For anybody who starts off doing the high jump, they are usually introduced to the scissor kick technique first. Despite many athletes opting to start with the flop technique, learning the scissor kick technique can help the athlete jump higher as they develop their high jumping skill. It is also a great skill to use for improving the core strength and knee drive that’s needed to gain more height when doing the high jump.
Here are the basic steps for doing the scissor kick technique in the high jump.
- Set a run-up of between 7 to 11 steps.
- These steps should be in a straight line .
- The line should be around 25-30 degrees when compared with the bar.
- Commence your run from a consistent starting point.
- Keep your body tall and centre of gravity high off the ground.
- As you approach the bar, your legs should be accelerating quicker.
- The last two steps should be the quickest.
- Your aim is to jump as high as possible.
- Drive your lead leg up with your knee (knee drive) past the horizontal line of the bar.
- Once your lead leg is over, kick the other foot over the bar.
- Land on your feet to complete the jump.
Approaching the bar with a straight run-up requires the athlete to use more of their knee drive, speed and vertical power to propel themselves off the ground. Thus, it is important to develop the athlete’s speed, strength and power in their legs through leg strengthening exercises, power building drills and elasticity exercises.
The more the athlete develops these athletic attributes, the better chance they will have to jump higher with their scissor kick jump.
A more advanced approach to the scissor kick involves the use of centripetal force. This involves having a curved run-up and using the speed and force from the curve to propel your body over the bar.
You can see some of the best scissor kick high jumps in the video below.
Mutaz Barshim High Jump Scissor 2.15m
Juha Eriksson
Marco Fassinotti – 2.10m scissor kick high jump
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