Is the Fosbury flop higher than the scissor kick?

Yes, for the same athlete. The flop lets the center of mass pass closer to the bar instead of rising fully above it, which is why it clears more height once the technique is learned.

When should I switch from scissor to Fosbury flop?

When you have a proper high jump pit and a coach. The flop lands you back-first; the scissor lands you feet-first. Switching too early, without a real landing area, is unsafe.

Do any elite high jumpers use the scissor?

Not in competition. The scissor disappeared at the international level within about a decade of Dick Fosbury popularizing the flop at the 1968 Olympics.

Why is the Fosbury flop called that?

It is named after Dick Fosbury, the American jumper who used the technique to win Olympic gold in 1968. Before that, jumpers mostly used the straddle or the scissor.

Fosbury Flop vs Scissor Kick High Jump

Fosbury Flop vs Scissor Kick

Watch a middle school track meet and you will see both techniques in the same competition, sometimes in the same flight. The scissor kick is what almost every jumper tries first, because it is the obvious way to get over a bar: run up, kick one leg over, then the other, land on your feet. The Fosbury flop looks backwards by comparison, and it is, literally, since you clear the bar with your back to it and land on it. That backwards approach is exactly why it wins. Arching over the bar lets a jumper's center of mass travel closer to the bar itself, sometimes even under it, instead of rising fully above it the way a scissor kick demands. Every serious high jumper in the world uses the flop for that reason, and has since the late 1960s. None of that means the scissor is worthless. It teaches real skills without the equipment or risk the flop requires. Here is how the two techniques actually compare, and what has to be in place before making the switch.

How each technique clears the bar

The flop is a back-first clearance: the jumper approaches on a curve, takes off with their back to the bar, and arches the hips up while the shoulders and head clear first. Because the body bends around the bar instead of rising straight above it, the center of mass can pass close to bar height rather than well over it. The scissor kick is a straight-on, feet-first motion: one leg kicks up and over while the trunk stays upright, so the whole body has to clear higher than the bar. That difference in mechanics is the entire gap between the two.

What each one requires to be safe

The flop absolutely requires a real high jump pit, a deep foam landing area, because the athlete lands flat on their back and shoulders from real height. Doing it onto a thin mat, a stack of gym mats, or grass is genuinely dangerous and coaches should not let it happen. The scissor kick lands feet-first, the way a jumper naturally lands from any jump, so it is safe on grass, turf, or a basic mat, which is exactly why it survives as an early teaching tool even after competitive jumpers move on from it.

When scissor still makes sense

Nobody competes at a serious level with the scissor kick anymore; it disappeared from top competition once Dick Fosbury popularized his technique at the 1968 Olympics and the rest of the sport followed within about a decade. But it still earns its keep in youth programs and PE classes, anywhere there is no real pit, because it teaches approach rhythm, takeoff timing, and bar awareness without the back-first risk. Most flop jumpers, in fact, learned to scissor first. The honest trade-off is a lower height ceiling in exchange for being safe to practice almost anywhere.

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The transition from scissor to flop is technical but trainable. Film an early flop attempt, AI grades J-curve, takeoff angle, and back-arch sequence. Most athletes need 4-6 sessions to clean up the flop fundamentals.

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Landing and pit requirements follow World Athletics high jump rules; the adoption timeline reflects the technique's competition history since Dick Fosbury's 1968 Olympic debut. Height-ceiling rows are general estimates, not measured figures, and vary by athlete.
Factor	Fosbury Flop	Scissor Kick
Clearance mechanics	Back-first, body arches so the center of mass passes close to the bar	Feet-first, the body must rise fully above the bar
Landing	On the back and shoulders, needs a deep foam pit	Feet-first, safe on grass, turf, or a basic mat
Equipment needed	A real high jump pit and a proper landing area	None beyond open space; no pit required
Learning curve	Longer; the approach curve, takeoff timing, and back-arch all have to click together	Short; most jumpers pick it up in one session
Height ceiling	Higher, for the same athlete, once the technique is learned (estimate, varies by athlete)	Lower, since the body must clear entirely above the bar (estimate, varies by athlete)
Used in competition today	Yes, essentially universal above the beginner level	No, not at any serious competitive level
Still used for	Nothing; it is the standard, not the exception	Youth introduction, PE class, or teaching approach and timing without a pit
Era it took over	1968 Olympics onward (Dick Fosbury)	Through the 1960s, before the flop replaced it internationally

Landing and pit requirements follow World Athletics high jump rules; the adoption timeline reflects the technique's competition history since Dick Fosbury's 1968 Olympic debut. Height-ceiling rows are general estimates, not measured figures, and vary by athlete.

Factor

Fosbury Flop

Scissor Kick

Clearance mechanics

Back-first, body arches so the center of mass passes close to the bar

Feet-first, the body must rise fully above the bar

Landing

On the back and shoulders, needs a deep foam pit

Feet-first, safe on grass, turf, or a basic mat

Equipment needed

A real high jump pit and a proper landing area

None beyond open space; no pit required

Learning curve

Longer; the approach curve, takeoff timing, and back-arch all have to click together

Short; most jumpers pick it up in one session

Height ceiling

Higher, for the same athlete, once the technique is learned (estimate, varies by athlete)

Lower, since the body must clear entirely above the bar (estimate, varies by athlete)

Used in competition today

Yes, essentially universal above the beginner level

No, not at any serious competitive level

Still used for

Nothing; it is the standard, not the exception

Youth introduction, PE class, or teaching approach and timing without a pit

Era it took over

1968 Olympics onward (Dick Fosbury)

Through the 1960s, before the flop replaced it internationally

Fosbury Flop vs Scissor Kick

Flop vs scissor, in three numbers

How each technique clears the bar

What each one requires to be safe

When scissor still makes sense

Get the flop on video

How to move from scissor to flop safely

Confirm you have a real pit and a coach

Keep scissoring until the approach curve is solid

Learn the back-arch on a soft surface

Take your first flop attempts at a low, easy height

Add height gradually as the landing feels automatic

Expect a temporary dip before the flop pays off

Fosbury flop vs scissor kick, side by side

Fosbury Flop vs Scissor Kick FAQ

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Fosbury Flop vs Scissor Kick

How each technique clears the bar

What each one requires to be safe

When scissor still makes sense

Get the flop on video

Confirm you have a real pit and a coach

Keep scissoring until the approach curve is solid

Learn the back-arch on a soft surface

Take your first flop attempts at a low, easy height

Add height gradually as the landing feels automatic

Expect a temporary dip before the flop pays off

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