Athletic Training

98 ATHLETIC TRAINING To master this, the athlete must find the exact distance he covers in his last six strides. He will find that if he walks back 12- paces from the take-off board, which will be between 35 and 40 feet, somewhere between these dis– tances he will find the right mark from which point six strides will bring him squarely to the take-off. After getting this point approxi– mately by practice he should mark it with a piece of paper or some other object, and then go back at least the same distance, though a little more is better for the start of his run. This will enable him to reach the take-off at full speed, and without being obliged to get up his speed too quickly. The athlete should be going at full speed by the time this point is reached and should be able to strike it so that in six more strides the jumping foot will hit the take-off board squarely. This is some– thing which should be thoroughly mastered, because if a mistake is made the athlete's stride will be too long or too short, and this will require either that he overrun the board and commit a foul or it will slow down his speed and seriously shorten the length of his leap.