Athletic Training

PHYSICAL CONDITION 9 leg, just as in walking. Unless one has got into pretty good physical condition by con– siderable track work, this exercise should be taken easily at first because it is practical– ly the same as running. After having mas– tered it the athlete can practise it rapidly and get the same exercise, in accordance with the length of time he practises it, as he would by an actual run on the track. This is an exer– cise which I have used with great success for my track athletes during the winter months when it was impossible to run out-of-doors. I also used it continually during both trips of the American Olympic teams to Europe in 1908 and 191~. Care must be exercised not to practise it on too hard a floor. It is par– ticularly valuable for boys and young men who, on account of the nature of their work or their distance from training quarters, de– sire a substitute for actual track work. I have known a good many athletes who got themselves into splendid physical condition and thoroughly hardened the muscles of their legs and increased their wind by these exer– cises. From three to five minutes of this kind of work in the morning as a substitute for the