Action in the air and landing

There are three major flight techniques for the long jump the hang, the sail, and the hitchkick. Each technique is to combat the forward rotation experienced from takeoff but is basically down to preference from the athlete. It is important to note that once the body is airborne, there is nothing that the athlete can do to change the direction they are traveling and consequently where they are going to land in the pit. However, it can be argued that certain techniques influence an athletes landing, which can have an impact on distance measured. For example, if an athlete lands feet first but falls back because they are not correctly balanced, a lower distance will be measured. In the 1970s some jumpers did a forward somersault, that was subsequently made illegal.