Coach ,

I’ve always marveled at the explosive power and elegance needed to be a world class triple jumper. Growing up, I always looked at Christian Taylor and his gold medals and instantly became a fan of the event. I’ve been watching Taylor’s alma mater continue to have success in the triple jump event long after his graduation with new faces and new leadership.

I’ve been very impressed with the work Coach Nic Petersen and the Florida Gators staff are doing with the jumps squad.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Coach Petersen and get his ideas and concepts for training the triple jump. Specifically, I asked what he does for his advanced athletes and how he would differentiate training for them. He explained the Gator Drill and its applications in his program as just one example of the vast number of drills they use at Florida. 

Link: Gator Drill Basic

The simplistic start to the gator drill for advanced athletes allows the overload from a static position to be felt and challenges the jumper to create the reactive elements from a disadvantaged position without the speed of an approach. As Coach Petersen said, the beginning jumper could perform the same thing without the need for a box. To continue to isolate and overload specific legs the next step is to add a box with the addition of a short approach. 

Link: Gator Drill 1 Box 

The use of the 2” box on the 4 step run in allows the right leg to feel the overload of 9 to 18 times our body weight at ground contact. The forces athletes are exposed to in the event are hard to replicate in the weight room or somewhere other than on the runway. I love Coach Petersens application, reasoning, and progression he uses to teach and challenge his advanced athletes. 

Link: Gator Drill 2 Box 

The addition of a second box allowed for the left leg to be overloaded much like the right was in the one box drill. Watching the athletes go through the drills and listening to how coaching takes place on every element of the jump. Many times what we see with drills is application without justification of explanation. I love the certainty in recognizing the constraints he places on his athletes and how he can use those constraints to find solutions from the approach to the landing. 

If you liked the drills provided today I know you’ll love the Inaugural National Jumps Symposium where the best coaches from all over the world will join together to share content and ideas on the triple jump, long jump and high jump. The specific topics as well as the speakers and where they’re from can be found below! 

National Jumps Symposium 

Always be growing,

Coach Rathke and the T&F Community of Coaches helping Coaches