Fierljeppen is a traditional Frysian/Dutch sport and one of the most complex athletic sports known to date.

A jump consists of an intense sprint to the pole (polsstok), jumping and grabbing it, then climbing to the top while trying to control the pole's forward and lateral movements over a body of water and finishing with a graceful landing on a sand bed opposite to the starting point. Because of all the diverse skills required in fierljeppen, fierljeppers are considered to be very complete athletes with superbly developed strength and coordination.

Fierljeppen is most commonly practised by people from the northern province of Fryslân/Friesland. The sport is believed to have originated from farmers who used poles to quickly jump over small water drainage channels to access different plots of land.

External links

• http://www.pbholland.com