Measurement of take‐off forces in ski jumping

The take‐off forces exerted by junior (JJ) and senior (SJ) jumpers were measured in plastic ski‐jumping competition. The SJ group showed a positive correlation between the final force peak in the push‐off phase (F max ) and the length of the jump. Maximal take‐off force related to total body weight (F max ) and vertical release velocity were significantly higher among the 10 best seniors than among the 10 best juniors. JJ had higher approach velocity to the take‐off table ( P < 0.05), but the release velocity did not differ significantly between groups. The results of this study showed that the normal take‐off forces affect the length of the jump. The importance of the appropriate take‐off technique for utilization of the normal take‐off force could be seen from the comparison between JJ and SJ in this study.