Athletes in Action

ST,\RTING (3) THE athlete must remain perfectly steady in the " Set " position. In no circumstances should he attempt to beat the pistol. In the first place it is unsporting; in the second, you will never get away with it under a Starter who knows his• business . In international races t\\'O false starts, and under A.A.A. Laws three, earn disqualification, and the Starter has no option to penalise a runner in a scratch race . Perfect co-ordination of mind and body is called for when the pistol cracks, and such co-ordination can be built up only by constant practice. Balance, as I have pointed out, is of first importance in the " Set " position, it is an even more urgent necessity in the making of the first stride, because the man \Vho comes out of the holes in proper equilibrium will ensure speedy and satis- factory production of his own style in the running of the race. A cramped start precedes loss of poise; and, equally, a sudden spring forward must be followed by a break in the rhythm before the real running action can be picked up . At the crack of the starter's pistol the athlete's hands leave the track, so that his body would fall forward, if no further action were taken, but, as shown in Fig. 3 opposite, the rear leg takes up the action and drives the body forwa rd and up with a powerful push-off from the vertical wall of the rear hole . Notice the direct drive of the rear leg and the perfect straightness of the body from pelvis to head. >-4 \rl