Athletic Training

112 ATHLETIC TRAINING By this is meant the art of slipping the left hand up against the right just before the pole strikes. To learn this the athlete should practise slipping the hand a little at a time with the bar at a low height. Each time the hand is slipped it must again grip the pole firnily, hold on, and not be allowed to slip back as the body goes over the bar. The left or lower hand should be made to do as much work as the upper, but it will take lots of practise to master this. Some vaulters slip the lower hand close against the upper hand; others leave a margin of 2 or 3 inches. Ac– quiring this knack is worth everything in pole– vaulting, for without it it is absolutely impos– sible to clear the bar at a respectable height. When the vaulter has learned how to make the turn as he clears the bar and also how to slide the lower hand against the upper, he should devote his attention to the take-off, which is just as important as in broad jump– mg. He should walk back about 12 ordi– nary paces from the plank. Here he should make a mark and see if a run from this point will not bring him so that he will strike the take-off properly. If not, a point a little