High Jump: History and Current Changes

The high jump was contested at the World Championships in Athletics and IAAF World Indoor Championships. It is common occurrence at track and field meetings. The high jump was among the first events gauged acceptable for women, having been held at the 1928 Olympic Games.

The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump independently over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without displacing it. In its modern most practiced format, there are several rules of the game such as; a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat for landing.

The modern time has brought many changes in the classical game of high jump. Today, athletes run towards the bar and use the Fosbury Flop method of jumping, leaping head first with their back to the bar. Performed since ancient times, competitors have introduced increasingly more effective techniques to turn up at the current form.

According to the history the game of high Jump came into existence in 19th century. The first recorded high jump event took place in Scotland. During the practice the early jumpers used either an elaborate straight-on approach or a scissors technique.

Presently, the bar was approached diagonally, and the jumper threw first the inside leg and then the other over the bar in a scissoring motion. Around the turn of the 20th century, techniques began to modernize.

Source: Wikipedia