If you think you can jump up, then you can also jump forward by jumping "up". it's just a matter of what angle the swing is at when you execute the jump. It's

If you think you can jump up, then you can also jump forward by jumping "up". it's just a matter of what angle the swing is at when you execute the jump. It's clearly trickier than a standing long jump, but mostly the same. One way to think about it is that it's similar to jumping from a stationary platform situated on the ground that's continually tilting between 45° backwards and forwards. The major difference is that even if the stationary platform is at 0° you can still get traction, but a swing will just be pushed back unless you're at the optimal angle, as you correctly point out. But if you time that jump exactly right the swing will behave like a rigid platform tilted 45° forward. At which point the proposed Olympic sport is just a standing long jump on a 45° elevated platform, with the added requirement of exquisite timing.