Athletics of To-Day 1929

----------------- Athletics of To-day the pegs are adjusted at just over the height of the hurdler's head when he is standing upright. He then runs over the hurdle and under a cross-bar which rests upon the pegs. In this way he acquires body dip (No. 8, Plate I8) ; leg stretch (No. g) and a quick chop down and a high knee-pick-up (No. IO). As proficiency is gained the height of the cross-bar may be decreased, until there is no more than 2 ft. 3! ins. between the top of the hurdle and the underside of the cross-bar, so that a six-foot man can go over a 3ft. 6 ins. hurdle and under a cross-bar set at 5 ft. gt ins. No. 3, Plate Ig, affords an interesting comparison between the style of the boy taught under the bar, and the lack of style of a quite untutored friend. No I, Plate 20, portrays the perfect form of a I3 years old boy who began learning to hurdle under a bar when he was nine, and proves what can be accomplished by careful coaching when a boy is at the most impressionable age. Nos. I and 2, Plate Ig, are of Earl Thomson, holder of the world's I20 yards High Hurdles record of I4} secs., and show the double-arm forward lift style in its most p rf et form. His chin in front of 1 ading knee, centrali ation over hurdle, shoulders square to tape, and delayed back 1 g action shoul all be noted. No. 2, Plate 20 (G. C. Weightman-Smith) shows the wonder– ful pick-up form of the great South African, but also reveals his fault of not getting the 1 ading foot quickly enough back to earth. No. 3, late 20 (F. R. Gaby) shows the correct chop down of the leading leg and the first stage of the action of bringing the knee of the rear leg up to shoulder height ; note the position of the left arm in readiness to punch forward in aid of the right leg forward swing in the first stride after landing. The one fault revealed is that aby is turning the left foot to the 1 ft, instead of keeping th to s pointing straight to the front on landing. No. 4, Plate Ig, shows that great hurdler, the late Kenneth Pow 11, practising with a fellow lue, and r veals the wastage