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The Science behind the Fosbury Flop

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The commonly known sport of “High Jumping” was invented in Scotland during the 19th Century. However since then, the sport has undergone multiple changes that have enabled the athletes to jump higher over the bar.WATCH VIDEO HERE

In the early years of the sport the jumpers did not have access to sandpits or low piles of matting and therefore were forced to land on their feet to prevent injury. Following this, as the sport advanced, elite jumpers used the straddle technique or even scissors jump to clear the bar. However with the advancement of deep foam matting the high jumpers we able to become more adventurous and experimental with styles of jumping.

So when Dick Fosbury couldn’t compete against the skilled high jumpers at his college, he tried jumping in a different way, backwards! Fosbury started to amaze his college peers and the world alike with his new technique, which was now called the “Fosbury Flop”. This unique technique is now very dominant throughout the world and for Dick Fosbury it enabled him to win a gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics. Watch the very interesting video over on Kiwi Kids Videos, which explains the physics of the Fosbury Flop and exactly how Dick Fosbury was able to do it!

Click the Link Below to watch the video!

http://www.kiwikidsnews.co.nz/videos/2014/03/06/an-athlete-uses-physics-to-shatter-world-records/

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