Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE HIGH JUMP The right leg should not be kicked too high, or the left leg will be dragged from the ground before a full-powered left-leg drive can be used from that leg in its partly flexe,d take-off position. The right foot rises to bar-level before the left foot leaves the ground. The trunk must be kept upright, with the centre of gravity above the left foot . The upward swing of the right leg is balanced by and synchronized with the upward swing of the left arm. In leaving the ground the final rock-up, or roll, on to the toes should syn– chronize with the right foot reaching the high point in its upward swing. The man who swings his right foot up with the right leg almost fully extended is a little slower in getting his left foot off the ground than is the man who uses a right-knee lift in taking off. Many athletes spoil their form by leaning the left shoulder towards the bar as the body rises. Both arms should go forward and up to shoulder-level, the trunk should be kept upright, and the right foot should hold its highest position until the hips are at bar-level. Meanwhile as the jumper rises into the air he draws up his left knee and carries his ,left heel back towards his buttock. Both -thigh and leg, therefore, are fully flexed, and the right leg is held as high as possible when the body reaches the level of the bar. The jumper should now be in a position with his left shoulder above the bar and his right shoulder vertically over his left (Plate XL, Fig. u8, with the position reversed, as Johnson jumped from his right foot). The head is dropped towards the chest, the arms, directed straight to the front at the level of his shoulders, are parallel to the ground, as is his fully extended right leg, but the left leg, well bent at knee and thigh, has been snapped up close to the right. The left knee should be above the bar and higher than the jumper's left elbow; the left leg-i.e., from knee to thigh-should be at right angles to the crossbar. The turning movement from right to left has been initiated already by the first swing of the right leg. The left arm and shoulder will pass easily over the bar, but the right leg must be swept across it with a good deal of vigour. The left shoulder must be kept well down. The foregoing actions tend to elevate the left hip above the bar. The athlete can now merely continue the roll of his body from right to left, and drop his left foot and hands to the pit, allow– ing his right heel to swing back and up in a natural reaction. z 353