Expert: Richard Howland - 6/2/2009

Question
How far should I place the take off mark for the first phase of the triple jump (hop) for 12-14 year olds?

Answer
Rod:

I have been looking for guidance to answer your question.  At first the question is under what rules are you competing in?  What gender are you coaching?  Then we could go into questions about age, experience, height, weight, stride and so forth.  The point I am sure I have made is that there is no hard and fast rule based upon age as the primary consideration.


That said, the best advice in rules I can find is the 2008 Youth Athletics USATF Rule 302.5(d) reads in pertinent part: "In the Triple Jump, more than one takeoff board may be used between 7 and 13m from the landing area. {Suggestions: Intermediate Boys/Young Mean at 10m; Intermediate Girls.Young Women at 8m; Youth Boys/Youth Girls at 7m.)"

Generally policy for officials urge officials to minimize harm and injury to any one, athletes, coaches, spectators and so forth.  If a particularly large or slight athlete finds the takeoff board located in a place where the jump takeoff will risk landing on the heels, it should be adjusted to accommodate the athlete so that a fair jump can be safely made given the configuration and conformation of the jumper.  

I do hope that this answers your question, but remember first above all is safety and fairness, everything else is secondary to those considerations.  Dick Howland