_Feats in Long Leaping._
On level ground, twenty feet is a first-rate leap; twenty-one is
extraordinary; and twenty-two is very rarely accomplished.[7] With a
run and a leap, on a slightly inclined plane, twenty-three feet have
been done.
[7] I have seen twenty-two feet covered forwards and backwards, by an
Irish tailor.--ED. Fifth Edition.
Of the various kinds of leaps, the first or simple leap, which is
produced principally by the extension of the abdominal members,
which impel the body either straight upwards, in the vertical leap,
or obliquely upwards and forwards, in the horizontal or rather
parabolic leap, requires, in addition to the contraction of the
abdominal members, especially if the leap be executed with the feet
close together, a violent action of the muscles of the abdomen, upper
parts of the back, anterior parts of the loins, and of the thorax and
shoulders.