Do you want to learn more about the high jump because you’re watching the Olympic Games, you’re hooked on the sport, or you have to do it at school? Very good, because then you’ve come to the right place. We explain the high jump rules to you and give you other useful information to help you shine with your knowledge.

Basic knowledge about high jump

High jump is one of the disciplines of athletics and is also part of the heptathlon and decathlon. The aim is to jump as high as possible over a bar without using any aids. This bar rests on two stands and falls down even with a light touch, so the jump must be performed with precision. Three attempts are allowed for each height, after a failed attempt there may be no lower height and one foot must be used to jump off.

The history of this competitive sport can be traced back to the Celts, but high jump was not one of the Olympic disciplines of antiquity. Very popular in England from the 18th century, the first men’s high jump competitions were held in 1865, where the current rules were also formulated. High jump competitions for women were held for the first time in the USA in 1895. The high jump has been an athletic discipline for men since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and for women since 1928.

Furnishing

Material

The modern high jump mats consist of different foam materials or so-called airbags, polyfoam blocks with air channels according to the hollow chamber system.

The jump obstacle uses materials such as glass composites and aluminum. High jump stands with automatic adjustment of the slat support surface are available in heights of 200, 250 and 300 centimetres. The batten can be fiberglass or polyester and is typically 4 meters long with a diameter of 30 millimeters.

Vertically under the crossbar, there is a white line marking on the sides and between the uprights, the front edge of which is exactly in line with the front edge of the crossbar.

It depends on the right sportswear

The athletics athletes compete in air-permeable T-shirts and shorts, which are mostly made of nylon and polyester. However, shoes that are also breathable and made with an upper made of nylon or other synthetic materials are important. There are special high jump shoes from renowned sports shoe manufacturers with spikes. These are also available as a fixed spike plate with different numbers of interchangeable spikes.

The high jump lives from the technology

Jumping technique

The jumping techniques in competitions have changed a lot because there are different techniques for crossing the bar.

The oldest technique in high jump is the frontal squat. From 1900 to 1912 the Olympic Games also featured a standing vault competition. Until 1936, the rule was that the feet had to be the first part of the body to cross the bar.

For a long time, the dominating jump was the shear jump, in which the jumper crosses the bar sideways with an upright upper body and throws up first one leg and then the other.

This technique was superseded by the roller jump and later the tome or straddle, in which the jumper crosses the bar face down. The so-called flop style prevailed in 1980 with all leading jumpers. Other techniques include parallel back roll jump and shear flip jump. However, it is mandatory for all these techniques that only one leg is used to jump off.

Flop technique

Improved equipment and softer mats allowed for a new variation of jumping techniques. These days the head-first flop technique is used to cross the bar. The jumper turns on the run-up, rotates the torso on the take-off or during the climb phase and crosses the bar backwards.

With the flop, a further distinction is made between the speed flop, based on a high start-up speed, and the power flop, where flying height is gained from the bounce. The take-off is flatter with the speed flop at 45 to 55 degrees and a flatter and longer flight parabola. With the power flop, the jump is 55 to 65 degrees and the flight parabola is steeper and shorter.

The current flop jumping technique allows you to jump much higher heights than your own height. Many men reach over 2.40 meters, the world record is 2.45 meters, women jump over 2.05 meters (world record: 2.09 meters).

Due to the triumph of this flop technique, other jumping techniques took a back seat. However, tuck jump, shear jump, roller jump and roll jump or straddle are still found in school athletics.

Competition rules

For each competition, the starting height and increases (at least two centimeters) are announced in advance and the participants must state their starting height. There are three attempts per round, but not all of them can be performed over this height. A competitor can forego the third attempt even after two failed attempts. This means that he must make that third try at the next height and has only one try. After three consecutive failed attempts, there is no right to further jumps, so this results in elimination. If an athlete renounces a height in advance, he may not attempt a jump again until the next height. If only one participant is still in the competition and has won it, he can determine the further height increases himself.

The jump heights are measured in whole centimeters, the top edge of the bar counts. Since the batten sags slightly by a maximum of two centimetres, the measurement is taken in the middle of the batten exactly perpendicular to the floor.

The participant with the highest jumped height wins. In the event of a tie, the athlete with the fewer number of attempts over the last height jumped will have the advantage. If there is still a tie, the total number of failed attempts including the last jumped height counts and the one with a lower number gets the better placement. If there is still a tie for first place, there is a playoff.

Time restriction

The attempt time is half a minute for more than three competitors, and one and a half minutes for two or three athletes. If there is only one participant left, he/she may allow a maximum of three minutes for an attempt. If an athlete has to start the next attempt immediately due to a failed attempt, a maximum of 2 minutes are available for this.

Failed attempts

A failed attempt occurs if

• the athlete does not take off with only one foot.
• the athlete touches the bar during the jump and falls. If the bar falls due to a gust of wind or if it does
• not fall after being touched, it is not a failed attempt.
• touching the white floor marking with any part of the body before crossing the bar.
• touching the floor behind the floor marker or touching the mat with any part of the body before crossing the bar.
• the test time is exceeded.

What high jump techniques are there?

There is the squat, shear, roll jump as well as the straddle, flop and the Hay technique.

Where is the world record in high jump?

On July 27, 1993, the high jump world record was set at 2.45 meters. For women it was or is 2.09 meters since 1987.

Who holds the world record in high jump?

Javier Sotomayor for men and Stefka Kostadinowa for women.

Is high jump an Olympic discipline?

Yes, for men since 1896 (the beginnings in Athens), for women since 1928.

In order to play dodgeball correctly, you absolutely need the dodgeball rules at hand. We have summarized this – and some other information about the ball sport – for you and explained it in detail so that there are no misunderstandings.

History of dodgeball

Dodgeball is based on a ritual war game. As the name suggests, two peoples fight each other, with the ball symbolizing the weapon and each hit by a player leads to elimination.

However, in the “modern” version, as most of you may be familiar with from school, it is possible to bring yourself back into play. Many people are not aware that this game was actually a war game.

Basics about the game

The playing field

You play in a rectangular field. If you are lucky enough to be able to use a hall, you need the tennis or badminton court. Otherwise you stuck if you z. B. plays in the park, a field with about 13.40 m long and 6.10 m wide (badminton). The two fields for the groups are usually separated by a 60 cm wide “death strip”.

Around the field there is also the so-called outfield, on which a player of the generic team is placed (behind the field) or, in the course of the game, the eliminated players on the edge.

The ball

Since you have to throw your players: inside, you take a soft ball made of a soft or foam material so that there are no injuries if you hit the back, head, kidneys or stomach, for example.

That’s how you play dodgeball

At the beginning, the referee, who is always on the center line to have a full overview, places 3 balls in the middle, which can only be picked up by 3 players. When the whistle starts, the players try to throw the opponents off with the ball.

Headshots are strictly forbidden! As well as intentional hard hits in the kidneys or soft tissue. This cannot always be avoided, but there are also players who make fun of it.

The opponent is “out” if you hit them without the ball touching the ground first. The player must then leave the field. The game continues without interruption. If a player catches the ball, nothing happens – now he can try his luck throwing it.

Discarded players go to the area around the opponent’s field and from there they can try to discard others – and thus get back into the game.

Everything comes to an end

If a team has no more players in its infield, the opposing team has almost won. Then it’s up to the “King:in”. He or she has to go to the infield and can now be discarded – if this happens for the third time, the game is won unless another player makes it back into the field and thus substitutes him.

How do you play dodgeball?

Two teams compete against each other, located in two fields. Separated by a center line, they now try to shoot down the opposing team’s players with a ball until none are left. Downed players can bring themselves back in if they hit a player from the enemy team’s perimeter. Finally, the “King:in” remains, who can be “done” with three hits.

Which ball is suitable for dodgeball?

Use a ball made of a soft or foam material to minimize the risk of injury.

What is the difference between dodgeball and dodgeball?

For a round of dogdeball you need more balls, but fewer players. Furthermore, the “rest” field is omitted.

Criticism of dodgeball

A few years ago there was a discussion about banning dodgeball from school sports. Canadian researchers had studied the game, which had upset many students for decades, and argued that it shouldn’t be played anymore.

One reason for this was or is the name, which would be reminiscent of a war scenario: two peoples compete against each other and have to eliminate each other to win. This association is nothing new, as Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the inventor of German gymnastics, already believed that German youth would be prepared for battle in order to defend themselves against Napoleon’s occupation. This was over 200 years ago. This can be countered by the fact that dodgeball has adapted over time and players are no longer eliminated entirely, but continue to play from the sidelines.

Other points of criticism are possible bullying and humiliation. The choice of the team, the concentrated shooting of a certain person, exploiting and displaying a lack of evasive ability.

Everyone has to decide for themselves how heavily these points should be weighted, but it is important to question “traditions”.

Where to watch dodgeball?

Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+

Who invented dodgeball?

The official rules of the game of dodgeball were created by Philip Ferguson who witnessed some games at St. Mary’s using the rules that Carlisle created. Furgeson would change the game to include two teams playing on opposite sides of the field and he created his new rules for the game in 1905.

Where did dodgeball originate?

The History and Growth of Dodgeball as a sport. Dodgeball was originally played in Africa over two hundred years ago, but instead of the fun, jocular game that it is today, it was in fact a deadly game.

How to play dodgeball

Is dodgeball banned in America?

Due to its “aggressive” nature, dodgeball has been banned in schools across North America, as it’s frequently named the cause of injuries and fights.

A bullfight, called toreo, corrida de toros or tauromaquia in Spanish, is a highly controversial sport. It is about the ritual killing of a fighting bull in front of spectators in a bullring (Plaza de Toros) specially designed for this purpose. If you would like to learn more about the rules of bullfighting, you can find out more here. We have summarized for you what it is about and what the attempt at a ban looks like.

About bullfighting

The most famous bullfights take place in Spain, but there are also bullfights with regionally modified rules in Portugal, southern France and in the former Spanish colonies and the Spanish-influenced regions of Latin America. There is also a non-lethal version on the Tanzanian island of Pemba.

Bullfights in various forms have a long tradition that can be traced back to ancient Rome or the Minoan culture. In the Middle Ages, a kind of corrida de toros developed as a knight’s game. The oldest Spanish reference to bullfights dates from 1215, the oldest prose text from around 1280. Elements of the medieval Corrida are still preserved in the bullfighting variant Rejoneo. Bullfighting as we know it today emerged in the early 18th century and the first stone bullring was built in 1711-1714. In 1796 the matador José Delgado wrote down the rules for bullfighting for the first time, which Spanish bullfighting essentially follows to this day.

Bullfighting in Spain is a billion-dollar business with around 200,000 jobs and annual sales of around 1.5 billion euros. There are over 400 bullfighting arenas with one to two bullfighting events per year organized by 75 corridas organizers.

The bullfighters

The term torero is a generic term for all fighters in a corrida (matador, novillero, banderilleros, picadores). The bullfighters use numerous instruments to tease and kill the bulls. The picadores, for example, got their name from their spears.

The focus is on the “matador de toros” or bull killer, whose career as a novillero (novice) begins with young bulls. After reaching a certain level, a novice becomes a matador de toros in a special ceremony (alternativa, “change”) and from then on fights adult fighting bulls.

The picadores or spearmen are mounted bullfighters and a “corrida de rejones” or “rejoneo” for short is fought entirely on horseback. Here the bull horns have been ground down to avoid injuring the horses.

There are about a hundred students per year for training as a torero, the minimum age is 16 years. In Mexico, torero students are allowed to be younger and there are also female matadors. Toreros are highly paid athletes with fees of 50,000 to 100,000 euros or even 180,000 euros for a performance.

The bulls

Fighting bulls for bullfighting are specially bred. There are around 1500 farms in Spain, mainly in Andalusia, Castile and León and Extremadura. An adult bull can weigh from 500 to 700 kg. A good fighting bull aged four to five years can fetch around 25,000 euros for the breeder. The close-to-nature rearing of fighting bulls in the so-called dehesas (breeding farms) also plays a major role.

It costs around $4,000 to raise a bull, but not all animals become fighting bulls. Animals that are either temperamentally unsuitable or physically flawed are sold either to smaller provincial bullrings or to slaughterhouses.

An arena broodmare only fights once in its life. This is vital for the torero, because only an inexperienced bull is more likely to respond to the muleta, the staff with the red cloth, than to the bullfighter himself.

In Spain there are about 1700 corridas per year with about 6 animals per event. That means the number of bulls killed in an arena amounts to about 10,000 a year.

The bullring

The battlefield or arena (ruedo) is between 45 and 60 meters in diameter. The floor is covered with sand and surrounded by the barrera, a 1.60 meter high wooden plank barrier. This has several gates, usually four: the main gate (puerta grande), a gate for the fighting bulls (puerta de toriles), a gate for the picadores on horseback (puerta de caballos) and there is a special gate through which the dead bulls are brought out to be pulled out (puerta de arrastre). There are also four open passageways with a plank wall (burladero) in front of them. This is used by the bullfighters to flee from the bull. If it is also necessary to jump over the barrera, there are foot bars at a height of 40 centimeters.

The rules of bullfighting

Bullfighting involves specific rules, colorful costumes, music, cheering and flying roses, but also a lot of drama, blood and death. Therefore, the bullfighting ritual is highly controversial nowadays, especially in the context of animal welfare. Usually three matadors and six bulls compete in a corrida and each fight lasts about 20 minutes.

Course of the Corrida

The course of a bullfight is a predetermined ritual that takes place like a play in three acts. A torero can achieve fame and popularity in the bullring, but he also immediately and relentlessly senses the displeasure of the spectators if they don’t like a fight.

In a fight, for example, three toreros compete against two bulls that have been drawn for them. After the drawing of lots, the animals remain in separate, dark boxes in the fighting area until the fight.

First, the bullfighters and their entourage (peones) move into the arena. The fight begins as soon as a bull rushes into the arena. First, the so-called Capeadores tease the animal with a large cloth (capa). The torero with his entourage uses his red and yellow coat to test the bull’s aggressiveness and condition. After that, the first act of the actual fight begins.

The first act

In Act I, two picadores ride into the arena and pierce the animal’s neck an inch with the tips of their lances, weakening the bull and lowering its head. This posture is necessary for the killing blow in the final with the torero’s sword. The first act is particularly dangerous for the horses because, despite the protective padding on their bodies, they can suffer serious internal injuries from the bulls’ attacks.

The second act

The second act introduces the banderilleros (suerte de banderillas). They run up to the bull without protection and jab three pairs of “banderillas” into the muscle in his neck. Banderillas are 75 cm long rods with barbs. This is said to further weaken the animal. The second act lasts only a few minutes.

The third act

In the third act called “suerte de matar” (luck to kill) the matador can show his skills. First with the red cloth, the muleta, and the more daring he goes about it, the better. The fight ends when the matador thrusts his slightly curved thrusting sword (estoque) between the bull’s shoulder blades. If the bull dies immediately, the torero is sure to receive frenetic applause. If this doesn’t succeed, the final act becomes a bloody slaughter, which the bullfighting audience doesn’t like either and acknowledges with boos.

A successful torero receives the bull’s ears, claws or tail tassel as trophies and is celebrated with a lap of honor in the bullring and a shower of flowers.

Subspecies Becerradas

The becerradas are a subspecies of bullfighting. The fight itself is equally cruel and unfair, although young calves up to two years old and young toreros enter the arena.

So to speak, these fights form the training for the prospective toreros.

Bullfighting pros and cons

Bullfighting has also been controversial in Spain for many years. However, there are arguments on both sides that speak for or against bullfighting from their respective perspectives.

The arguments of the proponents

• Bullfighting is an art form
• it is not cruelty to animals because the animals do not suffer long in the arena
• bullfighting ensured the continued existence of the fighting bull race
• and the survival of the ecologically valuable dehesas
• Fighting bulls spend their entire lives in the wild, appropriate to their species

Opponents’ arguments

• Bullfighting is animal cruelty to the bulls (shaving off the horns, locking them up in the dark before the corrida, death in the arena)
• Death does not come quickly, but slowly and painfully – sometimes not directly in the arena but when bleeding out behind the scenes
• Animal cruelty to the picador horses: in addition to the danger in the arena, they are often blindfolded to prevent their natural instinct to flee
• During the hunt, the animals often break their bones and suffer excruciating physical and mental pain
• Risks for the spectators, there are always injuries and even deaths when bulls can overcome the barrera and jump into the audience
• Risks for toreros: although fatalities are rare, serious injuries do occur
• Less and less interest: A Gallup survey shows that 76 percent of Spaniards reject bullfighting and that tourists in particular enjoy it.

Prohibition and modification of the rules of bullfighting

So far, there is only (still) a complete ban on the Canary Islands.

Since 2019, bullfighting in Spain and Mallorca has been allowed to take place again after a two-year break because it has been an “intangible cultural asset” since 2013. This also lifted the ban on injuring and killing, because this was an “inalienable part of the spectacle,” the court ruled.

However, some rules in bullfighting of the old resolution have remained:

• Minors are not allowed in the arena on Fridays
• alcohol ban
• Bulls must be free of doping and tranquilizers

Anyone who wants to speak out against this cruel tradition can do so, among other things, at the animal protection organizations. Boycott bullfighting trips, do not participate in them and ask organizers to remove this offer from the program.

Why hasn’t bullfighting been banned so far?

There have been bans in the past, but these have been lifted. The last problem was general participation in 2007, when the EU parliamentarians did not find enough supporters. Another problem is that by the end of 2013, bullfighting is part of the intangible cultural heritage. This tradition, which unnecessarily costs lives, is thus under legal protection that can hardly be overturned.

Why do bulls react the way they do in bullfights?

Taurus is in a highly stressful situation and in fear of death. Add to that the loud people, the many movements around him and the pain. Some animals also have their testicles bandaged to make them even more aggressive.

How does a bullfight work?

When animal and torero meet, a life-and-death struggle begins. The torero mauls the animal with barbed daggers and spears with the aim of killing it. At the beginning of the fight, to get the bull going, he gets a barb on his neck, which hurts him a lot. Due to the increasing injuries, the animal loses strength because organs are hit instead of the carotid artery. When the bull can’t move anymore, the torero heralds the end and stabs him in the carotid artery.

How long does a bullfight last?

Such an event usually lasts around 20 minutes.

Can the bull win?

No Even if he stays calm in the arena and an exchange occurs, he dies. Then his way leads him to the slaughterhouse. Should the audience wish for a “pardon”, the animal stays alive and is used for breeding purposes – although this happens very rarely.

Which bulls participate in bullfighting?

Special breeds are bred for bullfighting, which are considered particularly aggressive. The generic term is called “Spanish fighting bull”, but includes several breeds.

When did bullfighting start?

Bullfighting in Spain has origins as early as 711 AD, when a bullfight took place to honor King Alfonso VIII.

Where did bullfighting originate?

Francisco Romero, from Ronda, Spain, is generally regarded as having been the first to introduce the practice of fighting bulls on foot around 1726, using the muleta in the last stage of the fight and an estoc to kill the bull.

Is bullfighting a sport?

Bullfighting is a traditional bloodsport that is thought to have existed in Spain since Roman times. The sport has evolved and varied over time and, today, bullfighting typically involves a professional performer (known in Spain as toreros or matadors) ceremoniously fighting a bull in a sand bullring.

Where can i see a bullfight when im in spain?

With a capacity of 12,000+ spectators, it is considered the most traditional bullring in Spain with aficionados naming it “la catedral del toreo” (“the bullfighting cathedral”).

Where is bullfighting legal?

Although legal in Spain, some Spanish cities, such as Calonge, Tossa de Mar, Vilamacolum and La Vajol, have outlawed the practice of bullfighting. There are only a few countries throughout the world where this practice still takes place (Spain, France, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador).

Is bullfighting legal in the us?

Bullfighting as it is practiced in Spain and Mexico, in which the bull is killed at the finale, is outlawed in the United States. California banned bullfighting of any kind in 1957, but after lobbying by citizens in Gustine, the site of the state’s oldest and largest bullring, lawmakers eventually permitted Portuguese.

Where is bullfighting still legal?