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Reply	Anonymous says: It's difficult to explain without a diagram, but the flop allows the jumper's centre of gravity to pass BELOW the bar, rather then lift it over the bar. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's true. As I said, you really need a diagram to explain.  (no votes) Tags: human body.
	posted on 2008-11-14 03:41:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Eric says: I suspect it is chiefly because of the following two factors:i) Legs are heavier than armsii) Knees bend the way they do, preventing us from bending the lower leg forward beyond the projection of the upper leg.So, while it is possible to bend the upper body quite comfortably and effectively while diving forwards over the bar, the legs do not co-operate -- everything below the hips must be brought above the bar at the moment that the hips pass over. "Everything below the hips" constitutes a significant proportion of the total body mass. When passing over the bar backwards, the shoulders and spine are less flexible and allow less curvature over the bar than they would in a front-down orientation, but this is amply compensated by allowing the lower legs to trail below the bar until the knees are above the bar.By doing this well, the majority of the body weight can indeed remain below the height of the bar throughout the procedure, since only a portion of the body passes over the bar at any one moment.  (no votes) Tags: human body.
	posted on 2008-11-14 12:14:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Gerami says: The “Fosbury flop” ensures the jumper does not see the bar as s/he goes over it. Since ‘ignorance is bliss’, the apprehension / fear factor is missing. Hence, s/he manages to clear it nonchalantly.  (no votes) Tags: human body.
	posted on 2008-11-14 12:32:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Anonymous says: Personally, I always found it much harder to jump backwards over anything at all. Far from the fear factor being absent, I could never bring myself to do the 'Fosbury Flop' in athletics lessons at school at all, always very afraid that I would miss and break my back. Nor was I alone in this - at least one third of our class never managed to jump over the bar (which wasn't even a metre high)!  (no votes) Tags: human body.
	posted on 2008-11-16 13:04:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Nikolai K says: if your knees could bend forwards then a forward roll would be quite effective.  (no votes) Tags: human body.
	posted on 2008-11-16 13:45:00 | Report abuse

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