The short answer
The average long jump for a 12-year-old is about 13 feet (3.96 m) for boys and 11 feet 6 inches (3.51 m) for girls, among kids who jump in meets. A good jump at 12 is over 14 feet for boys and 12 feet 6 inches for girls. The national class for the age is 17 to 18 feet 6 inches and 15 feet 6 inches to 16 feet 9 inches.
Key takeaways
- Typical 12-year-olds who compete: 12 to 14 feet for boys, 10 feet 6 inches to 12 feet 6 inches for girls
- A first jump in PE with no run-up practice is usually 9 to 12 feet
- Over 15 feet 6 inches for a boy or 14 feet for a girl is a USATF regional-level jump
- At 12 the takeoff foot, not the speed, decides most of the distance
- The boy-girl gap is only about a foot and a half at this age
What is the average long jump for a 12-year-old?
At 12 most long jumps happen in one of two places: a PE class with a tape measure and a sand pit, or a USATF 11-12 meet where the kid has a real board and a measured approach. The second group jumps a lot farther, and the chart below is built from them. Among 12-year-olds who compete, the typical boy jumps about 13 feet (3.96 m) and the typical girl about 11 feet 6 inches (3.51 m).
The distance at this age is almost all takeoff. A 12-year-old who hits the board on the right foot with the hips up will beat a faster kid who jumps from behind the board every time. That is why the tiers overlap so much with the age either side.
Long jump benchmarks at age 12, feet and meters
| Tier at age 12 | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| First measured jump, no approach practice | 9'6" - 12'0" (2.90 - 3.66 m) | 8'6" - 10'6" (2.59 - 3.20 m) |
| Typical (school or club team) | 12'0" - 14'0" (3.66 - 4.27 m) | 10'6" - 12'6" (3.20 - 3.81 m) |
| Good (top quarter of the age) | 14'0" - 15'6" (4.27 - 4.72 m) | 12'6" - 14'0" (3.81 - 4.27 m) |
| Strong (USATF regional level) | 15'6" - 17'0" (4.72 - 5.18 m) | 14'0" - 15'6" (4.27 - 4.72 m) |
| National class for the age | 17'0" - 18'6" (5.18 - 5.64 m) | 15'6" - 16'9" (4.72 - 5.11 m) |
Ages 11, 12 and 13 side by side
The jump grows about a foot and a half a year at the typical level through these ages, and the gap between typical and national class widens every year, because the kids at the top are the ones learning a real approach.
The long jump at 11, 12 and 13
| Level | Age 11 (B / G) | Age 12 (B / G) | Age 13 (B / G) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical | 11'6" / 10'0" | 13'0" / 11'6" | 14'6" / 13'0" |
| Good for the age | 13'0" / 11'6" | 14'9" / 13'3" | 16'6" / 15'0" |
| National class | 16'0" / 14'6" | 17'9" / 16'0" | 19'6" / 17'6" |
Read the approach, not just the mark
USATF 11-12 athletes jump from a takeoff zone or board like everyone else, but the approach is usually 10 to 12 strides instead of the 16 to 20 an older jumper uses. A 12-year-old who jumps 15 feet from a 10-stride approach is a better jumper than one who jumps 15 feet from 16 strides.
Source: USATF youth competition rules; coaching practice
What is a good long jump for a 12-year-old boy?
Over 14 feet is good and puts a boy in the top quarter of 12-year-olds who compete. Over 15 feet 6 inches is strong and usually qualifies for a USATF regional. The national class is 17 to 18 feet 6 inches, which at 12 means a boy who is already fast and has been coached on the board. The typical 12 to 14 foot band describes a boy who is athletic and has never been taught where to put his takeoff foot.
What is a good long jump for a 12-year-old girl?
Over 12 feet 6 inches is good for a 12-year-old girl and over 14 feet is strong. The national class is 15 feet 6 inches to 16 feet 9 inches. Girls at this age often out-jump boys of the same age at school meets, because they are more likely to have learned an approach in gymnastics or dance. The gap opens from 14 onward as boys get faster.
How these numbers were built
- Population. Athletes with a measured long jump at a school, club or USATF meet, from Athletic.net, MileSplit and USATF Junior Olympic results. A child who has only jumped in PE is usually below the first row.
- Typical band. The middle 50 percent of that population for the age, rounded to six inches.
- Good, strong, national class. Roughly the top 25 percent, top 5 percent and top 0.5 percent of the age. National class is anchored to USATF Junior Olympic final results for the division containing the age.
- Wind. Marks are all-conditions. At youth level almost no results are wind-checked, so a legal-wind table would be smaller and not more useful.
- Feet and meters. Both are given because US school meets measure in feet and inches and USATF and every other country measure in meters.
How a 12-year-old adds a foot
- Fix the takeoff foot. Mark the approach so the same foot hits the board every time. Most 12-year-olds change feet by accident and lose a foot of distance to the board.
- Run through the board. The last two steps should be the fastest. Kids who slow down to aim at the board jump short.
- Drive the knee up. The free leg going up at takeoff is worth six inches at this age.
- Film from the side. The takeoff foot, the slow-down before the board and the low knee are all visible in one clip, and at 12 seeing it once is the whole lesson.