Jumping

Jumping is a skill that most humans and many animals share to some degree. It is simply the process of getting ones body off the ground for a short time without using anything but ones own power, usually by propelling oneself upward via contraction and then forceful extension of the legs. One can jump up to reach something high, jump over a fence or ditch, or jump down, and it can be done while dancing and as a sport.

In athletics (track and field), a number of events are mainly based on jumping:

• long jump, where the objective is to cover as large a horizontal distance as possible with one jump, preceded by a short run-up.
• fierljeppen, similar to the long jump, but using a pole to cover the distance.
• high jump, where the objective is to cover as large a vertical distance as possible with one jump, preceded by a short run-up.
• triple jump, which is similar to the long jump, but the final jump is preceded by a step and a hop (a step, but with the same foot as the previous one)
• pole vault, in which is similar to the high jump, but competitors use a long flexible pole to cover a bigger height
• hurdling, a foot race where the track is covered with hurdles
• steeplechase, similar to hurdling, but the obstacles are more solid and diverse, and the distances to be covered are longer

A number of sports with animals also involve jumping:

• Show jumping involves a rider jumping a sequence of fences with horses