Western roll

The initial objections, due to the "no diving" rule then in force, were overcome by the development of a Western roll style in which the lead foot precedes the head in crossing the bar.

[5] While the "no diving" rule was still in force, the world high jump record was captured by a series of Western roll jumpers: George Horine (1912, 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)), Edward Beeson (1914), Harold Osborn (1924), Walter Marty (1933), and Cornelius Johnson (1936).

The other change was in the "no diving" rule, which was repealed shortly after the world record jumps of Johnson and Albritton, allowing the head to cross the bar before the feet.

The crucial difference between the Western roll and the various scissors styles that preceded it is in the direction of approach—from the opposite side, so that the takeoff leg is the one nearer to the bar.

After the bar has been crossed, the body rotates to face the ground, and the trail leg drops to enable a three-point landing on it and the hands.

The Western roll was a competitive high jump style for a long time because it was easy to learn and more efficient (allowing clearance of a bar that is closer to the height of the center of mass) than all but the most contorted variants of the scissors.