* Sterling (KS) graduate Tyus Wilson cleared 7-2 in 2021
Photo Credit: Kansas MileSplit
By Robert Marchetti
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Effective upper body mechanics are an absolute requirement if an athlete wants to maximize the take-off phase in the high jump. There are four different methods of arm drive employed by the world's best jumpers. The four are as follows:
- Double Arm Punch
- Double Pump Arm Drive
- Single Arm Drive
- Lead Arm
THE DOUBLE-ARM PUNCH
The double-arm punch method involves driving both arms simultaneously into the take-off. To set up a double punch, the high jumper runs with standard arm strokes until the transition between the second to last step, and the last step (plant step).
On account of the switching of the arms that occur during running, both the arms will be approximately at the athlete's sides as the second to last step contacts the ground.
In the time between these last two steps, both hands are quickly bro...
