BIOMECHANICS OF ELITE HIGH JUMPERS

Abstract

Our laboratory has been involved for the past two years in a study of top-class high jumpers sponsored by the U.S.O.C. and T.A.C. ("Elite Athlete Project"). The high jumpers are filmed during official competitions, using two cameras simultaneously. Computer programs are used to calculate 30 body landmark coordinates throughout the last strides of the run-up, the takeoff, and the bar clearance (Dapena et al., 1982), and later to calculate other kinematic and kinetic parameters of the jumps (Dapena, 1978, 1980a, 1980b) and to produce computer plots showing different views of stick-figure sequences of the jumps. While the optimum high jumping technique is not known, a logical rationale may be followed to reach provisional conclusions about its charac teristics (Dapena, 1980c) . Part of this rationale is explained in the present paper.