By Jeremy Fischer
Jeremy Fischer is a podium-level jumps coach who has coached athletes to 19 Olympic and World Championships medals and over 10 Paralympic medals. He has written coaching education for USATF and World Athletics. He is the founder of Maximum Velocity Athletics (mva.services), a comprehensive training platform for sprints and jumps.
Before creating a training program for the jumps, it’s essential to establish three foundational components:
1. Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) of the event
2. Understand the physical demands of the event
3. Design a progressive and periodized training program for the athlete
Key Performance Indicators
When designing an effective horizontal jumps training program, identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential for targeting the specific demands of elite-level competition. Biomechanical data from major championships—such as the 2009 World Outdoor Championships, the 2012 London Olympics, the 2017 World Outdoor Championships, and the 2018 World Indoor Championships—reveal consistent patterns among top performers in both long jump and triple jump. Metrics such as approach velocity, takeoff angle, ground contact time, and horizontal displacement during flight phases emerge as critical determinants of success. By grounding training design in these measurable KPIs, coaches can ensure their athletes are not simply training hard, but training smart—developing the specific technical and physical capacities that align with world-class performance standards. This data-driven approach allows for precision in identifying strengths and weaknesses, optimizing periodization, and ultimately improving competitive outcomes.
In World Athletics’ study of jumpers at the 2017 World Outdoor Championships, horizontal velocity for the long jump ranged from 10.4 to 11.1 meters per second (m/s) for men and 9.2 to 9.9 m/s for women. It has been calculated that there is between 5 to 7 times body weight at take-off (Hay, 1992).
For the triple jump, horizontal velocity ranged from 10.2 to 10.9 m/s for men and 9.1 to 9.7 m/s for women. Foot contact times at take-off were 0.12 to 0.14 second for both men and women. For each phase of the triple jump, foot contact times were between 0.12 to 0.14 second for the hop, 0.13 to 0.15 for the step, and 0.14 to 0.16 for the jump. It has been calculated that there is up to 18 to 20 times body weight on the leg in each of these instances (Hay, 1992).
Take-off angles in the long jump were between 20 to 23 degrees, while angles in the triple jump were 12 to 14 degrees for the hop, 13 to 16 degrees for the step, and 18 to 22 degrees for the jump. Phase distribution ranged from 28% to 35% for the hop, 24% to 30% for the step, and 28% to 35% for the jump.
Understanding the Physical Demands
Although outliers exist on the elite performance spectrum, seeing numerically what elite athletes do to achieve elite performance gives coaches and athletes something to aim for. When we look at take-off angles, force production, horizontal velocity, and foot contact times, we can start to understand the training that needs to be done for athletes to perform at a higher level.
For the long jump, athletes must be fast, powerful, and adopt a technique that allows for minimizing horizontal velocity loss into and at take-off. Therefore, speed and muscle stiffness at take-off would be beneficial points of emphasis during training.
Analyzing a jumper’s forces at touchdown to toe-off reveals that the first peak in force occurs at touchdown (breaking phase). The dip in force is the amortization (support phase), and the second peak in force occurs at toe-off (propulsion phase). Increased efficiency in each of these phases creates a larger area under the force curve during the propulsion phase and a longer jump. To accomplish this, athletes must be stronger and faster with stiff muscles and generate force in a shorter ground-contact time to create longer jumps.
Training Design and Inventory
Training in track and field and programming should always have an annual skeleton plan that serves as a roadmap for the body of work, from the first practice to the last competition. The annual plan is made of training cycles (microcycles) that are anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks, which allow for adaptations and training stimulus to occur.
The set-up of training for any given year should follow a pattern of general to more specific work in terms of energy systems, technical modeling, strength work, nutrition, and mental performance.
For example, a strength exercise like a full back squat would have a smaller correlation to maximum velocity sprinting than a hex bar jump squat. But both are important in the development of an athlete during the season, with the timing of placement critical to success.
When writing training for your athletes, you should have a basic inventory of exercises performed during the warm-up, the heart of the workout, and the cool-down. Following is an example of a training inventory, which includes jog laps, dynamic flexibility drills, muscle mobility drills, walking drills, fence drills, speed or Mach drills (a type of sprint drill originated by Polish sprint coach Gerard Mach), basic medicine ball drills, cool-down drills, and abdominal strength circuits.
Training Inventory
Before creating a training program for the jumps, it’s essential to establish three foundational components:
1. Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) of the event
2. Understand the physical demands of the event
3. Design a progressive and periodized training program for the athlete
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
When designing an effective horizontal jumps training program, identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential for targeting the specific demands of elite-level competition. Biomechanical data from major championships—such as the 2009 World Outdoor Championships, the 2012 London Olympics, the 2017 World Outdoor Championships, and the 2018 World Indoor Championships—reveal consistent patterns among top performers in both long jump and triple jump. Metrics such as approach velocity, takeoff angle, ground contact time, and horizontal displacement during flight phases emerge as critical determinants of success. By grounding training design in these measurable KPIs, coaches can ensure their athletes are not simply training hard, but training smart—developing the specific technical and physical capacities that align with world-class performance standards. This data-driven approach allows for precision in identifying strengths and weaknesses, optimizing periodization, and ultimately improving competitive outcomes.
In World Athletics’ study of jumpers at the 2017 World Outdoor Championships, horizontal velocity for the long jump ranged from 10.4 to 11.1 meters per second (m/s) for men and 9.2 to 9.9 m/s for women. It has been calculated that there is between 5 to 7 times body weight at take-off (Hay, 1992).
For the triple jump, horizontal velocity ranged from 10.2 to 10.9 m/s for men and 9.1 to 9.7 m/s for women. Foot contact times at take-off were 0.12 to 0.14 second for both men and women. For each phase of the triple jump, foot contact times were between 0.12 to 0.14 second for the hop, 0.13 to 0.15 for the step, and 0.14 to 0.16 for the jump. It has been calculated that there is up to 18 to 20 times body weight on the leg in each of these instances (Hay, 1992).
Take-off angles in the long jump were between 20 to 23 degrees, while angles in the triple jump were 12 to 14 degrees for the hop, 13 to 16 degrees for the step, and 18 to 22 degrees for the jump. Phase distribution ranged from 28% to 35% for the hop, 24% to 30% for the step, and 28% to 35% for the jump.
Understanding the Physical Demands
Although outliers exist on the elite performance spectrum, seeing numerically what elite athletes do to achieve elite performance gives coaches and athletes something to aim for. When we look at take-off angles, force production, horizontal velocity, and foot contact times, we can start to understand the training that needs to be done for athletes to perform at a higher level.
For the long jump, athletes must be fast, powerful, and adopt a technique that allows for minimizing horizontal velocity loss into and at take-off. Therefore, speed and muscle stiffness at take-off would be beneficial points of emphasis during training.
Analyzing a jumper’s forces at touchdown to toe-off reveals that the first peak in force occurs at touchdown (breaking phase). The dip in force is the amortization (support phase), and the second peak in force occurs at toe-off (propulsion phase). Increased efficiency in each of these phases creates a larger area under the force curve during the propulsion phase and a longer jump. To accomplish this, athletes must be stronger and faster with stiff muscles and generate force in a shorter ground-contact time to create longer jumps.
Training Design and Inventory
Training in track and field and programming should always have an annual skeleton plan that serves as a roadmap for the body of work, from the first practice to the last competition. The annual plan is made of training cycles (microcycles) that are anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks, which allow for adaptations and training stimulus to occur.
The set-up of training for any given year should follow a pattern of general to more specific work in terms of energy systems, technical modeling, strength work, nutrition, and mental performance.
For example, a strength exercise like a full back squat would have a smaller correlation to maximum velocity sprinting than a hex bar jump squat. But both are important in the development of an athlete during the season, with the timing of placement critical to success.
When writing training for your athletes, you should have a basic inventory of exercises performed during the warm-up, the heart of the workout, and the cool-down. Following is an example of a training inventory, which includes jog laps, dynamic flexibility drills, muscle mobility drills, walking drills, fence drills, speed or Mach drills (a type of sprint drill originated by Polish sprint coach Gerard Mach), basic medicine ball drills, cool-down drills, and abdominal strength circuits.
Training Inventory
Using this large training inventory, the set-up in training for a technical jump session or single practice looks like this:
Warm Up: preparatory exercises and movements
1) jog mobility lap
2) dynamic flexibility circuit
3) muscle mobility circuit
4) fence or hurdle drills
5) speed development drills
Heart of the Workout: a themed day depending on the meso- and micro-cycle
6) Development specific drills and exercises
Cool Down/Active Recovery: ancillary and restorative in nature
7) medicine ball exercises
8) shin circuit
9) abdominal strength circuit
Strength Training
Creating Workouts
Annual and Weekly Plans Outline
Taking from the training inventory, a single-day workout would be written the following way:
Warm-Up
1) 1 Lap of Jog Mobility #1
2) Dynamic Flexibility #1 x 6 reps of each exercise
3) Muscle Mobility #1 x 8 reps of each exercise
4) Fence Drills #1 x 8 hurdles x 2 reps of each exercise
5) Speed Development #1 x 25 meters x 1 rep of each exercise
Technique-Specific Exercises
1) LJ technique drill – 6 x 8-step short approach jumps
2) TJ technique drill – mini-hurdle taps of 4 x 4 hurdles 5 meters apart, 6-step jumps x 3-4
3) 5 x flying 30 seconds with 20-meter lead-in @ 90% max speed, with 5 min rest between reps
medicine ball boomer x 4 reps with 4-kg medicine ball
Cool-Down
1) Shin Circuit #1 x 10 meters x 2 reps of each exercise
2) lap of abs #1 jog 50 meters then do 25 reps of each given exercise
Strength Training
– Power cleans: 4 x 3 reps @ 70-85% one-rep max
– Front squats: 4 x 4 reps @ 75-85% one-rep max
– Step-ups (high box): 3 x 6 reps each leg while holding dumbbells
– Nordic hamstring curls or glute-hamstring raises: 3 x 8 reps
Core Exercises (anti-rotation + explosive):
– Medicine ball rotational throws: 3 x 10 reps
– Hanging leg raises: 3 x 12 reps
– Plank with reach: 3 x 30 seconds each side
Here is an example of a single-day workout early in the season and a more specific training day in-season.
General Phase Training (Week 3)
Warm-Up
1) 1 Lap of Jog Mobility #2
2) Dynamic Flexibility #2 x 6 reps of each exercise
3) Muscle Mobility #2 x 8 reps of each exercise
4) Fence Drills #2 x 8 hurdles x 2 reps of each exercise
5) Acceleration Development #1 x 25m x 1 rep of each exercise
Technique-Specific Exercises
1) LJ technique drill – 12 x Single Leg Plyo Box Pop
2) Seated Single-Leg Knee-Drive Jumps: 2 x 10 on each leg
3) 6 x Standing Long Jumps
4) 3 x Standing Triple Jumps
5) 6 x 150m sprints @ 80% with 4 minutes rest
Cool-Down
1) Shin Circuit #2 x 10 meters x 2 reps of each exercise
2) Weights (general)
Strength Training
– Power-step cleans: 4 x 3 reps @ 60-70% one-rep max
– Front squats: 4 x 4 reps @ 75-85% one-rep max
– Step-ups (high box): 3 x 6 each leg holding dumbbells
– Nordic hamstring curls or glute-hamstring raises: 3 x 8
Core Exercises (anti-rotation + explosive):
– Medicine ball rotational throws: 3 x 10 reps
– Hanging leg raises: 3 x 12 reps
– Plank with reach: 3 x 30 seconds each side
Competition Phase Training (Week 24)
Warm-Up
1) 1 Lap of Jog Mobility #1
2) Dynamic Flexibility #1 x 6 reps of each exercise
3) Muscle Mobility #1 x 8 reps of each exercise
4) Fence Drills #1 x 8 hurdles x 2 reps of each exercise
5) Speed Development #1 x 25m x 1 rep of each exercise
Technique-Specific Exercises
1) LJ technique drill – 6 x 8-step short approach jumps
2) TJ technique drill – mini hurdle taps 4 x 4 hurdles 5 meters apart, 6-step jumps x 3-4
3) 5 x fly 30 seconds with 20-meter lead-in @ 90% with 5 minutes rest between reps
4) Medicine ball boomer x 4 reps using 4-kg medicine ball
Cool-Down
1) Shin Circuit #1 x 10 meters x 2 reps of each exercise
2) Lap of Abs #1 stride 50 meters then do 25 of each exercise all the way around the track
Strength Training
– Power-step cleans: 4 x 3 reps @ 1.5 x bodyweight (BW)
– Hex bar jump squats: 4 x 4 reps @ 1 x BW
– Step-pops (low box): 3 x 4 reps each leg 2.5 x BW
Core Exercises (anti-rotation + explosive):
– Medicine ball hurdle step overs holding medicine ball overhead: 3 reps x 6 hurdles
– Hanging leg raises: 3 x 12 reps
– Dynamic medicine ball single-leg stabilizers: 2 x 15 seconds with 3-kg medicine ball
Comparison of these two different training plans (general training vs. competition training) show the difference in volume and intensity. The technical drills and strength training in the general block are more basic with higher volume compared to the more specific competition training block drills. For the competition block, the intensity is much higher and the strength training more specific, with the athlete matching the speed and work output for the drills and for running.
Final Thoughts
Creating workouts and training for the horizontal jumps takes a mix of speed and power. The athletes must be able to run down the runway at maximum controllable speed and be able to stand the loads of having anywhere from 8 to 18 times their body weight on a single support. Being able to manage, balance, complement, and have high correlation between exercises and jump execution is key to performance and success of a training program.
From the high school to college level, the training associated with getting the athlete stronger and faster can get an athlete to a high level and even to the world stage. But the ability to stay at a high level and perform when it matters (routinely podium-level performance) takes detailed planning, individuality, and continued refinement of the technical model.
References
Hay J.G. The biomechanics of the triple jump: a review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 10(4):343-378, 1992.
World Athletics Biomechanics Study. worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/research-centre, 2017.
