How important is balance when doing the triple jump?

When executing the 3 phases of the triple jump, it is mportant to keep your balance if you want to jump great distances. It’s common for triple jumpers to zig-zag their way through the different phases. Or they start their jump from the middle of the runway, but end up on the left or right side of the pit once they have completed their jump.

The athlete loses several valuable centimetres because the force is getting wasted on movements that aren’t projecting them forward. Therefore, it is necessary for the athlete to train themselves to maintain their balance so they minimise their chances of losing momentum.

Here are a few ways the athlete can accomplish this.

Develop a strong core

It’s important to have a strong core, which includes the abdominals and hip flexors. This will prevent the athlete from using other muscles such as the lower back, which can cause movement issues and put the athlete off-balance.

Practice bounding and hopping so that all the force projects forward.

The best way for the athlete to improve is to practice bounding movements. The athlete must train themselves to project their body in a straight line; especially when they have to do it at a high speed. The more they improve their control, the greater the distance they will cover.

Practice the arm movements.

In triple jump, you can either use the single arm or double arm movement in the triple jump. This will allow the athlete to maintain their balance throughout each phase of the jump. The coach will need to work with the athlete to identify which technique is better suited for the athlete. The double-arm pump is typically the most popular technique out of the two.

Are there any other balancing tips that you think should be here? Let us know in the comments.

Want to get faster and more powerful so you can improve your triple jump performance?

Below are items that you should purchase and incorporate into your triple jump development program so you can improve your jumping distance in the next 3 months.

Protect yourself from injury in the triple jump.

One of the common injuries that triple jumpers get is a bruised heel. Once you get this, it makes it more difficult to improve your triple jump performance since you will get pain every time you land on your foot. And it will knock your confidence.

To help minimize the risk of getting a bruised heel, you can get heel protection insoles for your shoes.

You can click here to buy some heel insoles.

Asics triple jump pro athletics shoes

Specialized triple jump shoes will give you added protection and comfort on your foot and especially around your heel. If you are doing triple jumps that require you to handle alot of force on your jumps (Typically when you start jumping over 13 metres), then you will need to invest in triple jump spikes.

Click here to buy these triple jump shoes on VS Athletics.

Improve your triple jump training.

Improve your triple jump (For beginners only)

If you are fairly new to the triple jump, this ebook will help you with training insights to get you to the intermediate level quickly. You will definitely improve by at least 30 cm, however you should see yourself improve by 1-2m over the next 12 months.

Click here to buy it now.

Elite-level triple jump

If you are intermediate or advanced in triple jump, then you will want the knowledge and guidance from elite-level triple jumpers and coaches.

Buy the series from World Class Triple Jump series to take your triple jump performances to the elite level.

Click here to buy it on Championship Productions.

A time to jump.

Learn about the mentality from triple jump world record holder Jonathan Edwards in his book “A time to jump.”

Click here to buy the book on Amazon.