Athletics (British Sports Library)

88 ATHLETICS furlong flyers on the fiat. In point of fact, America's plethora of first-class quarter-mile hurdlers is largely due to the circumstance that many an American quarter-mile runner of championship class but not quite good enough to acquire an American title, and yet keen upon being a champion, turns his attention to hurdling, where his wonderful turn of · speed, combined with ac,quired hurdle clearance and knowledge of how to run the race, brings him at.last to the premier honours he covets. Let us assume that the man is in fair condition when he decides to take to hurdling. The first thing he has to do is to acquire the necessary technique, to develop his leg stretch, and to make supple his limbs. A month devoted purely to mechanical exercises and a certain amount of jogging will soon put him right. With the acquired form approaching perfection and his body well conditioned; the athlete may concentrate to a large extent upon the schedule of training set out for quarter-mile fiat runners, which is described in a subsequent chapter. Finally, he should cut down his distance work for the sake of building up his sprinting ability and making even more perfect his hurdle clearance. Coaches and instructors should watch carefully for any sign in the falling off of condition of their charges. If the athlete for a lime consistently