The opposite thigh (drive leg) is just parallel to the ground. Triple jump or ‘hop, step and jump’ can be broken down into three phases; the approach, take off, and landing.

An athlete must take off and land on the same leg then land on the next opposite leg before landing in the pit. Continuous skills have no obvious beginning or end. the sequence of skills for the triple jump. This event has many of the same characteristics that the long jump displays during the approach. The athlete's strength and technique will determine the optimal run-up distance and speed. For the approach phase of the jump, the athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark, from which the jump is measured. On impact with the ground, the 'jump' leg drives hard against the floor and is fully extended. The approach run for the Triple Jump is similar to that of the Long Jump and the objective is to create the highest amount of speed that can be controlled throughout the triple jump hop, step and jump phases.

The complementary skills necessary are also reactive jumping strength and a high degree of movement coordination and feel for rhythm, balance and arm-leg coordination. You need to be able to accelerate, hop, step and then jump. Triple jump technique is much like the game hop scotch that young children play. The movement should look like an exaggerated march. Serial Skills are a group of discrete skills strung together to make a new and complex movement.

For good form during your triple jump, you will need flexibility to lift your knees parallel to your hips. Achieving a good triple jump is all about controlling your speed and body position. Here we explain the main points to work on for each stage of the jump: The Approach: 12-18 step run-ups are most common, with more experienced athletes using the longest. The end of one cycle of movements is the beginning of the next, and the skill is repeated like a cycle. i.e. To perform high knees, lift one knee as high as it will go, then switch to your other knee.