Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE POLE VAULT ing and arms almost fully extended, his feet flat, and his knees just a little flexed. He makes a slight spring and a strong arm– pull to lift his body over the crossbar. In doing so he must be made to raise his knees. When some progress has been made in the manner indicated cut out the spring. Have the athlete stand on tip-toe, with hands gripping the pole as high up as the arms can reach, then let him pull himself up to effect clearance, again raising the knees. This practice will teach him the value of the arm-pull he is able to use. Now lay your athlete on his back, grasping the pole correctly. Then grip his ankles and pull his body towards you (Plate XXXIV, Fig. 97), ·while another athlete maintains the pole in position. In this way you can demonstrate the futility of the vaulter's swinging beyond his pole and losing all possibility of making the hand-stand position. Follow this practice by having your athlete work correctly as one unit with his pole, as H. G. Dyson, the Army athlete, is doing in Plate XXXIV, Fig. g8. Next plant the pole firmly upright in the sand-pit, with two athletes to hold it in position. The vaulter grasps the pole at such a height as will allow of his arms being about quarter flexed. He then swings up his legs and body until his hips are well above the level of his shoulders. In Plate XXXV, Fig. IOI, this practice is well demonstrated, under the supervision of Boyd Comstock, by F. R. Webster, who shows how the pull-up should be delayed until the hips are higher than the shoulders. The great thing to r~member in all these practices is that the vaulter must keep behind the pole. Vaulting with a free run can be commenced at low heights; but at first a brother athlete should stand beside the slideway to aid the upward progress of the pole if necessary. Even when the athlete has established his full run, stabilized his style, and can clear fair heights he should be practised frequently in vaulting from 7 ft. to I I ft., with a three-, five-, and ten-stride approach run. No other practice will serve so well to develop and teach him the value of swing-up, knee-lift, and pull-up. A man can get very little help from his speed or spring with a short run, and yet I have known champion athletes who could vault as high as I r ft. using no more than a three-stride approach to the take-off. Such men, of course, show perfect timing in the swing- and pull-up, and possess exceptionally great strength in the arms and shoulder girdle. 333