THE SOMERSAULT - Banned Long Jump Technique!

In the early 1970's, athletes began using a new long jump technique: the Somersault Technique (The Long Jump Front Flip Technique).

The common long jump technique’s during the long jump flight phase are the Sail Technique, The Hang Technique, The Hitch-Kick Technique and The Double Hitch-Kick Technique.

Athletes who pioneered the Somersault were:
1973
Dave Nielsen, a Pole Vaulter from Iowa.
Hans Lagerqvist - a Swedish pole vaulter who learned it from Dave Nielsen at a competition in Stockholm.
Rey Delago - Canadian Long Jumper (Featured in the Thumbnail)
Bernhard Stierle - East German Long Jumper
Bruce Jenner - USA Olympian Decathalete used it in training but not competition.
1974
Tuariki Delamere, a Washington State University long jumpers from New Zealand did a front flip in the air at a collegiate track and field championships meet.

This was so groundbreaking that It caused an amendment to the official Long Jump Technical Rulebook.

(EPISODE 1)
This is the 1st addition to: THE BANNED TECHNIQUE series where we look at unorthodox or banned techniques used in Track and Field.

Check out this video for THE SPINOFF’s full interview:

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[Piehax]

I recall having a discussion with my father about this specific subject a few years ago (he's a national level track and field coach, over 30 years of experience). His view on it was that any top athlete could execute it correctly/safely given enough practice and it would easily be the most efficient way of jumping. Went as far as to say that the current world record could be improved by half a meter.

[dokukarmagad]

Sometime in the summer after my senior year in HS in 1974, I tried this technique at an AAU meet. I had previously jumped about 19 feet with the hitch kick, but with the somersault I jumped almost 21 feet. The official at the meet told me not to get used to somersault as he was sure they would outlaw it.

[willthompson]

A couple years ago i tried this technique out myself. I am not a long jumper but i do have good frontflip control from parkour. I went down to the beach and did a few regular jumps. Then when i did the frontflip i went significanly further. Im talking 0.5-1.0m. It feels amazing, letting youself dive FORWARD and then tucking to rotate back to your legs.

[haukeachilles]

I see the dangers but did it just for the joy of jumping back in the days. It felt amazing, once you really adapted to it you can fully lean into the jump and then after half rotation you can straighten your legs and push them away with your hands, that moment feels like a catapulted double jump in midair. Just a great feeling 🥲

[PapaSkr]

i was a long jumper in High School (same time period '73, '74) as well as a springboard diver so I was very familiar with the kinesthetics of somersaulting. I tried the somersault long jump technique and, when successful, it instantly added over a foot to my long jumps. It was, however, difficult to be consistent on the landing as even a small amount of under- or over-rotation would wipe out any gains. I never felt unsafe though, the biggest threat would be under-rotation and land hard on your tailbone, but it was in fluffed-up, raked out sand so even that was not too bad.

[arcboutant]

I’ve advocated the use of this method since my teens (am now 75) .This is the first time I’ve heard of anyone using this method, wow. I’ve always believed that there would be an accelerative action when ‘unwinding’ from the somersault which would increase distance travelled. And it’s BEEN tried.

[CalvinHikes]

I think the athlete who did the somersault and got it banned should be very proud of themselves for changing the game in such a dramatic way that the new regulations were written.

Many track-and-field sports employ limiting regulations based on safety. A sharp javelin would go farther. So while I'd like to see the distance a good summer soldier could go, they're probably preventing a lot of injury by not allowing it.

[raymondpetrovits]

The Fosbury backflip was introduced in the high jump against the forward attack at the bar and is still in use to this day. Can’t pick and choose.

[alexenglish]

Back in the 70s I had a friend/teammate, who would launch himself head first and do a quick tuck flip. He did this in the long jump pit, and on the gym floor for fun. I don't know about the distance. He was a talented athlete who was fearless. Died young, in his teens, driving his car the same way. This style of long jump was low on the danger list of the stuff teenage boys do.

[johnnikitakis]

No! They made a huge mistake. In the mid seventys at high school in Melbourne Victoria, as a person who was stocky, my body automatically went into a somersault when doing long jump. I was getting pretty good numbers when the news came about six months later that the somersault had been deemed illegal by a bunch of guys in committee continents away. Didn't realise I was still pissed.

[Venga]

I think it’s worth it to find out if the Long Jump WR could be broken using this technique but most of the best jumpers would probably never do a front flip

[ciuzdamm]

The same thing happened to Olga Korbut. Her Parallel Bars exercise at 1972 Munich Olympics was out of this world, worthed of 10plus.

[markburnham]

I remember when Dick Fosbury first showed his flop, I was in high school. Most authorities hated it, but it when on to revolutionize the sport. Same could well be true of the summersault if given a chance.

[georgedennison]

I actually saw this guy jump in '74. I was at the UO in the '70's. As a PE major were used as on the field non-marshalls at all UO & Pac8 Track & Field events. I voluteered as much as possible as I was track fan. I also knew a lot of the athletes, because I was in the Sports Medicine Program as a specialty of my major. I got to work track events as a student athletic trainer, also.

I don't know if I saw him in Eugene or Pullman, but I recall the buzz about the crazy long jumper doing somersaults.

This wasn't too long after Dick Fosbury at OSU revolutionized the high jump w/ the backwards Flop technique.

A couple of years after this, Brian Oldfield changed the shot put world by being the 1st to use a discus like spin technique in the shot put.

The short lived '70's Pro Track & Field circuit made a stop in Eugene in '76. I was on the field as a non-marshall for that. Saw Oldfield do the spin, up close.

You know, there may have been a somersaulting long jumper w/ them, as well. I do seem to recall their was 2 unusual techniques on display that day. It couldn't have been the Flop; that was well accepted, by '76.

Long time ago... good memories. You know, I think I still have a pair of the 'white duck' pants we had to wear as on-field personnel. They were a white cotton pants issued by the locker room cage, (towel), people.

They were prized possessions/souveneirs since they were stamped w/ the Property of UO Athletics Dept.

You gotta realize, there was not the massive plethora of T-shirts back then; nor short, hats, or even shoes. This is shortly after athletic sneakers = Converse Chuck Taylors; white high tops for b-ball, black low tops for everything else. Tennis destroyed CT's in about 2 weeks.

[JaemanEdwards]

Wow. I'm a Kiwi sports fan and YouTube randomly suggested this video. Tuariki Delamere was a prominent Maori Member of Parliament in New Zealand and I never new about him coming up with this idea or even that he was an athlete. Mind blown.
By the way, the pronunciation of Tuariki is
Too - ah - ree - kee with a rolled R. Similar to Spanish.

Kia ora

[fayensu]

If the long jump rules were modified to allow somersaults, the rule change would begin to attract a new, slightly different, group of jumpers, presumably those with more gymnastic skill, who would be quite adept at exploiting the new rules to their fullest advantage. So to argue that the long jump rules should not be changed because those new, more gymnastic long jumpers have not yet been attracted is completely circular. It begs the question of why the rules should not be changed in the first place.

Also, if the long jump rules permitted somersaulting, nothing would stop the jumpers from practicing their landings on soft material, like pole vaulters do.

Additionally, since gymnasts land on hard surfaces during competitions, and long jumpers land on a softer surface, sand, it makes no sense to say that somersaulting during a long jump is riskier than during a floor exercise.

[junkandcrapamen]

Would love to see top level athletes use this technique. Imagine the distances we'd see!

[hyperthreaded]

I just discovered your channel. Great content all over the place, informative and entertaining, thanks a lot 😎

[kerryliles]

I read the Article in track and Field magazine. It was on the cover and I started doing the somersault Broad jump in the Houston area for Robert E Lee high school in Baytown. Added 8 inches to my best regular jump. Main thing was I made points for the team. Always drew a big crowd to watch.

[benchipley]

What if they had made a rule about high jumping backwards? Or rear engine dragsters? Every advancement has to be unique. If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.