Athletics of To-Day 1929

The Pole Vault For the "scissors" kick and push-up there is an excellent combined exercise, but the kick phase must be developed first. The athlete lies down on a thick gym. mat, or at the edge of the sand-pit, on his back. The feet are then thrown up until the weight is resting on the shoulders. The usual take-off leg is then kicked back and the other leg forward. If this movement is performed with plenty of leg "punch" the man will pivot right round and fall face downwards. As soon as this gymnastic trick is mastered he should try to finish off the body reverse with a push-up from a half-arm, palms down, position. Do not try this trick on a hard floor. A vigorous pull-up, combined with a perfect take-off, will look after about 75 per cent. of the vault. Pull-up power may be built up in the initial stages of training by pull-up exercises to raise the chin to the level of the hands on the horizontal bar or a rope, but very soon the athlete should take to his pole. He should stand it upright in the slideway, and take a hand– hold that will allow him to have both arms at full stretch above his head. He then pulls himself up until his chest comes to his hands. He makes no spring, but swings his legs upwards and outwards as he pulls, the pull raises his body, and the swing carries it round the pole, which he pushes away and himself lands in the sand-pit. This is really a standing vault. Besides adding to the pull-up power it affords fine exercise for developing pole balance. It is not, however, easy to perform as well as is shown in No. 2, Plate 37· To develop pulling power, leg swing, and foot elevation simultaneously, do quite a lot of vaulting with an approach of only three walking steps. The pushing of the pole point into the slideway and the shift of the lower hand should be practised in progressive stages-first at a standstill, next at a slow walk, then at a trot, a slow run, a half-speed run, a three-quarter-speed run, and, finally, with the full run at top speed. In these exercises one should take heed as to where the take-off foot lands. In practising the take-off pay special attention, as you rise, to the " hanging " of the body in the flexor muscles.