A biomechanical study of the triple jump.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the triple jump from the viewpoint of the velocity of the center of gravity and the mechanical energy. Eight 16 mm cameras were used to film the whole motion of 15 triple-jumpers from the end of the run-up to the landing of the jump. The horizontal velocity decreased during the first half of each take-off and increased during the second half. However, the absolute value of the velocity decreased from hop-to-step and from step-to-jump (the reductions were 8.5% and 15.1%, respectively). The vertical velocity increased at an almost constant rate during each take-off. The maximum height of the center of gravity was similar during the flights in the hop and the jump, and in the step it was approximately 10% lower than in the hop and the jump. The mechanical energy decreased after each take-off. Four percent of the mechanical energy acquired during the run-up was lost during take-off for the hop. The maintenance ratio was much lower (approximately 85%) for the step and the jump.