Top 5 Things You NEED to be a Successful Triple Jumper

Triple Jumping is not only about your ability to jump, its about your ability to show up, have the right tools and equipment, and your ability to compete on any given day. This list will give you my top 5 things that are crutial to having success in triple jump

Number 5: Heel Pads

This one is pretty self explanatory but if you are jumping everyday for months or even years, you're going to tear up your heel and this can cause serious lost lasting damage. Hopefully you know by now that jumping is effectively just smashing your legs into the ground as hard as you can. Heel pads will be your saving grace. My recommendation is the heel pad from Dr. Scholls shown below.

As a sophomore in highschool I was jumping in cross country spikes and was having a breakout season. My PR had skyrocketed in both jumps early in the season but I was overdoing it. I caused a stress fracture in my heel which lasted the next two years even with heel pads. This heel injury costed me my outdoor season my sophomore year of highschool.

Number 4: TJ Spikes.

Unlike running shoes, spikes are much less expensive. If you are good enough to go to a D1 university, you should get spikes for free. Spikes are usually only $70 and the spikes themselves come with the shoe. As long as you are careful, you should not have to change the spikes out very often. I jumped in 1 pair of triple jump spikes and 1 pair of long jump spikes throughout highschool and I jumped in these triple jump spikes for the last two years in college.

Without triple jump spikes, you wont be able to be your best because the shoe design is vastly different than any other shoe. With a padded and super flat base, you are able to have a firm grasp of the ground when you jump. I cannot stress how crutial these are to your success. I put my heel pads in my spikes at all times.

Number 3: Attitude

There are different approaches to getting a good jump off. Some people get mad, some people get jittery, some people play off of happy emotions, but all of which try to build up their adrenaline before their jump to get the most out of it. Personally, I was always someone to get extremely focused while at the pit and runway. I was so serious and focused so hard that I burned out my energy before even jumping.

It is important to build a routine, not only on the runway but also in practice. I love to smile and try to relx until my name is called in the hole or on deck. Being relaxed reseves my energy but once I hear my name I flip a switch and turn serious, I get mad, I get my heart rate up and it is showtime. I believe it is important to have an attitude in triple jump because in the end, the most aggressive person wins.

Number 2: A Good Coach

A coach does more than just tell you what to do based on their experience, a coach actively manages your energy. As a sophomore in highschool, I did not have a jump coach until one day when I won the long jump in a breakout meet. The next day the head coach was at the long jump pit trying to coach the jumpers. That coach did absolutely nothing to help me improve and I actually got worse through his guidance.

It was not until my Junior Year of highschool did I get a good coach that would help train me to go to the national championship. Then when I got the opportunity to jump in college, I learned that a good coach does more than give you his expereience, a good coach is a manager. My coach is great at making me a better jumper but he also actively plans out the season to have me at peak performance for specific meets and not for others. Coaches take the runway into account, they study what meets you are more likely to do better and what meets you should do what events.

I can not stress enough that if you are a good jumper with a bad coach, you will be an amazing jumper with a good coach.

Number 1: Competition

It may be obvious or it may be a surprise that this is my number one thing to be a good jumper but competition is SO IMPORTANT to improving and getting that PB/PR. I think it is more important in practice to have competition but also in a meet. Knowing what you are up against pushes you to step up to the occasion in any sport but especially triple jump. Jumping is largely mental and it takes more energy than almost anything you can do. If you are constantly jumping for hours everyday, you need someone there to push you and for you to follow.

If we look back at the 2012 Jamaican Olympic Team, there were 4 of the fastest people to ever live from the same island in the caribbean. All of the guys who contributed to that 100m sweep pushed eachother and allowed the others to succeed. It is the same in triple jump. You need competition or you will never be great.