Bound

A bound is an exaggerated springing stride that transfers from one leg to the opposite leg, sitting on the continuum between running and a series of single-leg leaps. Built on the jump and gait patterns, each contact does double duty: it absorbs the landing of one limb and immediately launches the next stride from that same limb before the body floats to the opposite foot. The propulsion comes from powerful triple extension of the hip, knee and ankle, which drives the body up and forward so that the flight phase is much longer than in ordinary running. Like the hop, a bound exploits the stretch-shortening cycle at each ground contact, coupling a rapid eccentric load with an explosive concentric push, but because the limbs alternate, the movement emphasises horizontal projection and stride amplitude rather than staying on a single leg. The result is a rhythmic, travelling action in which hip drive, elastic recoil and coordination between the swinging and driving legs all contribute to distance covered per contact.

In sport, bounding is expressed most visibly in athletics: it is the 'step' phase of the triple jump, a staple of sprinters' and jumpers' movement development, and a way of rehearsing the long, powerful stride of maximal running. Its signature of alternating single-leg push and extended float also echoes in the gliding strides of speed skating and cross-country skiing, in the reaching, downhill strides of trail running, and in the long recovery steps athletes take in field sports such as rugby and basketball when covering ground at speed. Across these settings the leg-to-leg alternation and exaggerated flight are common, yet the surface, the balance between height and distance, and how the bound blends back into normal running or skating differ considerably from one discipline to the next.