 Jumping technique has played a significant part in the history of the event . High jumpers typically cleared the bar feet first in the late 19th century , using either the <unk> , Eastern cut @-@ off or Western roll technique . The <unk> technique became prominent in the mid @-@ 20th century , but Dick <unk> overturned tradition by pioneering a backwards and head @-@ first technique in the late 1960s – the <unk> <unk> – which won him the gold at the 1968 Olympics . This technique has become the overwhelming standard for the sport from the 1980s onwards . The standing high jump was contested at the Olympics from 1900 to 1912 , but is now relatively uncommon outside of its use as an exercise drill . 
