Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES There is one particular word of warning to be said to coaches in relation to planning the competitive season's training schedule of both individuals and teams. I have said already that the type of start-i.e., the foot-spacing of the athlete in the starting position -will depend, to a certain extent, upon the build of the sprinter. The extent of his starting practice depends almost as largely upon his temperament. If a man is inclined to be lethargic it is prob– able that he needs the stimulation of half .a dozen gun starts each day to keep him alert and properly in contact with his event. The nervous, highly strung athlete, on the other hand, is apt to lose his edge if he is over-stimulated. For this type it is probably best to schedule but one day's starting practice, which should be early in the week, and even then to keep him down to something under half a dozen starts. The probability is that if he is running in two events he will get one heat, a semi-final, and a final in each event, or possibly one heat and one final in each event. Therefore from four to six gun starts on his day of starting practice should be quite sufficient. With the average run of sprinters of normal temperament it is perhaps best to schedule for them four gun starts on two or three days in each week, keeping them off starting practice on the Thursday and Friday preceding a com– petition. Where the coach is training a single athlete for a particularly important competition I should suggest that the last two weeks of his final training should be made up as follows: Penultimate Week ' ' Monday. Jog 440 yds. in sweat suit easily. Body-bending and stretching exercises for 5 mins. Starting practice for 30 yds. at just under full effort twice. Three starts at full effort with the gun. Jog 440 yds. to cool off; then take a shower-bath and massage. Tuesday. Limber up in the ordinary way with a jog of 300 yds., followed QY 5 mins. of light exercises. Then run 240 yds., travelling the first 220 yds. at half speed and finishing the last 20 yds. to the winning-post flat out. Jog 100 yds. to cool down; then rest. Practise four starts at just under full speed for 30 yds., finishing out a further I o yds. to break the tape at full effort. Rest for a little while; then swing through 100 yds., striding easily with the coast style. Wednesday. Jog 440 yds., do 5 mins. of bending and stretching exercises, and then run 100 yds., taking the first 50 yds. with a loose, swinging stride and not moving too fast, the next 40 yds. at about half effort, and the final 10 yds. to the finishing-tape at just under 200