Athletics (British Sports Library)

SPRINTING 55- as the runner gets into his stride, after which the muscles are relaxed as the arm swings upward until the fist is opposite the shoulder, but are tensed for the down chop, which helps to propel the body and also preserves the correct forward lean. Even the tallest and most efficient of sprinters will not encompass a stride of more than 7 feet 6 inches; the majority will find their range be– tween 6 and 7 feet. At the start the athlete must remember that the push-off comes from the ball of the left foot, and that he must, therefore, concentrate his mind upon lifting his hands from the track as well as putting into action the forceful punch of the arms. For quite 20 yards the athlete is getting as quickly as possible into }lis running, but not until that dis-. tance has been covered should his body reach the highest lean of the correct sprinting attitude (Sketch 5), nor his stride lengthen out to its utter– most. There are many men who will tell you that they go through a whole lOO yards dash on a single breath. This may be so. It is more usual, how– ever, to get a second breath for the final burst, when the athlete comes higher up on to his toes and leans farther forward at about the 75 yards mark. As the lungs are emptied and refilled he must strive to force himself along even faster-<>r j