Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES foot makes his approach from the left at an angle of about 45°. The take-off mark is surprisingly close in, being no more than 20 ins : from the line of the crossbar. The left foot is planted down fiat for the take-off, and as the jumper rocks up on to his toes the right leg goes forward, as though another stride was to be made, with the exception that ,a strong and high right-knee lift . must be used. The right knee should rise as high as the chin. Simultaneously the jumper kicks his right foot up to maximum elevation. Meanwhile the left-leg drive, in concert with an up– ward swing of both arms, should raise the body perpendicularly and turn it slightly to the left until the hips are at bar-level. At the instant that the hips reach bar-level the right arm is pushed up and across the body to the left; no attention need be paid to the left arm, which will, by natural reaction, describe the correct movements. It is the initial turning movement of the whole body and the sudden strong thrust of the right arm up and across the body which cause the right leg to pass naturally over the bar, and also turn the whole body into a horizontal position on the left side a fraction of a second before the body is actually above the bar. This phase of the action is shown by Albritton in Plate XL, Fig. I I g. The next part of the action needs careful timing, for if it is carried out too soon the jumper will fall on to the bar. Here is the sequence. While the right arm and leg are going over the bar the left leg follows its natural course (Plate XL, Fig. I I g), but just as the jumper turns completely face downward (Plate XL, Fig. I 20) the left foot is kicked violently upward in a back– heeling kick, with the leg almost fully straightened. The action is shown correctly in Plate XL, Fig. I2I, by Chang Onn Tai. Plate XLI, Fig. I22, shows a variation I used, jumping from my right foot. This kick must carry the left knee up to or above the level of the left hip. If the left-leg action is properly executed the jumper will be placed face downward, with the bar directly under, and parallel to, the centre line of his body. If he drops his right hand and right foot as -the left leg is kicked up the jumper should land in the pit partly on his right side. In I937 another American negro, Melvin Walker, is said to have jumped 6 ft. I o ins. I think Walker used the Western Roll style, but cannot be sure, as I never saw him in action. So far I have described the Western Roll and Straddle Jump styles in detail, and have said something about the great expon– ents of these forms. The Easte~n Cut-off style, built up on the 344