Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE HIGH JUMP his body. In this case he turns his back to the bar, and lands on his right hand and foot. The average distance of the take-off from an · imaginary line directly under the bar is 3 ft., or a few inches over. THE EASTERN CUT-OFF STYLE This, I think, is the most pleasing style of high jumping to watch, to practise, and to teach. Perhaps I like it · on account · of the unavoida·ble difficulty there is in mastering the technique. Again, my preference may be due to the fact that only supple and therefore graceful athletes ever gain real proficiency in it. Supple– ness, good control of the limbs, and perfect timing, provided the jumper possesses the necessary amount of natural spring in his legs, are the main essentials of real success. When one remembers that there is a difference of only r± ins. between the height of 6 ft. 8! ins. jumped by Spitz in the Eastern Cut-off style and the official world's record of 6 ft. 9! ins., held jointly by Johnson, using the Western Roll, and Albritton, using the Straddle Jump, it seems unfair to class the Eastern style as inferior to the others, since the additional height may well have come from the negroes possessing greater springing power than the white man. · Be these things as they may, it is with the techniq-ue of the Eastern style that we are concerned at the moment. Boyd Comstock once said, "In this style you jump straight at the bar, go up straight, and then turn." He was right; so many jumpers try to institute the· turn betote they leave the ground, by using a twisting movement of the take-off foot. Assuming still that the jumper will take off from the left foot,. his approach run should be made from directly in front of the bar or at an angle of not less than 45° with the bar. The man who approaches from a more acute angle travels alovg the bar, and therefore spends more time in clearing it. When the approach is made from directly in front of the bar quite a number of jumpers have the trick of breaking to the left on the last two strides, so that the left foot is put down for the take-off at an angle of 6o 0 with the bar. There is no objection to this plan's being followed. It has the merit of bringing the jumper in closer tq the bar for a safe clearance. The average distance at which the majority of Eastern style jumpers take off is 4 ft. to 4! ft. in front of the bar. There have been champion jumpers in the Eastern style who 351