Athletics of To-Day 1929

The High Jump 203 the centre of gravity be lifted above the ground. Had B. Howard Baker (Picture r, Plate 27) got this higher foot elevation, instead of the flat kick shown, he might have cleared a height even more surprising than his record of 6 ft. 5 ins. There is no reason why the hips should not go still higher, on Professor A. V. Hill's proposition that "it is possible for an object to pass over a bar while its centre of gravity passes beneath," in which connection he quotes a rope running over a pulley as an obvious example. Should it be possible for Simmons to manreuvre his body in a certain way, following upon his extreme high kick, he may well prove the practical truth of Professor Hill's proposition. Picture No. 4, Plate 27, shows a strained position in one of the suppling exercises Simmons uses. The outer ankle bone of his left (jumping) leg is r sting on the back of a seat 3ft. in height. The left leg is straight and at right angles to the straight right leg; the body is square, otherwise both hands could not be resting on the ground. If he can attain this position in the air, when unsupported, both hips will be lifted above the bar at the same time, and they will be the only part of the body above the bar at that time; the left leg will be straight out as shown and the right leg, upper body, head and arms below the level of the bar. Working by mechanics, if one part of the body goes down another point must come up. The dropping of the right leg and bending down of the trunk should raise the hips, and the left leg swing would supplement the action, while the strengthening of the back and abdominal muscles should allow of the trunk being whipped up again fast enough to clear the bar with the chest. Picture No. 3, Plate 27, shows yet another of Simmons's suppling exercises. On one point I must warn the reader. It takes but four-fifths of a second (approximately) to clear a bar set at 5 ft. ; it will be obvious, therefore, that there is every necessity to jump most often only at such heights as one can be sure of clearing and to work for perfection in each part of the jump separately before attempting to co-ordinate them all together in the rhythmic effort of the whole jump.