Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

THE STANDING JUJ.YIPS 61 by assiduous practice, little by little and step by step, the muscles of the abdomen to resist the supreme effort in competition. The same remarks may be applied to all "wide jumps." Long-legged men have an advantage in standing jumping over their shorter opponents, because they have a greater leverage, both in the leg and in the foot (diagram 9). The extra length of leg gives them greater acceleration, and the longer the foot the ·greater the impulse, in exactly the same way as a larger steel spring will have more potential energy Diagram 9· than a smaller one when compressed. There is also another reason-they have greater swing of the leg, and consequently can cover a greater range of ground. Diagram 10 will illustrate what is meant. The dark lines represent the long-legged man and the dotted lines the short-legged man, both putting exactly the same amount of work into their jump. To the standing jumper perfect feet are indis– pensable, and the abdominal muscles must be par– ticularly well developed, as on their efficiency depends to a large extent the amount of success of which the jumper is capable. As has already been said, tall,