Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE QUARTER-MILE AND 400 METRES The coach, in teaching quarter-milers how to start, should adopt the principles already laid down in Chapter XIV of this book. Comparative performances at 440 yds. and 400 metres at various classes of championships held in England, in international matches, and at the Olympic Games work out as follows: - 440 Yns. 400 METRES ~ Public Schools 53·7 secs. - All universities 51 •J " - Individual counties 52·5 " - Northern District so·9 " - Midland District so·g " - Southern District 49 •7 " - English A.A.A. . 49·8 " - International matches -- 49•4 " 48·8 secs. Olympic Games - 47•! l " The type the coach will be well advised to look for in choosing his quarter-milers is either the sprinter who can adjust himself to the longer distances, and who has acquired stamina as well as speed during his training, or the half-miler of exceptional ability who has sufficient speed to hold his own with the 'sprinter– quarter-milers' over the quarter-mile distance. In training either type the coach should stress the importance of speed, at the same time attending to the building up of endurance. This necessitates watching carefully the distribution of effort, both in training and in competition. Particular attention ·must be paid also to the development of a good rhythm in the striding and to the proper balance of the arm and leg action. Pace judgment must certainly be developed, for, as I have said, endurance plays an important part in quarter-miling, equally with the distribution of effort, and although I have called the modern quarter-mile a race of exhaustion, there must be, properly speaking, some sort of coast period. This is where the athlete's ability to judge the speed at which he is travelling becomes so important. In order that energy may be conserved, as well as the total effort properly distributed, the quarter-miler will show a slightly slower cadence than the true sprinter. His angle of body inclination will be some I0° less than that used by the sprinter. In other words, 1 The sixth man at the Olympic Games in 1936 returned 48·2 secs. 2 I I