Athletes in Action

~- ~ - -- ---- 135 THE POLE V ULT (z) IN the first action off the ground the Vaulter, as shown in Fig. 3 opposite, allows his body to hang from his hands, with the arms only just enough flexed at the elbows to allow him to maintain full control of the pendulum swing. Particular note should be taken of the supine right leg, which the left leg is rapidly overtaking, and of the fact that no attempt is made t bring the legs into action until the hip begins to g past the pole. o far as ig. 3 opposite is concerned, H ff seems w 11 c nt nt to 1 t the momentum f hi run, and the swing gcnerat d n leaving the gr und, carry him up t wards the bar at th commencement of the vaulting acti n. he real action of the vault c mm nces, however, at the stage of the voluti n shown in Fig. 4· Her Hoff is seen beginning the real pendulum wing with hip and knee-bend. otice that the free (right) 1 g stilll ad , that th kne -bend has begun at the moment when the left hip i pa ing the pole that the head retains the same pois and that n attempt whatsoever is being mad to c mmence th arm-pull acti n. far the swing of the 1 g from below the hip is per- fectly straightforward, where£ re, there is, as yet, n evidenc f the b nd which a really good pole ah ays ho-v sat ne tage of a well- . ecut d vault. While n that subj et, a word may be added t the cff et that the cry be t bamb pole ar th se that om from J. pan, but the . \mcrican grade f vaulting pol s, btainablc at . palding Bros. London, arc ery e.·cellent.