Low Hurdle Hops: Learn the Landing Before Linking Jumps

Clearing the hurdle is only part of the task

A low hurdle can look simple because it does not require much height, but a series of hops includes repeated landings and decisions about the next takeoff. If you only judge whether the feet passed over the obstacle, you may miss the part the coach is trying to teach. Clarify the landing and reset before linking the sequence.

NSCA’s jump-landing material describes progression according to competency and ability. Apply that principle to the version you practise: an individual jump with a settled finish and a continuous series are different tasks, even when the same hurdles are used.

Define the finish before adding the next jump

Ask the coach to demonstrate where the drill begins and ends. Confirm whether the selected version includes a pause after landing, a step out or an immediate next contact. Do not replace a deliberate reset with a quick rebound simply because another participant is practising a different progression.

Check the layout. You need appropriate space beyond each obstacle and after the final one, with a clear return route outside the working lane. Use the coach’s chosen height and spacing. If an obstacle moves, stop and have the setup restored rather than adapting around an increasingly irregular course under pressure.

Practise the individual action as instructed. Focus on a recognizable landing and a controlled finish rather than trying to make every attempt higher or faster. Ask for a suitable alternative if the movement is unclear. Pain, loss of control or concerning symptoms are reasons to stop and obtain guidance, not signals to add more attempts until a set is complete.

When linking jumps becomes appropriate, keep the other conditions familiar. Changing height, spacing, direction and pace at once makes it hard to identify what altered the task. Record the selected version and the actual attempts, including practice. The coach can then review a defined progression rather than a collection of hurdle clearances performed under different rules.

Example: a reset drill becomes an unintended race

Imagine the class is learning one hop followed by a stable finish, but you immediately jump toward the next hurdle to keep pace with a neighboring lane. You clear both obstacles yet never demonstrate the landing the coach intended to observe.

You return to the single-action version and establish its finish. Later, the coach introduces an appropriate linked sequence as a separate task. Your notes distinguish the two, including their layout and reset rules. The progression is now based on what you can perform clearly, rather than on the assumption that continuous movement must always be better than a pause or that clearing more obstacles proves the original learning goal was achieved.

After the landing practice, give the legs a seated routine

KIOKOP PRO compression boots offer optional full-leg air care once the hopping work is finished. You can leave the lane and its contact count behind, then sit comfortably at home while the foot-to-thigh chambers operate.

Follow the fitting and controller instructions. The practical convenience is care without repeated handheld application, with no additional jumping sequence to coordinate after the coached practice has ended.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Box Jumps vs Step-Ups: Choose the Class Version Deliberately
• What to Record in a Strength Training Log Beyond Weight

Sources and product information

• NSCA: Jump-landing progression and movement competency
• KIOKOP PRO: Global product specifications and instructions