Athletes in Action

~-,· ~ /" ··~···· ~~-·~~···~~ ~ ····- ., .. ~. ~~ J~·······~ --~ -~-- \'. Ll'.wden, l"Tcncb. RecoTd \ \o\deT and ~otm.<-t l".nv,\'\~b. Cb.am..,ion. THE H fGH JU~\IP. EJ.STERN CUT-OFF (7) FRoM the position shown in Fig. 6 the turning movement, which lands the jumper in the s.1nd-pit facing the direction of his initial run-up, is completed . It will be noted that the jump \vas made from the left foot, that the right leg passed first over the bar and was followed (Fig. 6) by the left leg being swung up and swept across the bar in a back- heeling action. To complete the turning movement, so that the jumper may face the direction of his take-off as he lands, the backward kick of the left leg must be really forceful, as this kick provides the necessary, additional momentum to pull the chest away from the bar, \Vhich it would, most probably, remove, were this backward, left-leg kick not employed. There must be, however, a limit to the range of the backward sweep of the left leg across the bar and so, as soon as the left leg comes level with the right, the turning movement of the whole body is completed by the left foot being dropped tO\vards the pit, while, simultaneously, the right leg is kicked back and up and the back is hollowed slightly, by the arms being flung up above the head, as shown in Fig. 7 opposite. The arms may either be flung above the head, as sho\\'n on the opposite page, or they may be raised upward and outward . They must never be snatched in towards the chest . It is the flinging up of the arms that saves the elbows or wrists from bringing down the cross-bar. Do not bother about trying to clear maximum heights for quite a long time after you have begun High Jumping. It is the style that matters . Get that right and the big heights will come later on. None the less, once you are proficient go for heights beyond your best performance occasionally, to accustom yourself to the look and the psychological effect of a high bar . ..... '-1