Coaching and Care of Athletes

STARTING To determine this an experiment was carried out in which four different types and sizes of starting-guns were used. The first was a regulation U.S. Army 0·32-calibre revolver. The second was an automatic flash-gun, the third a toy cap-pistol, and the fourth what is ·known as a "' Scotch gun.' · The 'Scotch gun' is not a lethal weapon, but consists of two boards which are so hinged that they can be brought together sharply to produce a report. The weapons ranked in loudness of report in the order listed, but although five hundred starting-times with each gun, recorded for twenty-five trained sprinters, were compared, the result was negative. Apparently the loudness of the report, or, in other words, the intensity of the sound, had no marked effect upon the athlete's starting-time. In view of the fact that starters are now advised to hold athletes on the mark, before firing the pistol, for two seconds after the order to get set has been given, experiments carried out to determine the optimum time for holding a sprinter were most interesting, and should prove profitable. The considerations of the people undertaking the psychological analysis of the question were that it requires varying times for each sprinter to adjust himself to the set position, and after that it takes a small amount of additional time for him fully to concen– trate his attention. It was obvious to those conducting the experi– ment, as it no doubt will be to the reader, that if the fastest start is to be achieved the athlete's attention-must be fully concentrated when the starter fires his gun. It was realized, however, that the limits between which the optimum, or, in other words, the peak of attention of the athlete, would be found were necessarily narrow. Again a definition had to be found. Starting-time has been defined already. Now we have to consider the question of 'holding-time.' This is said to be " the interval which elapses between a position of momentary tenseness in the set position and the firing of the gun.'' The holding-times finally selected were I sec., I·2 secs., I·4 secs., I·6 secs., I ·8 secs., and 2 secs. No fewer th.an twenty-seven trained sprinters went through the whole series 728 times, or, in other words, that battery of athletes made 4368 starts . -The result was conclusive proof that the worst possible holding-times are the intervals of I sec. and 2 secs. between the athlete obtaining his position of momentarily intensified attention and the starter firing his gun. The optimum holding– time wouid appear to be I· 4 to I ·6 secs. 169