Athletics of To-Day for Women

2oo Athletics of To-day for Women run up, and about nine feet in which to break up, aft r the javelin has left the hand, o that they do not foul by crossing the scratch line, from behind which the throw must be made. Girls, on the other hand, seem to find a run up of twenty yards is sufficient, and that they need no more than sev n-and-a-half feet in which to relax and bring the right foot through to the front after the throw ha b n mad . The main thing to aim at is a perfectly natural print to the check mark, which must be so well work din that you can reach your check mark and spring from it to the throwing mark, some s v n-and-a-half feet in rear of th scr tch line, without having to worry your head as to wheth r your left foot is going to fall on the right spot at the crucial instant. More good throws ar poil din this way than in any other. Girls do not practise the run up sufficiently. Con quently, when they come to competition, the run is mad with th eyes firmly fixed upon the check mark, the footstep do not fit in, and, consequently, the tran iti n from the run to th throw is interrupted by a eries of eh eked and huffling littl t ps to bring th left foot to the desired po ition. The corr et foot work in th approach run is hown in ig. rr. r ctic throw– ing should always take pla from b hin a scratch line properly mark d on the ground. The run up is commenced at m dium pace during the first thr e strid s, the sp ed gradually increasing in the n xt six strides; on the last of th se strides th throw r mu t gin to draw her arm smoothly back, thi drawing back m v m nt b ing completed in th thr top- p ed strid s s that the throwing arm i fully xtend db ckwards a th l ft f ot hits the check mark and the spring forward from th 1 ft foot is made. As th right foot lands on i.he throwing mark tak care to raise the 1 ft 1 g, as you lift th jav lin by raising the arm to begin the throwing action. J u t b fore the 1 ft foot is stamped down to complete the throwing po ition prepare for a very strong and sharp twist of the shoulders from right to 1 ft, and turn the right hand back on the wri t, so as to bring the hand palm upwards. This, combined with the bending back of