Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES As I said in an earlier chapter, sprinters are apt to come to the coach in all shapes and sizes. I also described how Dr Phillips, of Amherst, U.S.A., made an exhaustive study of the physiology of sprinters, reaching the conclusion that the ideal sprinter will show a rather lighter and taller frame than the average, a brachy– cephalic head, narrow hips, high insteps, and short feet, combined with a development above the normal in both size aad strength of muscle. Let us, however, take some actual examples, to see if we can find a line of reasoning. Among the very great champions who were small men one's thoughts turn naturally to Arthur Duffy, of Georgetown, U.S.A., . who in 1902 ran 100 yds. in 9 ·6 secs., being the first man to do so. Archie Hahn, of the University of Michigan, Loren Murchison, of the New York A.C., Reggie Walker, South Mrica, the Olympic 100 metres champion in 1908, W. R. Applegarth, of Great Britain, joint holder at one time of the world's furlong record, Frank Wykoff, of the University of Southern California, and Eddie Tolan, the negro from the University of Michigan who won both the 100 and 200 metres Olympic titles in I 932, were all small men of the explosive type, with tremendous speed off the mark and an ability to maintain that speed right through the course of a 100 yds. sprint. Sprinters of the intermediate type who come readily to mind are Charlie Paddock, who held world's records for 100 and 220 yds. and was also winner of the Olympic lOO metres title in 1920, Donald F. Lippincott, of the University ofPennsylvania, who made an Olympic record of 10·6 secs. for the 100 metres sprint at Stock– holm in 1912, and, of the present generation of sprinters, Alan Pennington, of Oxford University. Greatest of all of them, how– ever, is Jesse Owens, holder of four world's records and four Olympic Gold Medals, and the other American negro Ben John– son, who bids fair to be the successor to Owens' laurels. I should say that Paddock represents the intermediate type. He was very muscular and possessed of powerful legs and a rather heavy trunk. He seemed to depend on neither stride nor pick-up, but had a ground-gaining drive, with a rather high knee .action. Further– more, Paddock was a law unto himself, as his arm action was unconventional, his forearm making a circular side-wheel motion, which suited his particular style of running. Among the larger and taller type of sprinters one might mention B.J. Wefers, Ralph Craig, of the University ofMichigan, and H . M. 176