Jumping
From Free net encyclopedia
Jumping is a skill that most humans and many animals share to some degree. It is the process of getting one's body off the ground for a short time using only one's own power, usually by propelling oneself upward via contraction and then forceful extension of the legs. One can jump up to reach something high, jump over a fence or ditch, or jump down, and one can jump while dancing and as a sport. It should be noted that elephants cannot jump, making them one of the few animals to lack this ability.
In athletics (track and field), a number of events are mainly based on jumping:
- long jump, where the objective is to cover as large a horizontal distance as possible with one jump, preceded by a short run-up.
- fierljeppen, similar to the long jump, but using a pole to cover the distance.
- high jump, where the objective is to cover as large a vertical distance as possible with one jump, preceded by a short run-up.
- standing high jump, similar to the high jump but without any run-up.
- pole vault, in which is similar to the high jump, but competitors use a long flexible pole to cover a bigger height.
- hurdling, a foot race where the track is covered with hurdles.
- standing broad jump, similar to the long jump except that there is no run up at all; contestants jump forward after only several swings of the arms.
- steeplechase, similar to hurdling, but the obstacles are more solid and diverse, and the distances to be covered are longer.
- triple jump, which is similar to the long jump, but the final jump is preceded by a step and a hop (a step, but with the same foot as the previous one).
A number of sports with animals also involve jumping:
- Show jumping involves a rider jumping a sequence of fences with horses.
Jumps are also part of:
- figure skating - both, ice and roller
- gymnastics
- rhythmic gymnastics
- skateboarding
- swimming
- skiing
- trampolining
- platform games (a video game genre)
See also hopping (various figurative meanings).