Athletics of To-Day 1929

Athletics of To-day able therefore to get a running-action jump. In fact he runs off his take-off mark and the running action continues as his legs swing up towards the bar. There is another point. With the old spiked poles, once the three prongs were imbedded in the ground the end could not be twisted, so that the vaulter had to go round a fixed pole. Nowadays the plugged end turns smoothly in the slideway and the pole, when upright, rotates as the vaulter effects his clearance of the bar. The next consideration is that of speed, for a reason which will be proved mathematically in a moment. A suggested style of run-up for a right-footed jumper is given in Fig. 23. For the details of how a run-up may be formed the reader is referred to Chapter XVI (The Long Jump). The difference to be found in the measurements set down is due to I 1 ~- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- -- - 104' - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - -- ~ : ::t:";:t, ~- - 12'0'--+ .. • \ I S/1 t • • n: I I 'L-.---'+ the allowance for pole carriage, which alters the stride action and length. If the athlete is accustomed to jumping from the right foot, then the left hand will have the higher hold upon the pole, which will be carried at the left side, a shown in ig. 24, on page 239. It will be een that th right f rearm ish ld acro the body and parallel to the ground. Th traction is traight forward, ther is a good body lean, xcell nt push-off from the grounded foot, and a good pi k-up of the right knee. During the run the 1 ft shoulder should be given a forward rotary movement ; this combined with a half turn of the left wrist forward an backward partly compensat s for the loss of left arm swing consequent upon the carriage of the pole. It s rves al o to keep the point of the pole dir cted straight ahead.