Locked Leg

[lovealeprechaun]

Okay my new school is all about a locked leg for leaps and jumps. That means jumping and landing on a locked leg. I am having trouble getting height and power from a locked leg. Any advice on how to build the muscle control to absorb the shock from the landing and also how to really get height!!!!!

[dancingal]

i think its pretty much impossible to land a jump or start a jump from a locked leg. in order to jump you have to bend your leg. landing leaps on a locked leg is very dangerous so i dont recommend doing it. the key to doing leaps and jumps is to land them and allow your knee to bend a little but then quickly lock the knee once you land so that you give the illusion of landing with a straight leg.

[sashtrebles]

If they actually do do it from a "locked" leg, I'd be surprised if they didn't all have shin splints, tensing your leg in that way is actually really dangerous and likely to cause injury. Like dancingal says, you need to get enough height in your jumps to bring your legs up sharp and straight and to land them absorbing the impact in the ball of your foot. Lock your legs in the air by all means, and after you land, but I think if you try to take off on a completely straight leg you're just going to do yourself an injury.

[spirit of the gael]

Ow! Please don't do that. It's actually an illusion. When the champs land they drop their heels, but they raise them so fast you don't see it. I don't think you can ever have enough muscle control for that. That will not be good for your joints.