This may be made either with or without the hands. In either way, to
avoid the shock, the body must be kept in a bent position, and the fall
be upon the balls of the toes. When the hands are used, the leaper
places them in front of the feet; and during the descent, the weight of
the body is checked by the former, and passes in a diminished state to
the latter; so that the shock is obviated.
A flight of steps serves the purpose of this exercise. The leaper
ascends a certain number; leaps from the side; gradually increases the
number; and, by practising progressively higher, finds it easy to leap
from heights which at first appalled him. He afterwards combines the
long and deep leaps. For this purpose, a rivulet, which has one bank
high and the opposite one low, is very favourable. Children can easily
take a leap of nine feet in descending.