James Thomas' Championship Jumps Coaching: Triple Jump

with James Thomas,
University of Oklahoma Head Track & Field/Cross Country Coach;
University of Georgia Associate Head Coach - Men's & Women's Jumps & Combined Events from 2022 to 2023;
University of Georgia Assistant Coach - Men's & Women's Jumps & Combined Events from 2021 to 2022;
Texas Tech Associate Head Coach from 2012 through 2021 - Men's & Women's Jumps & Combined Events;
2019 NCAA Division I Champions - Men's Outdoor Track & Field;
at Texas Tech, was part of Five Big XII Team Championships, Eight Top 10 Team Finishes and Four Top 5 Team finishes;
USTFCCCA Masters Endorsement Instructor;
USATF Level II Certification- Jumps;
At Texas Tech, coached one Olympian, eight NCAA Champions, 91 All-Americans and 29 Individual Big XII Champions;
10x USTFCCCA Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year

Oklahoma's head coach - James Thomas, part of the 2019 NCAA Champion Texas Tech Red Raiders, passes along his best methods for training the triple jump in this jam-packed video course. You'll learn the phases of the triple jump, how Coach Thomas teaches his athletes to develop rhythm in the event, and how to get your athletes to develop the most efficient "cadence" during their approach run.

Triple Jump Lead Up Drills

The triple jump is a high impact, technically demanding event. In the opening segment, Thomas uses his lead up series to help athletes develop and improve various technical components. These drills include progressive intensity exercises, such as rudiment style bounds, skips, and more intense alternate leg bounds. These drills can be done away from the runway to help athletes isolate and correct specific skills that they will later connect to the event.

Developing Effective Triple Jump Rhythm

The key to a great triple jump lies in creating a steady, consistent rhythm across each phase. To help athletes improve their timing and rhythm, Coach Thomas takes you through the 10-20-30 drill, using short approaches of two to four steps to complete a full triple jump from distances of 10 feet, 20 feet, and 30 feet. The goal of the drill is to maintain the same rhythm as the distance progresses, adding slightly more power each time to challenge the athlete's coordination.

Refining Runway Cadence

Coordination and cadence on the runway are critical to success in the horizontal jumps. In the triple jump, athletes must maintain posture and control at high speeds during their approach in order to excel. In this segment, Thomas demonstrates his triple jump specific version of the wicket drill. Using various spacing and run ins, Coach Thomas challenges his athletes to maintain proper posture and control as they sprint over mini hurdles. To make the drill as event specific as possible, he has his athletes execute a full take off and jump, to help them work on control under varying intensities.

Throughout this video, Coach Thomas shares his insights on how to develop elite triple jumpers, carefully breaking down various drills and skills that are important to success in the event. One of the best features of the video is when Thomas shares his philosophy on short approach jumping, which is an area that many coaches struggle with. He carefully explains why it is critical to success in the triple jump, and what specific improvements he looks for before moving an athlete back on the runway to create more speed.

This is a fantastic source of information for jumps coaches who want to improve their triple jumpers. With the help of Coach Thomas, your athletes will be poised for improved results and PRs in the seasons ahead!

40 Minutes. 2021.