Fosbury Flop Technique




Richard Fosbury



   The “flop" technique is now the most widely used HJ technique by current elite jumpers.  Its creation is properly credited to Dick Fosbury (USA) who modified a scissors bar clearance to one where he eventually went over back first—increasingly arching his back as he developed it.  He  modified and improved the “backwards” technique into what we now call the Fosbury flop or just “the Flop.”  

   He competed in Mexico’s 1968 Olympic Games and won the gold medal with a leap of 7’4 1/4” (2.24 M).  At the time, he was the only person competing at a high level who used the technique, but subsequently it has become the method of choice for Olympic champion jumpers since 1976.  

   Also, the current world indoor and outdoor records are held by Javier Sotomayeer, 7’ 11 1/2” (2.43 M indoor), 8’ 1/2” (2.45 M outdoor), who used the Flop technique; the last world record holder who used the dive-straddle technique was Vladimir Yashchenko of the Ukraine, who cleared 7’ 8 1/2” (2.35 M).

Exemplars

Jim Cook's Personal Website