Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

' 108 SUCCESS IN ATHLETICS The athlete must see that the pit in which the pole is planted is neither too close nor too far from the line under the cross-bar, for in the former case, when at the top of his rise, he will not have room to swing his legs up and over, and in the latter case his body has too far to travel after the zenith of the upward swing has been reached and so falls on to, instead of over, the bar. Two other ~preliminary matters remain to be dealt with. First, the pit in which the pole is planted. This should be square at the front and well dug out, sloping away to the back, which should be formed of a good strong wall to prevent the pole from slipping. Second, the distance at which the athlete should take off from the line between the posts directly under the cross-bar. No definite statement can be made as to this ; it must be a matter of judge– ment, and will vary with the height of the individual, the height of the bar, the condition of the ground, and the physical state of the jumper. When once the take-off has been ascertained approxi– mately by experiment, it should be measured and noted for future guidance. Accuracy in taking off, together with accuracy in planting the pole, must be practised until the athlete is confident of doing both naturally; his mind is thus left free to attend to getting the body properly into the air. In training to acquire style and method, the athlete will do well to practise with half the run when the bar is at a moderate height, and to see that he plants the point ·of the pole fairly and squarely into the pit every time. Yet one other matter remains to be considered– i.e. the height on the pole at which the hands should