High jump is a complex coordination plan athletic discipline. It is performed after the preliminary run of the athlete. High demands are made on the athlete regarding physical fitness. There are four main phases of a jump that make up the process of its implementation. It all starts with a run, after which there is repulsion with a further flight over the bar. The process ends with a landing.
As for world achievements in such a discipline as high jumps, the record for women now belongs to the grinder S. Kostadinova, and for men - to the Cuban H. Sotomayor. Gymnasts overcame the slats, which were installed at a height of 209 cm and 245 cm, respectively. In an effort to improve performance, experts are developing all kinds of techniques and methods of jumping, which will be discussed later.
First, let's talk about old methods. The oldest and simplest form of jumping is gymnastic. Its principle is that the athlete’s fly leg moves through the bar after a run at a right angle. In this case, the jumper lands on two legs. For a long time, the high jump was carried out in yet another way, called the “scissors”. Its essence is that the fly leg after the athlete's run at an angle of up to 40 degrees abruptly throws himself over the bar, and in parallel with it, the leg that repels is also transferred. Due to the high center of gravity of the body, it is almost impossible to achieve high results using this method. The high jump, which is called the “wave”, is a variation of the previous one and its continuation, but now practically no one uses such technology.
Special attention deserves the method of jumping, called "roll". It is one of the most rational species. Its main feature is that the jumper is repelled by the foot, which is closer to the bar. After the push, the fly leg takes a straightened state. At the same time, the body turns with the pushing leg pressed to the chest. The run takes place at an angle of 45 degrees, and the athlete is stretched along the bar and moves sideways through it. When the high jump is carried out in this way, landing occurs on both hands and the push leg.
In the course of the development of this technique, another variation of it appeared. It was called the “flip jump” and boils down to the fact that the gymnast turns the torso more and overcomes the bar in the down position with her stomach. The take-off angle here, in contrast to the "roll", is up to 40 degrees.
The most common and popular now is the method by which most professional gymnasts perform high jumps - the flop technique. It was first shown by W. Fasbury at the Mexican Olympic Games in 1968. When using it, the athlete runs on an imaginary arc with a radius of about 12 meters on toes, which reduces the center of gravity. Significantly helps with this wave of hands. The push is very powerful due to the high horizontal speed that was developed during the take-off. First, the gymnast in flight is with his back to the bar. Further, the pushing leg in the knee bends, and the thigh of the flywheel is straightened. Due to the deflection of the lumbar part of the athlete’s back while he is moving above the bar, a high jump provides a very economical transition.