The takeoff in the long jump is more of a run into the air than it is an actual jump. The best long jumpers on any level are sprinting through the takeoff phase rather than gathering up and leaping.
TRENDS IN HIGH PERFORMANCE
The top male long jumpers in the world hit speeds of around 24 miles per hour on the runway [1]. The best females hit speeds of about 20 miles per hour [2]. These athletes are tremendous sprinters on the runway, and their takeoff phase acts as a facilitator of that speed, such that they don't slow down much as they redirect from horizontal motion into a takeoff angle.
THE PHYSICS OF JUMPING
Distance in the long jump is mainly achieved through the combination of speed and takeoff angle. Too steep of an angle will have the takeoff end up much like towering pop fly in baseball--the flight of the ball will have immense vertical velocity and altitude, but wil...