Straddle technique

The straddle technique has been the dominant technique in the high jump before the development of the Fosbury flop, which is used by today's jumpers. There existed two variants of the straddle: the parallel straddle and a more diving version. With the parallel straddle head and trunk passed the bar at the same time; John Thomas (silver medal at the 1964 Olympics) was using this technique. Valeriy Brumel (gold in 1964) was diving a little bit, his head going over the bar before his trunk. John Thomas brought the world record from 2.16m to 2.22m in five steps, all in 1960. Brumel six times jumped a world record, ending with a height of 2.28m in 1963. The last world record jump with the straddle technique was Pat Matzdorf's 2.29 in 1971. In the women's high jump the development was different. The extraordinary Iolanda Balaş was the dominant jumper from 1957 to 1967, but she used a variant of the scissors technique. Her final world record of 1.91m stood for ten years and was improved in 1971 by Ilona Gusenbauer, a straddle jumper. That record was equalled in 1972 by Ulrike Meyfarth using the flop, but the next series of records were set by jumpers using the straddle technique, ending with the first jump over 2.00m by Rosemarie Ackermann-Witchas in 1977. The year after Sara Simeoni jumped 2.01m using the flop and so the era of the straddle came to a close. The straddle jumpers had to land in a sand pit. Only when the safer foam matrasses came in use the flop could develop. There is some debate which of the two techniques has the most efficient clearing of the bar. Both have advantages and disadvantages and it seems that for some jumpers the straddle would be the best choice. But because the flop is easier to learn, especially for kids, almost no one ever tries the straddle anymore.