Athletics (British Sports Library)

THE POLE VAULT 223 with a slow run. · Practise jumping purely for foot elevation, but without a cross-bar. Use the pole and see how high you can get your feet above your head. · The spiked bamboo pole should only be used when it is necessary to dig a hole for .the reception of the point. Poles for use with · the proper slide-way should be plugged· with rounded-off wood at the point. The coach or fellow athlete should look out for the following faults : The athlete does not keep his shoulders square to the pit, lacks foot traction and wobbles in his run; pole is not carried parallel to the ground and straight to the front, it wavers from side to side during the run. The point is uptilted, and consequently the athlete's body is held too upright. The shoulder, forearm, and hand do not swing sufficiently in the run, and consequently there is no compensation for the lack of the sprinter's proper arm action. The point of the pole is not thrust forcefully enough into the slide-way ; the hand-slide is not quick enough ; the shaft is not thrust out in front of the body, the foot does not stamp hard enough in effecting the take-off. The arms are fully extended instead of held flexed. There is lack of leading upward leg swing of the free leg, the legs are drawn too quickly· in to, the. body... The foot elevation is