Next up is number 3, the Lateral Leap.

This time you want to cover as much distance across the track as possible.

The more of the track you can cover in one jump, the better chance you have of taking advantage of gaps that appear in walls and the better you will get at juking blockers.

The key to a good lateral leap is the compression in your power leg. By dropping your shoulder in the opposite direction to the one that you about to leap in you can increase the amount of momentum and cover a greater distance too. So let’s go through the process of jumping from the inside of the track to the outside of the track.

1. i)Moments before you leap, put all of your weight down onto your inside leg whilst at the same time dropping your shoulder towards your inside knee.
   

2. ii) Powerfully straighten your inside leg whilst throwing your shoulders towards the outside of the track. Most of the power will come from your inside leg heel, your foot will be in a similar position to when you plow.
   

3. iii) As you launch off the ground, get the final extra push of the toestop of your inside foot.
   

4. iv) Land on your outside foot and compress this foot to absorb the power also allowing your body weight to reach the outside of the track.
   

The next step once you’ve nailed this jump in one direction is to work on the return jump. Practice with trainers on first, until you can convert the landing compression power into a return spring in the opposite direction.