Susan Behrendt

Technique is the key to clearing the bar for high jumpers.

About to attempt my final jump of 5’6”, I was very confident. I learned from my mistakes of my last two jumps; I was laser-focused on getting my foot placement just right and lifting my hips over the bar. I had cleared this height many times in practice and in a meet three weeks earlier. I went up for my jump and everything was perfect, the weather was not too cold but not too hot, the weather was cloudy and there was no wind, a great opportunity for a good jump. I was over the bar, but the last part of my jump was my feet. I didn’t flip my feet over and I hit the bar causing me to only get 5’4” after getting 5′ 8” the previous meet.

   High jump is an event that requires a lot of athleticism and even more technique, making jumping one of the hardest events to stay consistent in. If something goes wrong on a jump the chances of getting over the bar could be ruined. From the approach all the way to kicking the legs up at the end of a jump.

   When high jumping, focusing on many steps is important. The approach is very important, starting from the same spot each time, the same amount of steps and the same timing on the curve, and running at the same speed. The plant foot is the next step, pointing the foot slightly to the mat and jumping straight up instead of directly into the mat. The knee drive is important to increase the height of a jump, the more power in the knee drive the higher the jump will be. The rest of the jump is all about timing. Throwing the head back, lifting the hips, and then flipping the legs over, all in one smooth motion and all at the right time. 

   Most good high jumpers have either really good technique or are very athletic, but great high jumpers have both. The West Ottawa high jump crew is putting work in during the off-season to be great. Many of their high jumpers are very athletically gifted, but most of the team’s techniques can be improved. Of course, getting in the weight room and focusing on athleticism will always help, but to see lots of improvement for the season technique is important.

   West Ottawa high jump coach Addyson Gerig has seen many types of high jumpers, some with more athletic ability and less technique and others with more technique and less athleticism. “I think that a lot of high jumpers can compete well in meets just based on their natural athletic abilities. I think that technique is what separates a good high jumper from a great high jumper. When an athlete has great form and good technique they are able to jump higher heights just based off of their timing and accuracy over the bar. If I had to choose a percent I would say it’s pretty close to 50/50. If you have natural athletic abilities you can be a good high jumper, if you just have good technique you can be a good high jumper, but if you have both you can be a great jumper,” Gerig said.

   Gerig was a high jumper at the collegiate level for Hope College, she was top two in all of her meets in the 2021 outdoor track season. Her personal best jump was 5’1”, putting her at first on her team by around six inches. Gerig knows what she is talking about when coaching high jump, and many high jumpers have massively improved their jumps due to her coaching.

   When high jumping, being consistent is one of the hardest parts. So much can go wrong with a jump making replicating your jump each time very difficult. 

   When starting out, making good habits early is important. Gerig teaches new high jumpers the proper technique to get over the bar the correct way. “The biggest thing that I do when I work with new high jumpers is start small. I like to explain each step of the jump and have them practice each step separately before we put them all together. When they practice each step separately, they are better able to form good habits as they work to put the steps together. When you have athletes just try it out over and over they may form wrong habits/bad muscle memory. It’s great to work at high jumping slowly at first, and then practice lots of jump repetition after you have mastered the different steps. ” Gerig said.

   If a jumper develops bad habits, fixing them is important. “Fixing a jumper’s bad habits can be hard. The best way to do it is through repeated drills that work on the specific skills that they need fixing…This is the best way to fix habits, along with lots of repetition.” Gerig said.

   Jr. Brandon Berry cleared a height of 5’10” in the 2023 outdoor season and jumped 5’6” or more nine times during the season. He earned third once and fourth twice. Berry is a very consistent high jumper. “To keep my high jump consistent I focus on my approach and I focus on my knee drive, it’s a mental process,” Berry said. Keeping the approach consistent is important so that every time the takeoff is the same; it’s also important to focus on the knee drive because that is where the power comes from to get over the bar.

   Jr. Ben Voss cleared 5’8” in the 2023 outdoor season and jumped 5’6” or more 3 times. Voss helped the team when other jumpers underperformed. He consistently helped the team when he needed to. In one meet he took second place and in two other meets he took fourth earning the team points when they needed them. “Every single part of my jump I try to keep the same, even where I look. I look at the same spot on the jump.” Voss said. Focusing on all the little details is very important in high jump because putting them all together can really improve a jump.

   With the West Ottawa high jump crew putting in work focusing on their technique, they have the potential to have a great team for the 2024 season. The jumps team can be the reason behind winning or losing a meet, so continuing to improve is important, and with all the work being put in during the off-season, the season is looking very promising.