A good long jump is the one that scores at your level, and because distance is driven mostly by speed, it tends to track your sprinting. A fast athlete with a decent takeoff will out-jump a slower one with prettier form almost every time. Here is what counts as a good jump at each stage, and where the distance comes from.
Boys clearing 14 to 16 feet and girls clearing 12 to 14 are off to a good start. At this stage almost all the distance is approach speed and a basic upward takeoff, the fancy flight techniques can wait. Faster sprinting alone usually adds inches. Those bands line up with what a 13-year-old typically jumps. A year on, the 14-year-old ranges sit higher, mostly because the approach finally gets coached.
A good varsity jump is around 20 feet for boys and 17 feet 6 inches for girls, with 22 and 19 scoring at the championship level. Breaking 21 and 18 puts you on college radar. The jump from JV to varsity is usually faster runway speed plus a cleaner penultimate step. Whether any of that reaches a state meet depends entirely on your association, and the published marks are collected under long jump qualifying distance.
College men jump 23 to 25 feet and women 19 to 21 to score, with elite around 26 feet for men and 22 for women. At this level every jumper is fast, so the separation comes from takeoff angle and flight efficiency.
Distance lost on the runway looks the same as distance lost at takeoff from the stands. Film a jump, the AI measures your approach speed, takeoff angle, and penultimate step, and tells you which one is the cap, usually the one you were not thinking about.
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Typical boys' marks from developing through elite, girls' marks in the table below. Faster sprinters jump farther on the same technique.
Solid, competitive marks at each level.
| Level | Boys / Men | Girls / Women |
|---|---|---|
| Middle school | 14 ft (4.27 m) | 12 ft (3.66 m) |
| HS developing | 17 ft (5.18 m) | 15 ft (4.57 m) |
| HS varsity (good) | 20 ft (6.10 m) | 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) |
| College | 23 ft (7.01 m) | 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m) |
| Elite | 26 ft (7.92 m) | 22 ft (6.71 m) |
Common questions athletes and coaches ask about this topic.
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