Track And Field : Long Jump

The long jump is the second test in the game. Here we need al the speed from the 100 meter dash but also the dexterity to jump as close to the line as possible, and with the right angle. The best athletes on this event are said to practise free fly. In this event we will need to touch the sand after the 6.00m if we want to qualify for the next event.

The start

The start in this event is not timed, there is no gunman, so you have some time to prepare before starting to run. Actually, you have 8 seconds, so dont over do it or you will incurr in a foul. We have already said how important it is in the 100 meter dash to have a quick good start at the begging, well this is even more important in the Long Jump, because you just dont have too much room to build up speed. You have to from stading still to top speed in about 2 seconds. Better practise your starts.

The Jump

The wide white line on the track marks the end of the track and the jumping point. Remember this: it is NOT a fine line but a wide one, this is very important because contrary to logic, you do are allowed to step on it. So you can step on it, however you cannot step pass it. I cannot stress how important this is, simply put: if you manage to get so close that you actually steo on the line, you get a 50cm/s speed bonus! That makes a diference. However, if you have the nerve to jump of from the exact middle of the wide line, you will get a 100cm/s speed bonus! That is just huge. So try to jump as close as possible to the bar, hopefully you will step on it and grab the speed bonus.

Appart from speed and a well timed jump from the line, you need to take into account the jump angle. Too low and you will hit the sand too soon. However a big angle will push you up instead of forward, and it it called long jump for a reason. The optimus angle is 45º degrees. However, I think it is better to be short than to go above 45. Put it this way, you jump longer with a 42º jump than with a 47º, so get close to 45º but dont over do it.

Pay special attention to the guy running, you will notice how he stops running for the final meters, allowing you to release the run buttons and focus on the action button (as I said on the Track and Field installation page, the space bar is the good key for this). This will give you that 1 or 2 seconds to prepare for the jump. Mastering those 2 seconds is the key to a successful long jump. In some way this mimics the real event, where in the last two or three steps the runner corrects the body position and lowers the center of gravity, according to the four long jump techniques out there. This event is among the most difficults and technicals in the Track and Field world.

Landing the Jump

In the real event the landing is critical too. However the game the landing is nothing really, it will do it all by himself. Once we land on the sand, the cross-eyed referee (yes, those guys at Konami did have a sense of humor after all) will get his measure tape and walk up to your mark measuring it.

Like in all the other events I strongly recommend that you have your finger on the [F12] key to take a screenshot in case you just did a great jump. The screenshot will be saved in the "C:\mame\snap\trackfld\", if you have followed the Track And Field install guide.

If you take longer than 8 seconds to start running or if you step pass the wide line, your try will be foul. If can make 3 fouls before you get disqualify. If you do this, the referee will raise a red flag.

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