Penult
imate.
Takeoff.
Two strides decide the jump. The penultimate step lengthens and flattens to lower the center of mass; the takeoff step shortens and goes vertical. That tiny bit of choreography is how horizontal speed becomes a controlled launch.
Approach into launch.
Roughly 118 ft (36 m) of runway, 18 strides for HS varsity. The approach divides into three zones: drive (first 4 to 6 strides, accelerating from a push-off or 3-point start), transition (middle strides, building to top speed), and attack (last 4 strides including penultimate and takeoff). The last 2 strides decide the result: penultimate dips, takeoff strikes.
Distance targets below are general guidelines, not exact marks. Beginning jumpers land in the 13 to 17 ft range; developing varsity athletes push into 17 to 19 ft; advanced varsity compete at 19 to 22 ft for boys and 15 to 18 ft for girls. Board accuracy is the single biggest failure point at every level: beginners miss by 6 in or more, while advanced jumpers land within 3 in consistently.
HS Boys, Target 21 ft 4 in
HS Girls, Target 16 ft 5 in
Long, then short.
The penultimate step lengthens by roughly 4 in (10 cm) and lands flat-footed; this is the dip. The takeoff step shortens by 10 in (25 cm) and plants nearly under the hip, converting horizontal momentum into vertical lift without bleeding speed. The stride numbers below are general guidelines, not exact targets: beginning jumpers show larger penultimate-to-takeoff differentials as they learn the rhythm; advanced jumpers compress the pattern tighter while preserving CoM dip.
◆ Reading the Diagram
Read the stride lane from left (stride -4, still in pure acceleration) to right (board). The lime-highlighted stride is the penultimate: longer, flatter, hip-dropping. The amber stride is the takeoff: shorter, active underfoot, driving vertical. The board is where the jump is sent, not where it is made.
Never think about jumping at the board. Think about sprinting through it. The takeoff is a sprint stride that goes a little higher and a little more vertical, not a leap. The penultimate is where the jump is made; the takeoff is where the jump is sent. Athletes who "jump" off the board rotate too early, bleed horizontal velocity, and land short.
◆ Four Mistakes To Avoid: Reach, The Vault, Sit-and-Wait, The Stutter
The approach breaks in the last 4 strides in four recognizable ways. Reaching the Board: overstriding the last 4 strides to land flat on the board, killing approach speed. The Vault: too vertical a takeoff, trading horizontal velocity for height that does not pay off (a 30 deg takeoff loses about 2 ft 8 in / 0.8 m vs a 20 deg takeoff at HS speeds). Sit-and-Wait: hips dip on the penultimate, then the athlete stands tall and pauses on the board instead of driving through. The Stutter: chopping the last 2 strides to hit the board, breaking rhythm and producing an under-rotated takeoff.
Fix them with full-speed run-throughs (sprint past the board, let the foot fall where it wants, set marks from there), short-approach pop-ups off low boxes for upright drive, the penultimate drill for the dip-then-drive sequence, and a shorter approach walked back out when rhythm breaks. Set the marks for the athlete, never guess.
Drop, then project.
The center of mass falls about 5 in (13 cm) during the penultimate, then climbs more than 10 in (25 cm) through takeoff and into the air. That dip is what allows the takeoff leg to push up, not just through.
Speed at the board, distance off it.
Approach speed at takeoff explains 60 to 70 percent of jump distance. Elite men hit the board at 35.4 ft/s (10.8 m/s); HS boys at 29.5 ft/s (9.0 m/s); HS girls at 24.6 ft/s (7.5 m/s). The relationship is roughly linear within each group, then technique fills in the rest. These are general benchmarks: beginning varsity athletes often approach at 7.5 to 8.0 m/s, developing athletes at 8.0 to 8.5 m/s, and advanced varsity at 8.5 to 9.0 m/s.
◆ More Distance From Speed
Here is the counterintuitive truth about the long jump: approach speed is worth far more than takeoff angle. The optimal takeoff angle for HS athletes is roughly 18 to 22 degrees, but obsessing over that window buys only a few inches. Adding 0.5 m/s to your approach speed at a constant 20-degree angle buys roughly 0.4 to 0.6 m (1.5 to 2 ft) of jump distance.
HS Boys example, 20-degree takeoff, held constant:
Approach 8.0 m/s: roughly 5.30 m (17 ft 5 in)
Approach 8.5 m/s: roughly 5.85 m (19 ft 2 in)
Approach 9.0 m/s: roughly 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
A 1.0 m/s increase in approach speed, with no change in technique, is worth more than a foot of distance. Speed is the king variable. Coaches who drill takeoff angle before they develop approach speed have the priority backwards.
Eighteen to twenty-two.
Below 18 degrees is too flat: the jumper skips horizontally and lands early. Above 25 is too vertical: lift wins, horizontal velocity dies. HS jumpers live in the 18 to 22 corridor where horizontal velocity is preserved and lift is enough to clear the board.
Stiff plant, fast leave.
Elite jumpers spend 100 to 130 milliseconds on the board. HS varsity often sits at 140 to 160. Every extra millisecond is energy bleeding into the floor instead of into the jumper. The fix is a stiffer ankle, a more vertical knee, and a shorter takeoff step.
| Group | Board Speed | Vertical Vel | Takeoff Angle | Contact Time | Jump Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HS Boys Varsity | 29.5 ft/s(9.0 m/s) | 10.5 ft/s(3.20 m/s) | 20° | 0.150 s | 21 ft 4 in(6.50 m) |
| HS Girls Varsity | 24.6 ft/s(7.5 m/s) | 8.7 ft/s(2.65 m/s) | 19° | 0.155 s | 16 ft 5 in(5.00 m) |
| Elite Men | 35.4 ft/s(10.8 m/s) | 11.6 ft/s(3.55 m/s) | 18° | 0.115 s | 26 ft 11 in(8.20 m) |
| Elite Women | 31.5 ft/s(9.6 m/s) | 10.2 ft/s(3.10 m/s) | 18° | 0.122 s | 22 ft 8 in(6.90 m) |
Practice the board, race past it.
You cannot fix a reaching approach or a vaulting takeoff by yelling "run off the board" at full speed. The nervous system has to feel the correct pattern before it can reproduce it at speed. Use short approaches to isolate the penultimate-takeoff sequence; use run-throughs to build board accuracy without the distraction of the jump itself. These are general progressions: scale the approach length and intensity to the athlete in front of you.
Short Approach Pop-Ups
4 to 6 stride approach into a full takeoff, with a low box optional. Focus is on tall posture through contact and a violent free-leg knee drive, not on distance. Athletes who reach or vault show it immediately at this distance.
Run-Throughs
Full approach, no jump. The athlete hits the board at full speed and sprints through the pit. No jump means no distraction from the mark. Coaches watch where the foot actually lands. Marks get adjusted until the pattern is reliable, then the jump is added back.
Penultimate Drill (Bound-Step-Jump)
4 to 6 stride approach with an exaggerated flat-foot penultimate landing. Athlete deliberately feels the heel touch and hip drop on the penultimate, then explodes into a quick, tall takeoff. Isolates the two-stride sequence from the rest of the approach noise.
Standing Long Jump Series
Static double-leg jump for lower-body power and flight mechanics. No approach means no approach errors. Athletes focus on hip extension, free arm swing, and reaching forward in the landing. Measure each rep: progress is visible within a single practice session.
◆ Endurance Variation: Sand Pit Speed Sets
Late-meet fatigue is a real performance variable. An athlete who runs a clean approach in heat 1 often decelerates 0.2 to 0.4 m/s by finals when leg fatigue sets in. Sand pit speed sets build the specific conditioning to hold approach velocity across multiple jumps in a meet: 4 short approaches (6 to 8 strides) at 90 to 95 percent effort, 1 minute rest between, 6 to 8 total reps. The short distance keeps quality high; the volume builds fatigue resistance without breaking down the takeoff mechanics.