Teaching Basic Track Skills to Middle School Children

When talking about the things that make a good track athlete, technique is the
single most important thing. Even in events such as the hundred meter dash, the proper
technique can mean the difference between a win and a loss. In the events that require
more than just running, technique separates elite athletes from second tier athletes. In this
paper, I will be talking about the different levels of development required to become an
effective triple jumper.
To begin with, the Triple Jump is a complex event which requires balance, speed,
jumping ability, the ability to perform multiple task at once (counting steps, running and
jumping) and the ability to move multiple body parts independently of each other. The
Triple jump requires the participant to make three consecutive jumps and land in a pit of
sand. Participants have a set point which they must jump from called boards. The foot of
the participant may not cross the far plane of this board. Boards are set at d...