No. 24. The Curl.
24. The Curl.
Stand erect, fall slowly forward on the hands, keeping the body perfectly straight. Break the force of the fall by letting the arms bend slightly, but straighten them immediately. Curl up, bringing the knees well up toward the chin and carry the feet through between the hands, not letting them touch the floor; extend legs in front of arms, curl up again, carry feet back through hands and straighten into the “handstand.” This is a difficult feat, but it may be practiced with perfect safety. It is excellent practice for developing the muscles of the stomach and abdomen. (See illustration.)
No. 25. Running Forward Somersault.
25. Running Forward Somersault.
Take a quick run of about twenty yards, strike both feet together on the mat or floor. Jump well into the air, duck the head down and in, and try to describe a half circle through the air, with the feet landing in a position, the same direction as when starting. It is well to practice this over a very soft place, having a board or some hard object to turn from and land into hay, shavings, soft sand, sawdust or tan-bark. When one has a soft place on which to practice he should go at it boldly; he will then be less apt to jar himself. A quick hard run is the important thing, and a leap of about five feet should be made before striking the take-off. (See illustration.)
26. The Back Somersault.
This is done from a standing position. Get two men to hold you up while trying. The “lungers” that are generally used in the gymnasium—“coward-strap” they are called—may be used with perfect safety. However, I think the best kind of strap is a long strong towel.
Stand firmly with the heels about four inches apart, spring up as high as possible, throw the head back and down and try to describe a half circle with the feet landing in a position facing the same way as when starting. This should be performed with a “cut,” that is when the feet get well over the head catch the legs back of the knees and pull them down under the body. The way of using the hands in performing the back somersault will gradually come to the performer with practice.