Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES times of 4050 patellar tendons taken from eighty-one coloured athletes. In each case it was proved that the coloured man had a significantly shorter reflex time. Since reflex time has such an important bearing on the speed at which a sprint race may be run, it is at least a reasonable suggestion that the success ofjesse Owens and his fellow coloured sprinters may lie in this direction. Starting positions are obviously of major importance to sprinters at the 100 and 220 yds. distances and to high hurdlers at 120 yds. They are almost as important nowadays to the quarter- and half– miler. And most coaches will, I know, agree with me in saying that mile-runners and even men who go in for longer distances do better to start from the crouch position than to assume the old standing dab-start position. I shall not enter into a discussion here as to the relative values of starting-holes and starting-blocks, simply because under A.A.A. laws starting-blocks are forbidden for outdoor competition in Great Britain. None the less I think it is obvious that the intro– duction of starting-blocks would be an advantage. Since starting is so important to sprinters, I think it will be better to discuss the actual starting positions and their relative values and the process of starting in a sprint race in the next chapter, which will deal ..with sprinting technique and the whole art of attaining maximum speed over relatively short distances. May I just add this one word of advice to coaches and athletes alike? Starting practice is important to all types of athletes-yes, even to hammer-throwers-because it does increase a man's mental and physical alertness, and makes him more quickly responsive to the particular stimulus which is required for him to get into action for the execution of the movements which, k'nitted together, make up the whole evolution of his particular event. In addition to what I have just said, I would add finally that running is just as important to the field-events man as it is to the athlete who hopes to attain success by racing on the track or over hurdles. Not many years ago a course of instruction was held at a school in Finland for javelin-, discus-, and hammer-throwers and shot– putters. They did not make very much progress until the chief Finnish coach hit upon the idea of making these men run a series of relay races. This plan speeded them up both mentally and physically, and the results achieved in the throwing events after– wards were truly surprising. Heavy men practising heavy events are apt to be also heavy-witted, and it is only by giving them plenty 172