The high jump, its history, and how it originated.

The high jump is a sport in which you try to jump over a pole. The pole can be set at different heights such as one meter or two meters. The high jump started hundreds of years ago but wasn't really considered a sport. The high jump has many rules and basics to learn.

The high jump first took place in the Olympics in Athens. It also took place during the summer of 1896. There have been many advancement since 1896. Some of these advancements are the shoes, the style, and the training. The shoes used today are very light and they have spikes on the bottom for good traction. The shoes in 1896 were heavy and hard to run in. They were also less stylish and didn't have as good of traction compared to today's. The training used today is very advanced. Sprinters use parachutes and run with them to train their legs to get stronger. High jumpers tie weights to the bottoms of their shoes to build their calve strength up. The shoe style today is very colorful compared to the brown and black colors from 1896.

There are steps to jumping the high jump and also important factors. One of the important factors is the equipment the athletes have to land on. High Jumpers had to land on sand up until 1960 which affected the jumpers. This affected the jumpers because they were thinking more about landing without hurting themselves instead of thinking about jumping over the pole. This problem affected the height of their jump greatly. There are four main steps in the high jump. The first step is to takeoff running with eight to ten strides. When approaching the bar the steps should become quicker and shorter. The foot you plan to jump off of should be pointed in the direction you wish to jump in. When jumping over the bar, jump into a position in which you can land on your back. This is what it should look like:

Feet Arms Head

This is the person------à}---------(_)

This is the bar ---------à |---------------|

This is the landing surface ---à _____________

First the head should be lifted over the bar followed by the legs. Keep your head up the whole time wile trying to land. The two main techniques are the "Flosbury" and the "Scissors."

The meter difference between today's Olympic gold height and 1896's height is 0.54 meters. The difference between today Olympic gold height and a recent Aggie gold height is .10 meters. The difference between today and the 1860's is a huge difference while the difference between today and Texas A&M is small.

To win the high jump event you must jump higher than all other opponents. Some famous people that have competed in the high jump are Charles Austin, Sergey Klirgin. Charles Austin set the highest jump record in 1996, which was 2.39 meters. Sergey Klirgin was this years Olympic year's gold winner from Russia. Some interesting facts about the event is that new shoes have been made that take less energy to run in. This makes it easier to pick up speed and to run longer in.

The high jump is a very fun and cool event. The basics are easy to learn and it is very fun to learn about. I would recommend this sport to people who like to jump and are very impatient.