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Jumping and hopping are fundamental locomotor skills. Having body awareness in moving through air is helpful in many forms of physical activity and sport. Move through these activities at your own pace over several sessions (perhaps several weeks), and return to them any time to reinforce the skill. Consider practising on a softer surface (grass, carpet, gym mats, or black top) to start.
Activities:
1) Jumping on the Spot –
Use a tactile or visual identification such as a soft mat or poly spots, or use a brightly coloured hula hoop and stay within it. Holding a hula hoop or pool noodle may promote confidence when learning.
a. Squat down with the knees bent and then “explode” upwards, pushing off from the toes and landing on the same spot with knees slightly bent to absorb the impact. Swing the arms upwards together at the same time as the jump happens.
b. When ready, jump up and touch an elevated object like a pool noodle.
2) Jumping Forward
Note: NW Association for Blind Athletes is a great site with some applicable lessons on hopping and other locomotor skills. Check out the video on jumping forward HERE.
a. Begin to add forward movement to the jump, encouraging swinging the arms forward instead of upwards (check out a video with cues HERE).
Consider:
- having a target area to land in using hoops, lines on the gym floor, poly spots, or a colour taped zone
- creating an auditory source to jump towards (bell, clapping, snapping, etc.)
- guiding using hoops or noodles or hockey sticks for them to hold onto. Cue landing in a small squat (like you are riding a motorcycle, with your hands in front, using the arms for balance).
b. Gradually extend the distance of the targeted landing area, and consider measuring to see how far they can go!
c. When ready, try multiple forward jumps.
d. Consider introducing jumping down off small heights such as steps or piled up mats, perhaps grasping a stick or noodle to provide some support and guidance as they jump outwards and downwards.
3) Hopping
Note: Check out the NW Association for Blind Athletes’ video HERE and the supporting resource HERE.
a. Start by hopping on one foot, using cues from the video HERE.
b. Next, take one step, then hop forward (landing on the same foot). Try this 5 times with each leg. Finally, take three steps then jump forward. Land the same way. Try this a few times with walking steps, increasing the speed if desired.
c. Explore hopping from one foot to the other, either forward or laterally as seen HERE.
4) Leaping
a. Introduce the leap, moving through the air from one foot to the other, using cues from the video HERE.
More Games/Drills to Support Jumping/Hopping
(see Games & More section in this manual for descriptions):
• Beans
• Skipping
• Hopscotch
• Obstacle Course
• Agility Ladder
• Standing Long Jump
• Jump Up
• Jumping/Hopping Relay