Mathematical analysis of function and mechanism of Run-up and Take-off in the

Long Jump

Kening Zou
Wuhan Institute of Physical Education
Wuhan, 430079, P.R. China
yuyin310@sina.com
Abstract—Based on the analysis of the mechanism of run-up
take-off in the long jump, this paper tells that run-up
take-off in the long jump is embodied through run-up
inertia function, run-jump function and jump in-situ
functionDŽ Some quantification treatments are made to the
three functions through specific experimental methods to
find the proportion of the three functions in the long jump.
In addition, the paper also offers the thought of removing
the run-up inertia function after the take-off, so as to make
a better comparative study with deep jump or other events,
and provides a new research approach for long jump.
Key words:mathematical analysis;function and mechan
-ism ;long jump.
ĉ.PREFACE
Long jump is made up of run-up, take off, flight and
landing four parts, in which run up and take off play a
decisive role in the long jump performance. Now it’s
usually considered that the function of run-up speed has
accounted to more than 70%, and even some consider the
function of run-up has accounted to more than 90% in the
long jump, and the function of take-off in the long jump
accounts to less than 30%. But in fact for many elite
Chinese long jump athletes, especially those whose
utilization rate of run-up speed is high, have week
capacity of take-off and it’s the capacity of take-off that
restricts the growth of their jumping performance.
Therefore, this paper discusses the function of run-up and
take-off in the long jump through deep analysis. It should
be pointed out that in order to reduce the impact of flight
and landing on the long jump performance, all the jump
performance in this paper refers to the speed and
direction of the instantaneous off-ground body gravity.
2. OBJECT AND METHODS
2.1 Object: Mathematical analysis of function and
mechanism of Run-up and Take-off in the Long Jump
2.2 Methods: literature, questionnaire, expert interviews,
AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process), observation, etc.
3. RESULT AND ANALYSIS
___________________________________
978-1-4244-9600-6/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE
3.1The Function of Run-up and Take-off
Run-up and take-off play a decisive role in the long
jump. It’s usually said run-up is the basis and take-off is
the key. We can learn from that take-off is based on
run-up, and run-up helps to complete take-off better.
Then we will discuss the function of run-up and take-off
in the long jump.
3.1.1The function of Run-up
The relevant data shows that the run-up speed and the
jumping performance of long jump athletes are positively
correlated (r = 0.96); of all the factors that affect the
long-jump performance, the function of run-up speed has
accounted to more than 70%. Run-up right here, no doubt
plays a role in the long jump, but a deep analysis of the
function way of run-up and take-off in the long jump
should be made.
We all know that a jump with a certain run-up is
farther than that in-situ. It is due to run-up, but what
function does run-up ever play here? It can be divided
into two aspects: first, a certain horizontal speed will lose
in the process of take-off, but the lose is not large
compared to the horizontal speed at the end of run-up. So
the rest horizontal speed will affect the rising speed and
its direction. Because it is similar to the principle of
inertia, it is called the run-up inertia effect. The effect is
decided by the flight time after the take-off. Second,
run-up increases the initial length of the leg muscles and
the muscle contraction speed when take-off. Thereby, it
enhances the ability of muscle contraction, jumping
height and distance. Here the function of run-up is
basically the same with that in deep jump which shortens
the distance between the center of gravity and the ground,
it’s both the stretch-shortening circle principle. The
difference is that run-up can also increase the
centrifugal-Centripetal contraction speed of the lower
body muscles. As run-up here motivates the potential of
take-off, so it might be called a stimulating effect of
run-up. Run-up has played two roles in the long jump.
First it is run-up of its own, and its speed is determined
by run-up, but it is embodied through the co-function
with the vertical speed after take-off. The second point is


not run-up of its own, and it needs to cooperate with
take-off. The two functions of run-up can be embodied in
one trial jump.
Long jump performance
Run-up Take-off
Run-up Run-jump Jump in-situ
inertia function function function
Picture 1.The function of run-up and take-off
3.1.2The function of Take-off
The function of take-off in the long jump is
indisputable. But take-off needs the co-ordination of
run-up. Therefore, the way take-off works in the long
jump performance is also divided into two points: first,
the function of take-off itself, that is, the ability to jump
forward in-situ without run-up, and it’s called jump
in-situ function. Second, take-off with the stimulation of
run-up or other factors (can also be a platform), which
makes the jumping ability enhanced. This is the same
with the second point, but different in the function object.
Generally speaking, the first function of take-off is the
basis of the second one, and the second function is the
manifestation of the first one in the long jump. But one
thing should be noted that the working way of the force
application of these two functions is not the same, due to
the latter's muscle contraction rate is significantly faster
than the former, so the contraction approach of the latter
is similar to that of the outbreak force. In addition, the
second function can also fully test the eccentric
contraction capability and the transformation speed of
stretch-shortening circle of the athletes. As the
acceleration of speed which always keeps under the
suitable run-up speed, the second function of take-off will
gradually take effect. Only the second function is
reflected in a trial jump.
3.1.3The Function of Run-jump
The second function of take-off, that is, take-off with
the stimulation of run-up is the co-function of running
and jumping, so it is called the run-jump function.The
function of run-up and take-off can be illustrated by the
picture 1.
So we can easily see the function of run-up and
take-off is embodied through run-up inertia function,
run-jump function and jump in-situ function. The
function of run-up was said to account to more than 70 %
in a long jump, this estimation may largely consider the

run-up inertia function and the run-jump function both as
the run-up function, but it’s improper in practice. Take a
simple example, it has already been mentioned that the
production mechanism of run-jump function is similar to
that of deep jump. A person is doing the deep jump,
before he reaches the optimum height, with the
increasing height of the platform, he jumps farther, while
his jumping performance will drop after the optimum
height (in this case it is required the horizontal gravity
speed be as close to 0 as falling to the ground in deep
jump). Here the function of the height of platform to the
deep jump is the same with run-up to run-jump function.
Therefore, it is because of the platform that the distance
is farther in deep jump than that in-situ. All in all it is the
question of take-off capability, and the platform is only a
way that digs the capacity of take-off. In addition to the
run-up and the platform, there are many ways to
stimulate the ability of take-off, and the ability of
take-off is the only object to be stimulated. If we
consider run-jump function as a part of run-up function
and the stimulated jumping ability is attributed to the
platform, and so on. This will impede our cognition of
the jumping ability increased by stimulation
(stretch-shortening circle principle). So it’s not
appropriate to consider run-jump function as a part of
run-up function.
3.2Manifestations of the Three Functions in Long Jump
Performance
First the manifestations of the three functions in a
trial jump should be clear. It has already been mentioned
that the two functions of run-up can be both expressed in
a trial jump. But only the second function can be
reflected in the two functions of take-off, and the
function of the stimulation of run-up is the same as the
second function of take-off, and they are called run-jump
function. Thus, only run-up inertia function and run-jump
function can be expressed in the trial jump. Jump in-situ
function is embodied in the run-jump function.
Run-up inertia function: First, because run-up on the
whole provides the horizontal force, so the direction of
run-up inertial forces should also be horizontal. Second,
the AB segment (buffer phase) is the speed lost phase,
while the BC segment (shortening- stretch phase) is the
speed increasing phase, and the increasing speed in the
BC section is due to the take-off. Therefore, the
instantaneous off-ground horizontal speed is not
completely the result of the run-up inertia function; it
also includes the horizontal speed provided by the
shortening and stretch of the leg muscles. So the effective
speed of run-up inertia function is the horizontal speed of
the body gravity in the maximum buffer stage B, and the
run-up inertia function is embodied by the run-jump
function. They are in direct proportion to each other.

V2 V

V1
V4 C
A B V3
D

D—A˖run-up A˖instantaneous landing B˖the maximum buffer stage C˖instantaneous off-ground

V4˖the horizontal speed when beating the board V3˖the horizontal speed in the maximum buffer stage V1˖
the instantaneous off-ground horizontal speed V2:the instantaneous off-ground vertical speed

Picture 2. The three functions in Long Jump performance

Run-jump function: The function has already been
described, and its result in a long jump is the value and
direction of the initial off-ground speed of the body
gravity without run-up inertia function. Its horizontal
speed equals the initial off-ground horizontal speed
minus the horizontal speed in the maximum buffer stage.
While its vertical speed is still the instantaneous
off-ground vertical speed V2. Run-jump function here we
are talking about includes jump in-situ function.
The distance and jumping angle we usually talk about
are influenced by run-up inertia function, so the
manifestation of run-jump function here is the distance
and jumping angle without the influence of run-up inertia
function. As we can’t directly measure this distance and
the angle, we call them “the potential distance” and “the
potential jumping angle”. These two indexes can be
better compared with those in deep jump, and they might
be a new skill evaluation method in the long jump though
we still have many problems to figure out.
3.3 The mathematical analysis of mechanism of the Long
Jump
The above statements just want to show the
manifestations of the three functions in a trial jump, not
the proportion of them. The direct calculation will greatly
exaggerated the run-up inertia function, because the
run-up inertia function is determined in large part by
run-jump function. Therefore, the increased inertia
function caused by run-jump function should belong to
the area of run-jump function. After we make clear about
the above point, an experiment can be designed
todetermine the proportion of the three functions in the
long jump. This experiment uses the contrast between the
single leg take-off in-situ and the run-up take-off to
measure the run-jump function. As the take-off in-situ
function is known, and the three functions together result
in the farness of run-up take-off, we can calculate the
run-up inertia function.
Before the experiment we should make clear there are
two main differences between the single leg jump
in-situ and the run-up take-off: 1) the difference of
run-up, the second take-off has run-up while the first
doesn’t have, therefore, it has the run-up inertia
function and run-jump function. The first one just has
jump in-situ function. 2) the difference of swinging leg,
because the function of the swinging leg can’t be
showed in the single leg jump in-situ while it’s essential
in the jump events. Therefore, we can see from the two
differences, with the same run-up inertia function, the
long jump with a run-up performance minus the single
leg jump in-situ performance and the swinging leg
function performance is the result of run-jump function
performance. So, the next point is to calculate the value
of the swinging leg function performance and how to
make the two jump with the same run-up inertia
function.
It’s easy to calculate the difference of the swinging leg
function performance, because many researchers have
already calculated the proportion of the swinging leg
function in the long jump. But how can we make the two
jumps with the same run-up inertia function? Here a
hypothetical experiment (as in the picture) is carried out,
a same long jump athlete performs in two trial jumps,
once a take-off with run-up, another is a single leg jump
in-situ, but the single leg jump in-situ is carried out on a
conveyor belt with the same speed as the run-up inertia
function speed in run-up take-off. The athlete jumps at
the same starting point, and the two jumping distance
difference is the value of run-jump function performance.
(Let alone the swinging leg function).
1) The calculation method of the swinging leg
function: Soviet scholar Chupa obtained this conclusion:
The takeoff leg employs a total force of 335 kg when
beating the board, while the swinging leg provides a total


 Vb Vc
Va
Conveyor belt Vd

S1

Vf
Vg
S2-S
Ve
Run-up
Vh

S2
The above picture shows one leg jump in-situ on the conveyor beltˈthe picture below shows run-up take-off on
the horizontal ground;Conveyor belt V˖the speed equals to the horizontal speed in the maximum buffer stage in
the picture below=Vh;S2-S1˖the value of run-jump functionDŽ˄without the swinging leg function˅

Picture 3.The mathematical analysis of mechanism of the Long Jump

force of 123 kg and accounts for 36.7% of the total force,
and 63.7% if the swinging arm function is added. As the
swinging leg is the only difference between the single leg
jump in-situ and run-up take-off, therefore, the result of
single leg jump in-situ divides (1-36.7), that is, the result
of single leg jump in-situ and the result of the swinging
leg function. (Here it’s considered the jumping distance
is positively linear with the force application value).
2) The calculation method of Run-up inertia function:
It has been said that run-up inertia function equals to the
horizontal velocity of the body gravity in the maximum
buffer stage of run-up take-off. Therefore, we can add
this horizontal velocity to the horizontal velocity of the
single leg in-situ take-off.
Therefore, the value of run-jump function is S2-(S1 +
single leg in-situ take-off performance / (1-36.7%)).To
simplify the calculation, here the issue of the ground
oblique angle is not considered, we use the value and
direction of the instantaneous off-ground take-off speed
of the body gravity to calculate the long jump
performance.
S2= 2 Vt g
Ve ;S1= 2Vh g
4. CONCLUSION
4.1The function of run-up to long jump performance is
embodied by run-up inertia function and the run-up
stimulation. And the function of take-off to long jump
performance is embodied by jump in-situ function and
the second take-off function (the increased jumping
ability stimulated by run-up). As the run-up stimulation
function is the same with the second take-off function,
they are altogether called run-jump function. Therefore,
the run-up take-off function is embodied in run-up inertia
function, run-jump function and jump in-situ function.
4.2 As only run-up inertia function and run-jump
function can be seen in a trial jump, so we can get a value
that run-up influences take-off with removal of run-up
inertia function.
4.3We can obtain the proportional relationship among
run-up inertia function, run-jump function and jump
in-situ function by calculation.
REFERENCES
Va  Vd  , the [1] Xu Tong,Biomechanical Researches on Take-off of Long Jump.
Journal of Beijing University of Physical Education.1994.02.
single leg jump in-situ performance= 2 Vh g
Va .
[2] Zie Huisong.Effects of Speed Utilization Ratio in Long Jump
So the run-jump function value= Approach on Specific Results of Chinese Girl Jumpers. Journal of
Beijing University of Physical Education.1999.02
2Vt g
Ve  >2Vh g
Va  Vd  2Vh g
Va /1  36.7%@ [3] Ren Qingjun.The Analysis Of Take-off Skill About TheSpeed
And the proportion of run-up inertia function is: StyleLong Jump Athlete. Journal of Anhui Sports
Science.2003.03
1-[(run-jumpfunction/S2)+(jumpin-situfunction/S2)*100
%]