Athletics of To-Day 1929

The High Jump 201 We come now to an interesting sequence of pictures, mostly of H. A. Simmons. No. r, Plate 25 emphasises the gathering together of the jumper and the slight crouch which precedes the right leg high-kick and left leg spring. Note the direction of the left foot, which has been allowed to sink right on to the heel, and the working of the muscles of the left thigh, and how Simmons's eyes are watching the sighting mark affixed to the bar. No. 2 shows the full extension of the left leg with the spring coming from the very tips of the toes and the vigorous straight-leg kick of the right leg. This, combin d with pring and arm action, contrives to raise the jumper's centre of gravity to the level of the bar. In No. 3 the foot, at the nd of a perfectly straight leg, is reaching its maximum height, for a 6 ft. clearance, of just over 8 ft. Note that the body turn to the left has not yet begun and the left leg is still being all wed to tt hang" loosely. No. 4 shows the beginning of the body turn to the left and a light dropping of the right leg as the knee comes above th bar. The 1 ft 1 g is n win po ition, with foot pointing to the left, for a strong, sharp kick upwards. In No. 5, Plate 26, the division tw n th 1 gs i c ntraliz d over the crossbar, which the right leg has cros ed complet ly, the left arm has been dropped, and the trunk is working down to the lay-out position (transposition movem nt from vertical to horizontal is taking place). The upward kick with 1 ft 1 g is just commencing. No. 6 shows the completion of the lay-out (everything working down to the centre of gravity) with the low r hip apparently about to hit th bar. ote particularly the way in which the left 1 g is h ld p rf ctly straight as it is whipped over the bar. . 7 of R. and n, U.S.A., how the 1 ft leg secondary kick and the twi t of th should rs, which tog ther lift th buttocks over th bar. Th 1 ft 1 g (still straight fr m hip to foot) is now kick d traight ck until it corn s 1 v 1 with the right 1 g. Th right 1 g then tak up the o y r tating movem nt the m m nt th 1 ft 1 g, it work fini h d, comes level with it. o. 8, f i rr wd n, ran , shows how th right leg r sumes its work \ ith a hard kick back and up as the left foot drops towards the sand-pit, and the back