Athletics and Football (extract)

74 ATHLETICS two-thirdsof the distance for which he is training. In writing this we knowthat to manytrainers such an opinionwillbe con­ sidered a rank heresy; but that it is a sound rule, at any rate to amateurs whohave other daily avocationsto attend to, which must occasion more or less fatigue, is our firmconviction. The great point in every race, and especially in a sprint or in a quarter of a mile, is to come to the scratch fresh. Our experi­ ence of amateurs is that two out of three of them come to the scratch in a big race a little bit overdrawn; but of this we shall have something more to sayanon. In the short sprints the start is, of course, almost half the battle, and a man should be continuallypractising a start and a ten-yards run—and very trying to the back the performance is. It is, of course,advisable to get accustomed to start from a pistol, but if there is no friend handy to fire a pistol or say ' Go ' withoutany warning,it is not a bad device to fling a stone over one's head in the air and start as soon as it is heard to fall to the ground. Some men we have known to improve a yard or even two by frequent practising at starts, and most hundred-yard races are lost or won by less than a yard. We need, perhaps, hardlydescribe the right attitude of the body for a start in these days when everyonehas seen an athletic meeting. The runner should be on his toes, with the right foot seven or eight inches behind the left foot, which is on the line, and so that the chest is almost parallel to the line and bent slightly forward. Some in starting stretch their right arm forward so as to bring the chest completely straight to the line, but this is not adopted by all, and if overdone is, we think, a great mistake. The body should be balancedon the toes with the weightpressingslightly upon the right or rear foot, so that a good kickmaybe obtained from it with the slightest possible delay when the pistol-shot is heard. Little more need be said of practising on the path for sprints. It must not be forgotten, however, that the sprinter wantsto keep himself hard and fit during the time that all his racing practice consistsof hard bursts for veryshort distances.