Athletic Sports (extract)

Physical Characteristics of the Athlete is often mystifying. From the girth oi a muscle we get a correct idea of its volume or transverse diameters, but learn little of its length and the extent of its contractile fibres. Whereas, it is the length of the muscle, and not the thickness, that is ofsig- nificance to short- distance runners. Given the physio­ logical fact that a muscle can contract about one-third of its length, it will readily be seen that the longer the mus­ cle the greater will be the movement of the partto which it is attached. To the runner the de­ sired movement is in the elevation of the thigh and the extension and flex­ ion of the leg and foot. An instan­ taneous photograph Figure6,b. of sprint-runners (See description on preceding page.) that the range in the movement of the limbs is very ex- 66