Role of arm motion in the standing long jump

The role of arm motion on the performance of the standing long jump was investigated. Three males performed a series of jumps with free (JFA) and with restricted (JRA) arm motion to determine if arm swing improves jumping distance. The subjects jumped off a force platform and the motion of the body segments were recorded with a four-camera, passive motion-capture system. Jumping performance was defined as the horizontal displacement of the toe between the initial and landing (TD) positions. The subjects jumped 21.2% further on an average with arm movement (2.09+/-0.03 m) than without (1.72+/-0.03 m). Seventy-one percent of the increase in performance in JFA was attributable to a 12.7% increase in the take-off (TO) velocity of the center of gravity (CG). Increases in the horizontal displacement of the CG before TO and in the horizontal position of the toe with respect to the CG at TD accounted for the remaining 29% of the improvement in jumping distance. The added balance and control provided by the arms throughout the jumping motion contributed to performance improvement in JFA. The subjects were able to remedy excessive forward rotation about the CG by swinging the arms backwards during the flight phase. Without the freedom to swing the arms during flight, the subjects had to eliminate any excessive forward rotation while still in contact with the ground. This tendency in JRA was manifest in the premature decline in the vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) and the development of a counterproductive backward-rotating moment about the CG just before TO.