STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND
HIGH SCHOOL RUNNING LONG JUMPER
RYAN MCCLURE, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
T
he role of strength and conditioning in the development
of middle school and high school running long jumpers is
often overlooked by coaches, parents, and athletes. There
are many ways a strength and conditioning coach can influence a
young athlete competing in the running long jump positively. For
the purposes of this article, the long jump will be broken down
into three phases so that the strength and conditioning coach can
focus on improving each through strength and power training. The
three phases of the long jump are:
1.
2.
3.
The acceleration phase
The maximal speed phase
The single leg take-off (Figures 1 and 2)
DEVELOPING STRENGTH AND POWER
To be successful, long jumpers must produce high levels of force
quickly. It is crucial for these athletes to develop total body
strength and power with an emphasis on the lower body including
the hips. Strength can be described as slow speed muscular force.
Power can be described as fast speed muscular force, or the rapid
application of strength.
Because of ambiguity in the amount of strength a running long
jumper needs to get the most out of power training, it may be
best to incorporate a mix of strength and power training into their
workout programs (13). This is referred to as a mixed methods
approach. A focus only on strength training or only on power
training would not lead to maximal results (16). The combination
30
of strength and power training may lead to improvements in the
three phases of the long jump. By improving these areas, athletes
may improve their jumping distance as long as the technical
aspects of the jump are performed correctly.
There is a relationship between training for strength and training
for power. Strength should be considered the foundation required
for the development of power since stronger athletes are reported
to express higher power outputs (9,12,13,15). Therefore, it appears
lower body strength is critical for the development of long
jumpers of all ages and ability levels. This can be true of younger
jumpers who may have low strength levels. Various lower body
lifts can be beneficial for the improvement of strength in long
jumpers including barbell back and front squats, kettlebell front
squats, leg presses, weighted lunges, weighted step-ups, and
deadlifts. Younger athletes may improve their long jump distance
simply by improving their overall lower body strength levels.
Oftentimes, athletes can experience a plateau in their strength
improvements and action must be taken to cause further
improvement. At this point, it would be beneficial for the
strength and conditioning coach to incorporate power training
into the training program (8). Power expression is critical for
success during the performance of athletic events like sprinting
and jumping (7,11,15). This is where various types of loaded and
unloaded power exercises can be incorporated into the training
program. Loaded power can be defined as a quick, explosive
movement that involves the use of an external load such as sled
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