms and legs keep "running" during the flight phase to actively counter the rotation — that requires body tension and timing that only develop with experience.
It's not about "looking cool" in the air. It's about countering the forward rotation from the takeoff and getting into a position you can land far forward from.
After takeoff, pull both legs up toward your toes. This position is easy to learn and a good first step to getting any feel for the flight phase at all.
Once the sail sits, try the hang style: both legs stay extended in the air, with no active movement. This technique is more stable because it creates less angular momentum — which is why it's the best target style for most ambitious recreational jumpers.
Once takeoff and hang style sit securely, you can tackle the hitch-kick: arms and legs keep moving during the flight phase, almost like running in the air, to actively counter the rotation. This technique pays off especially with longer flight times at high speed.
No matter the style: in the final moments before landing, both legs must extend forward and the arms swing back. The flight style is a means to an end — the landing is the actual goal.
The flight phase itself is low-risk as long as you don't neglect the landing. Practice new flight styles first from a shortened approach, giving yourself time for clean execution instead of forcing a new technique under full-speed stress. Pay special attention to extending your legs in time before landing — extending too late raises the risk of falling awkwardly in the sand.
Practice flight styles first without an approach, straight from standing or a small jump onto a mat. That way you feel the body position without approach speed or nerves distorting the movement — then transfer that feeling step by step into the full jump.
The sail is considered the simplest technique — you simply pull your legs up toward your toes. The hang style is a bit more stable because it creates less angular momentum, and is recommended by many coaches for beginners.
To counter the forward rotation created by the takeoff. Without countering it, you tip forward too early in the air and land worse than your actual jump distance would allow.
In the hitch-kick, arms and legs keep moving during the flight phase, almost like running in the air, to actively counter the rotation. It's the most demanding of the three techniques and pays off especially with long flight times.
Yes, absolutely. The hang style is stable and effective and is used permanently by many experienced athletes too. The hitch-kick is an option, not a requirement — what matters more is a technique you can execute reliably.
Long Jump: Perfecting the Landing