Athletics of To-Day 1929

268 Athletics of To-day force of gravity and its own diminishing velocity combine to bring it to earth. Pictures Nos. 6 and J, Plate 40, show the breaking-up process after the javelin has left the hand. Some men need as much as 9ft. space for breaking up if they are not to overstep the scratch-line. No. 6, I think, fully emphasizes the force employed and shows incidentally the javelin in good, even flight along the path of its own length. It shows also the way in which the right and left legs change places in the reverse which comes soon after the javelin has left the hand and brings the right foot to R3, in Fig. zg. In No. J, Plate 40, J. ]. Saaristo, Finland, Olympic Champion, rgrz, and former world's record holder, displays perfect harmony in counterbalance between arms and legs and a fine, easy relaxation of all the muscles, whjch should follow as soon as possible upon the delivery. No 8, Plate 40, shows the angle at which the javelin should enter the ground. If it pitches more steeply we have the case of the rolling-over long jumper once again, and the spear has either dropped steeply and thereby lost distance, by being thrown too high, or it has expended, in burying its head deep in the ground, force that should have been used up in its passage through the air. This wastage is probably due to the javelin being given insufficient horizontal palm lift. The correct angle of upward and forward flight is one of 45 degrees. Jonni Myrra, in his time, introduced an entirely new move– ment into the Scandinavian style of javelin throwing, the main part of which style, however, he used. The difference came just before the transition from the run to the throw. It was that, whereas the Scandinavian style proper requires the javelin to be carried back over the shoulder in the steps Lr, Rr and Lz (Fig. zg), Myrra introduced an under-hand swing to get his throwing position. As his left foot landed at Lr he used to bring his right arm down from the (( hand above the shoulder javelin carry" position, with a forward swing, so that it dropped level with his right knee as his right foot was grounded