Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

94 SUCCESS IN ATHLETICS 2. If the trunk is held upright or bent forward over the thigh as the bar is crossed, the weight must be pressed down over the hips and legs, which accounts for what has just been said in no. I. 3· From what has appeared in nos. 1 and 2, it must be obvious that a greater height will be cleared if the body is got over in sections (first the legs, next the hips, and finally the shoulders), when each limb, or part, lras only its own weight to support and is not weighed down by the whole weight of the trunk disposed over it. - _The first thing a jumper must learn is to get the right length for his run-up, and to take-off at the right distance from the bar when it is standing at different heights; this is _largely a matter for personal experiment, but as a guide to the beginner these distances have been mathematically calculated (see Chap. VIII, p. 69). We wish it to be distinctly understood that these figures are given only as a general guide, and must be varied to suit each jumper's own requirements. In judging the take-off, it must be remembered that the distance from the bar at which the athlete makes his spring will vary slightly, according to his own condition, the state of the ground, and whether the wind is with him or against him. It is, of course, an accepted fact nowadays that the run-up to the bar should be made from practically straight in front, the sideways method being bad, in that the body is longer over the bar than is necessary, and the forces of gravity can therefore exert their attraction for a longer period than when the body goes straight over with a rise in that portion of the figure which crosses last.