Coaching and Care of Athletes

CARE AND CONDITIONING really good shoes will long outlive several pairs of shoes of in– different quality. The spikes, like the shoes themselves, should be suited, firstly, to the event which is going to be practised, and, secondly, to the conditions prevailing at certain periods. Spikes vary from ! in. to almost I in. in length, again according to the event and the prevailing conditions. This often means in Great Britain that the athlete is compelled -to take three pairs of shoes around with him. I have, however, used shoes with detachable spikes. Such spikes have interchangeable thread-headed screws for spikes of varying length, and are extremely useful. The next consideration is the fitting of the shoes. I have not forgotten a remark I once heard made by a fond mother to the effect that she had bought her son a pair of shoes that were rather large for him, because the athletic seasons at English schools are so short that she thought that with care the shoes would last him for several seasons, and would probably really fit him well by the time he was capable of trying to win the Victor Ludorum Cup! Athletic shoes, and I mean both shoes, not merely one, should be tried on over the bare feet after they have been liberally powdered. A shoe that is going to fit well will l).Ot lace up in such a way that the eyelets almost meet. When the shoe is laced, then the athlete should stand up and test the 'feel' of the footgear by raising his heels from the floor and dancing lightly, as he would do -for limbering up before a sprint. · If the shoes stand up to the pressure and feel comfortable, then there is a probability that they are going to be a good fit. The coach should not, however, let that content him. Nor should the athlete. The point of the great toe should feel comfortable against the end of the shoe, without extending the leather unduly. If there is any slack between the point of the runner's great toe and the end of the sole of the shoe, then that particular fitting should be discarded. The next place in which the athlete should feel comfortable pressure on his foot is in the situation of the first joint of the great toe and the second joint of the little toe. Finally, when the shoes have been taken off, one should work the upper away from the sole, to make quite sure that the stitching is secure. New athletic shoes should not be worn to begin with for more than the very briefest periods. In this way one can break the shoe in without any particular discomfort. Good shoes are worth looking after properly. The athlete 107