Fosbury Flop
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| Fosbury Flop | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Fosbury Flop |
| Firstused | 1968 Summer Olympics |
| Inventor | Dick Fosbury |
| Sport | Track and field |
Fosbury Flop The Fosbury Flop is a high jump technique revolutionizing track and field jumping by introducing a curved approach and head-first, back-landing clearance. Developed in the 1960s, it transformed elite Olympic Games competition, influenced World Athletics regulations, and reshaped coaching at institutions like University of Oregon and Stanford University. The method precipitated changes in landing surface design used at venues such as Hayward Field and Wembley Stadium.
Background and history
Dick Fosbury, an athlete at Oregon State University and later a competitor at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, pioneered the technique after experimenting with variations during meets organized by bodies like the Amateur Athletic Union and meets in Portland, Oregon. Earlier high jump styles—such as the scissors jump associated with the 1888 Summer Olympics era, the western roll used by jumpers like George Horine, and the straddle technique employed by athletes from USSR and East Germany—dominated until the 1960s. Innovations in equipment from manufacturers supplying Nike and changes in facilities at championships hosted by European Athletics and the Commonwealth Games facilitated safer landings that enabled adoption. National federations including the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee examined rule implications alongside the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Technique and mechanics
The method uses a curved run-up similar to approaches seen in long jump and triple jump phases used by competitors at the World Championships in Athletics. Athletes enter with a J-shaped approach, using centripetal force principles studied by researchers at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. At takeoff the jumper converts horizontal velocity into vertical impulse using ankle, knee, and hip extension patterns analyzed in studies by American College of Sports Medicine affiliates. The clearance involves rotating the torso so the athlete goes over the bar head and shoulders first with spine arching—techniques evaluated in biomechanics labs at University of Oxford and Pennsylvania State University. Landing on foam pits marketed to venue operators and chartered by organizers at European Indoor Championships reduces impact forces measured in experiments by teams affiliated with NASA and Australian Institute of Sport.
Impact on high jump performance and records
Within years of its introduction, the method proliferated among competitors at the European Athletics Championships, Pan American Games, and NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, leading to a cascade of record improvements. World record progressions tracked by World Athletics show many increments by athletes using the technique, challenging marks set in eras dominated by the straddle technique. The technique affected selection policies at national trials for teams sent to the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and influenced sponsorship deals from firms such as Adidas and Puma as athletes broke national and continental records. Biomechanical advantages demonstrated in peer-reviewed papers from Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley correlated adoption with higher clearances at elite meets like the Diamond League series.
Adoption and evolution in athletics
Adoption spread rapidly among jumpers competing at venues like Hayward Field and Croke Park following successes at major competitions; coaches from programs at University of California, Los Angeles and Penn State integrated the method into curricula. Some national systems—such as those in Soviet Union and East Germany during their existence—initially resisted before widespread uptake in the 1970s. Equipment evolution—from sawdust pits at local meets to foam landing systems used at Zagreb Arena and National Stadium, Tokyo—enabled safer practice. Variants and refinements emerged via exchanges at conferences hosted by International Olympic Committee science panels and technical forums by World Athletics.
Training, coaching, and biomechanics
Contemporary coaching incorporates periodization concepts promoted by coaches who worked with champions at Olympic Games cycles and universities like University of Florida and Texas A&M University. Training emphasizes approach consistency, takeoff coordination, and spine flexibility measured in labs at Karolinska Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Sports medicine departments at hospitals affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and Mayo Clinic research injury patterns associated with different takeoff angles and landing techniques. Video analysis tools developed by companies collaborating with Intel and research groups at University College London assist in refining run-up geometry, while strength and conditioning protocols draw from literature produced by American College of Sports Medicine and Olympic training centers.
Notable athletes and competitions
The breakthrough performance at the 1968 Summer Olympics drew attention from media outlets and inspired jumpers at later Olympic Games and World Championships in Athletics. Subsequent champions at European Championships and Commonwealth Games adopted and refined the approach; prominent practitioners emerged from programs at University of Oregon, University of Florida, and national teams of United States and Soviet Union. Iconic competitions at venues like Wembley Stadium, Hayward Field, and Népstadion showcased record attempts employing the technique, while athletes coached within systems such as USOC and national federations of Jamaica and Kenya integrated it into talent development pathways.
Category:High jump Category:Athletics techniques