Athletics (British Sports Library)

194 ATHLETICS the same way. As the " sail " jumper (Sketch 3) and the" hitch-kicker" (Sketch 4) begin to descend, the feet are thrust out to take the sand in the position shown in Sketch 5. It here appears that the athlete is bound to spoil his jump by falling backwards into the pit, but Sketch No. 6 shows the manner in which the trunk is forced down over the thighs, part of a forward arm action, and also the distinct " knee-break," which gives the body a further forward momentum. If, however, the athlete were content to abandon his efforts at this stage, he would still spoil his effort by sitting down or be forced to spring backwards to retain his balance. To avoid this, he swings his arms through as shown in Sketch 7, which carries on the body movement to the front, and finally pitches him forward on to his knees and hands. It is necessary that the long jumper should build up his springing powers, but he must also maintain the flexibility of the jumping muscles ; and, with it all, he must increase his sprinting speed. The abdominal muscles, too, will need developing. A modification of the Sprinter's training table will be useful to the long jumper ; he should also use Paddock's exercise, in which the athlete lies on his back and works his legs as if he were pedalling a bicycle upside down. " Heel and toe lifting " and " knees bending and stretching " exercises will also