Jumping
Jumping is the transfer of weight from one or two feet to two feet. It is sub-divided into two categories:
1. Jumping for Height
Using Cues in P.E. Jumping for Height Animated GIF | How to Use GIFs
2. Jumping for Distance
Using Cues in P.E. Jumping for Distance Animated GIF | How to Use GIFs
Each category has three distinct phases: take off, flight and landing.
1. Jumping for height, or the vertical jump, involves jumping as high as possible from a standing position. In order to achieve maximum height, it is important that the legs and arms work together to generate as much force as possible. Jumping for height can be applied in a range of contexts, such as gymnastics, dance, jumping for a ball in volleyball, basketball and gaelic football, or attempting to get something down from the top shelf in the kitchen.
2. Jumping for distance, or the horizontal jump, involves jumping forwards as far as possible from two feet, landing on two feet. This jump is important in identifying a pupil’s ability to use timing and rhythm to successfully coordinate both legs and arms, which dictates the distance of the jump. Jumping for distance plays a considerable role in many playground games such as hopscotch, and is a core skill of both gymnastics and dance. It is also a baseline skill used in a range of sport specific activities such as long jump, triple jump and aquatics.
Things to consider
As landing is one of the three key components of jumping, the skill of landing itself should be treated as a prerequisite to jumping. Information on landing can be found in the ‘stability’ section of this resource. Also in terms of safety, there can be a large amount of force transferred in a forward direction when jumping for distance. Ensure there is enough free space, that the ground isn’t wet or slippy and the footwear worn has adequate grip to allow for a safe landing.
