Straddle Jump

• During our younger days, the high jumpers use “Straddle Jump”.
• Many hit the bar with the follow up leg.
• Valery Brumel (USSR) was one of the World and Olympic Champions using the Straddle Jump.

Paradigm Shift

• Dick Fosbury (USA) could not clear the bar very high using the Straddle Jump.
• An “Aha” moment struck him. The rule books forbid one from diving forward over the bar. Why not try diving backward over the bar? The legs do not easily hit the bar once the main body has cleared it.
• He won the Olympic Gold.
• It created a “Paradigm Shift”.
• The “Fosbury Flop” became mainstream.