Jumping – From GET SET GO; Athletics NZ’s Fundamental Movement Skills Resource

Jumping is a basic fundamental movement skill that is a major part of many games, sports, athletic events, and daily living experiences!

There are many forms of jumping, including jumping for distance or for height, jumping up, down and over objects, however all are explosive skills which involve 3 phases:

  • Take off
  • Flight phase
  • Landing

Proficient jumping requires a good sense of timing, rhythm and body coordination, so younger children need a lot of fun exploration games and activities to develop these skills.

Using imagery in these activities is a good way for children to understand the concepts involved:

E.g. – “Can you explode into space like a rocket?”

“Can you land as quietly as a fairy?”

A popular game from the GET SET GO resource is the game ‘Frogs and Flies’

As children’s skill develops more directed techniques can be introduced.

Emphasise key factors such as:

  • Ankles, knees and hips bending on preparation and landing
  • Use arm swing to generate force
  • Coordination of body parts

Understanding the skill criteria involved in jumping can help teachers and coaches assess their students current skill level, so that they can plan appropriate learning experiences. To help teachers and coaches facilitate children’s development, GET SET GO uses assessment rubrics, like this example for the Horizontal Jump

Assessment Rubric for Horizontal Jump

Discovering
Initial Developmental Stage /
  • Limited Arm Swing – arms not initiating the action, and not used efficiently during flight
  • The preparation is inconsistent – especially in terms of leg flexion, arm swing and eye focus
  • The body moves in a vertical direction; no real body extension or reaching
  • Difficulty coordinating both feet, and in using arms and legs together
  • Body falls backwards on landing, and landing impact not absorbed well by bending knees hips and ankles
/
Developing
Elementary Developmental Stage /
  • Arms initiate the jump, but still do not swing well backwards in the preparation crouch
  • Arms swing to side during jump to maintain balance
  • The preparation crouch is deeper and more consistent with hip knee ankle extension beginning to develop; but not held during flight phase
  • Landing becoming more controlled but not consistently well cushioned with body weight forward
/
Consolidating
Mature Development
Proficient Movement /
  • Arms move high and backwards on preparation crouch; knees hips ankles all in deep flexion. Movement consistent and coordinated
  • During flight arms swing forward with force and reach high – held throughout flight
  • Body extending about 45- degrees; reaching horizontally during flight
  • Thighs are held tensioned and parallel to ground during flight – lower leg lands vertically
  • Body weight is forward at landing, lands on both feet at same time.
  • Ankles, knees, and hips bend deeply to absorb impact on landing
/

More information can be found on the Athletics NZ or SPARC web sites

Or by contacting GET SET GO National Manager: Karen Laurie -