Talk:Fosbury Flop

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[edit] Sensationalist language

"At this point in history, almost all jumpers use the Fosbury Flop. Dick Fosbury revolutionized high jump as anyone knows it and made one of the largest impact in this sport ever."

This sounds like amateur writing.. no sources are cited for the proclamation that "almost all jumpers use it", and the reference to having made "the biggest impact in this sport ever" is not put into perspective. Needs a clean-up by someone who actually knows about high-jumping (not me) :) EuroSong 15:13, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

No. Although the quality of the writing could certainly be improved, the truth of the statements put forth are essentially indisputable. Even a peripheral sports fan (like myself) knows about this, and it can easily be corroborated.Semblace 22:07, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

I'm not saying that the statements are untrue. I'm saying that the writing needs to be more moderate, more factual, and if possible to cite sources. OR... something like "Before year XXXX, the average height of professional jumers' jumps was 2.5 metres - but after Fosbury invented his manœuvre, this was increased overnight to 2.8 metres by people who utilised the new move. This brought about a revolution in the sport, and since that time, every jumper has jumped using this method, since it was evidently superior to the old method".

Or something like that. As I said though, I know practically nothing about high-jumping, so it should be written by someone who actually knows these details. But I can still see that the language as it currently stands sounds sensationalist and without facts. Not that I am disputing the facts, see? EuroSong ^talk 21:42, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

The discussion could also use physics to explain why the technique is more efficient. It allows the jumper to clear the bar while the jumper's center of gravity does not. I expect that this technique allows the jumper the greatest flexibility in manipulatingthe location of the center of gravity. The first jump technique I learned in grade school was the scissors jump. Using that technique it clearly forces a jumper to accelerate their center of gravity well over the bar such that the body can clear it. The western roll technique was better but not as efficient as the flop. --Rocketsci55 13:35, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Factual error

I'm not sure the truth of these statements is 'essentially indisputable'. Fosbury did not invent the style of jump although he popularised it. This from the official Olympic Website backs up my contention...."unbeknownst to Fosbury, the first person to use the flop technique was actually a jumper from Montana named Bruce Quande, who was photographed flopping over a bar in 1963". Please note, I'm not saying he deliberately made false claims, merely that he wasn't actually the originator.