Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES are in sufficient condition they may practise baton-changing over short distances. The day's work-out can finish with a gentle jog of anything from 220 to 400 yds. It is essential on this last day of the week that all the men get their massage. I am not going to deal with another week, but on the fol– lowing Monday the coach should analyse with each man his weight chart for the preceding week, and should himself revise the training and possibly the dietary according to what the chart reveals. In mid-season training there will be a substantial change in the athlete's schedule of work. By the beginning of this period he will . already be running time trials, . and probably working up to his first actual races at the end of that month. On the other hand, he may already be in competition. There is yet a third type of athlete who is working up to one definite championship peak performance. Such a man needs special consideration. No matter for which class we are catering, however, it is as– sumed that the race for which training is being undertaken will be on a Saturday, possibly with preliminary heats on the Friday. If this is not so, and a man is pointing to a special competition, then his schedule must be altered so that the time trials and the other parts of the week's programme coincide with the particular day of the week on which the special competition will be held. Here we will stick to the consideration of possible preliminary heats on the Friday and the main competition, or competitions, on the Saturday. In the foregoing circumstances the coach, as I hav~ said, will plan his main time trials always for the Saturday, so that there is a complete rest on the Sunday, Monday opening the next week with the coach's criticism and a moderately light training session. The heaviest training of the week, and possibly subsidiary time trials, should be scheduled for Tuesday. Let me add to what I have just said the proviso that Monday's work should be at distances for stamina-that is to say, longer distances at lighter effort- and all speed work at nearer to the actual racing distance on the Tuesday. Wednesday's and Thurs– day's work should be kept moderately light, these days being utilized for building up practices for the trial, or race, on Saturday. It is particularly important that practices should be introduced which are likely to increase the athlete's speed, attention, and responsiveness. It is my personal preference to give sprinters a complete rest on 192