Ski jumping techniques
The sport of ski jumping has seen the use of numerous different techniques, or styles, over the course of its more than two-hundred-year history. Depending on how the skis are held, distances have increased by as much as 200 metres (660 ft) within the past century.
Kongsberger
The Kongsberger technique (Norwegian: Kongsbergknekk) was created by Jacob Tullin Thams and Sigmund Ruud in Kongsberg, Norway. Developed after World War I, the technique was characterised by the athlete's upper body being bent at the hip, with arms extended at the front and skis held parallel to each other. Sometimes the arms would be waved or 'flapped' around in a bird-like manner. This technique extended jumping lengths from 45 metres (148 ft) to over 100 metres (330 ft), and was used in ski jumping until being superseded by the Windisch and Däscher techniques in the 1950s.
Windisch
Created by Erich Windisch in 1949, this was a modification of the Kongsberger technique. The athlete's arms are instead placed backwards toward the hips for a closer, more aerodynamic lean.