Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE QUARTER-MILE AND 400 METRES Friday. This must be a rest-day. Saturday. If there is no competition the quarter-miler should start the day's training with an easy quarter-mile jog, followed by a couple of starts without the gun and two faster starts with the gun. He can · then finish off the limbering-up process which best suits him before running a roo yds. time trial. In relation to the time trials in mid– season it is as well to balance them so that on one Saturday the athlete gets a 220 yds. time trial, on the next Saturday a roo yds. time trial, and is then given two Saturdays without trials or competitions, after which, on the next Saturday, you have a 220 yds. time trial, the Saturday after that a 440 yds. time trial, and the next Saturday a 440 yds. race. Do not forget that throughout this season, as through– out all others, a graph should be kept of the athlete's performances. It is even more important that his weight chart should be properly recorded, examined, and his training varied in accordance with what his weight chart shows. FINAL, OR CoMPETITIVE, SEAsoN oF TRAINING During the tapering-off period the training becomes almost entirely individual, so I shall not set out a regular schedule for a whole team, but rather confine myself to a suggested schedule for an individual athlete, which the coach, of course, will have to vary in -accordance with the requirements of that individual athlete. There are many points for consideration in connection with final training. This period should, where possible, cover about two months. The Saturdays are very important. In the case of the athlete who is training for the 440 yds. only, and is pointing for a special competition, it would be advisable to plan the main part of his work on the eight Saturdays as follows: ( r) 440 yds. race, in which the athlete should try to win without exerting quite his full effort. (2) 220 yds. time trial. (3) 440 yds. time trial. (4) 440 yds . race. Personally I then like to keep my quarter-rnilers who are working up for an important championship out of competition on the next three Saturdays, so that the schedule would read: (5) 440 yds. time trial, keeping to three-quarter effort. (6) 440 yds. time trial at full effort. (7 ) 440 yds. time trial at seven-eighths effort. (8) Special competition for which training has been undertaken. 221