When testing athletes for broad jump distance, you'll want to have a standard template format to improve consistency between tests. We provide a free template for Excel below - in this spreadsheet, you can log three jump distances per athlete and the sheet works out the best and average distance for you. You may decide to print it out for testing days, fill it in, then transcribe the values later, so the formulas can do their calculations.
Download the Recording Sheet (XLSX)
It's also valuable to measure progress over time, so we have a second spreadsheet for recording jump distances on different dates (eg. every month, or across a season). Use this second spreadsheet to log each athlete's best distance from every test date side by side. You could merge the 2 spreadsheets to be 2 tabs in a single spreadsheet if you preferred, then duplicate the recording sheet tab for each testing day.
Download the Progress Tracker (XLSX)
Recording It Properly
Keep the same process for consistency purposes, and plan it in advance.
- Record every trial, not just the best. Three numbers per athlete let you see consistency or variance, not just their peak - useful for spotting technique issues a single jump would hide.
- Decide on best-of-N or average jump before you start. It's possible to use either the best jump or average jump value, depending if you want to measure for peak performance or consistency, but you'll want to decide in advance, particularly before using the progress tracker spreadsheet.
- Keep the units and measuring point consistent. Always measure to the nearest point of contact (usually the heel), in the same unit (cm is standard), from the same start line. You don't want the process changing between testing sessions or testers.
- Note anything unusual. A false start, a slip, or an injured athlete changes how you should read that number later - a notes column saves some head-scratching later.
What's in the Sheet
- Session details: date, tester, location, and mat/surface used
- Space for 20 athletes, three trials each
- Best and Average distance calculated automatically per athlete
- Squad-wide Best and Average Best, calculated across everyone entered
How to Use It
Fill in the session details at the top, then enter each athlete's name and their trial distances in cm - the yellow example row shows the format, just overwrite it with your own data. Best and Average fill in on their own and ignore any trial you leave blank, so it works whether you're running 1, 2, or 3 jumps per athlete.
Testing the Jump
For accurate measurements, check out our Electronic Long Jump Test Mat, and see the Standing Long Jump Norms if wanting norms to compare the scores against.
