A System of Physical Education, Theoretical and Practical (extract)

180 EXERCISES OF PROGRESSION. [SECT. II. be frequently stirred or softened. It is part of the instructor's duty to see that the banks are firm and equal before his class begins its practice. Every form of leap terminates in a position of body similar to that taken up in the preliminary movements of the first leap, namely, in the depression of the trunk upon the limbs, and t.he bending of the joints. This is done, strictly speaking, neither before nor after the descent is made, but, as it were in detail, as the dif- ferent parts of the body successively arrive; the feet first, with the heels raised; the lower limbs next, with the knees bent ; the trunk following, pressing the hips to the rear; the whole yielding to the encounter with the resisting ground, and thus dispensing the shock or concussion. The barrier for leaping on should be so constructed that it may be raised or lowered at pleasure, the top of it affording a firm resting-place for the feet. The barrier for leaping over should be formed of two standards about 6 feet high, fixed 5 or 6 feet apart. Between these a strong string, with a small flag in the centre, should be strained b, looped round one of the posts, and ljghtly fastened to small iron pins, fixed a distance of one inch apart, up the back of the other. The heights from the floor should be marked in inches up each of the posts. The machine for leaping depth should b This, for learners and in non-competitive efforts, is preferable to the stick in common use.