Athletics (British Sports Library)

206 ATHLETICS (Sketch 1). As soon as he reaches this height his under arm is extended so that the triceps rest lightly against the bar, actually holding it in place, the under leg is bent back at the knee at right angles, and the left leg is almost straight out in continua– tion of the line of the right side of the body, the head is slightly inclined towards the bar. All of these details are shown in Sketch l. At this point a violent twitch of the body is introduced, forming a semi-revolution with some imaginary point in front as the fulcrum. Sketch 2 shows the athlete extending the right l~g for the roll over and about to swing over the right arm also. He will then face directly towards the ground, or rather the sand-pit, in which he will land crouching like a cat. This style has two great advantages, in that the under arm undoubtedly serves to hold the bar in place, when otherwise a touch of the body might remove it ; and secondly, in this style it is just as hard to clear small heights as great ones. In these circumstances jumpers do not commence jumping until the bar has risen to the point when they dare not let it go any higher, and thus they conserve the energy many another man, less certain of his method, expends in jumping heights he is safe to clear. It should be rememberd that the take-of£ impetus dies out just when the jumper is above the bar, and that it is the vigorous extension of the upper