Videos of 6 lectures on the high jump and on the discus throw given by Jesús Dapena. They describe how Biomechanics can be used to improve technique and performance in these two track & field events.
Lectures on High Jump and Discus Throw Biomechanics
by Jesús Dapena
(email: dapena@iu.edu)
In 2023/2024 I gave through Zoom a series of three PowerPoint talks on the biomechanics of the high jump and another three PowerPoint talks on the biomechanics of the discus throw to the Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera (FIDAL), Italy’s governing body for track & fleld. The lectures were in English, with “consecutive translation” into Italian.
The lectures were recorded. To reduce the duration of the videos, I have edited out most of the Italian translations, and the edited videos are available below:
You can also download detailed written materials on the techniques of high jumping and discus throwing from HERE. They are the last four items in that web page.
Note: The first half of “Discus Throw Biomechanics #1” is rather heavy on mechanics. I would have liked to go easier on the mechanics, but I felt that the concepts given here are necessary for a good understanding of the rest of the discus videos. My suggestion is to go through this section, even if you don’t understand everything. If necessary, you can revisit it later to clarify mechanical concepts that come up in the discussion of technique.