Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE HALF-MILE AND 8oo METRES far forward, as though he were sprinting. He must be taught to watch an imaginary spot on the track some distance ahead to set the carriage of his body, and should neither run too much up on the toes nor too flat-footed. About midway on the ball of the foot is the spot which should strike the track when the foot is put down at the end of a stride. According to the method a man is going to employ in running a race, he should either sprint hard for the best position on the pole at the beginning of the race or should stay out of the initial fight altogether, with a view to conserving his energy for the final battle, when he may possibly have only one or tw0 opponents to fight off. The coach should teach his athletes that they must never pass an opponent on a curve of the track, and when they do pass should do so with sufficient dash to surprise the man they are challenging. The rush past an opponent must be maintained long enough to stave off any answering challenge. In the body of the race the half-miler must rest occasionally by varying both his pace and action. He should use his arms to bal– ance his body and to help his progression. Another warning which should be 'given to half-milers is that they must never run a greater distance than is necessary by running on the outside of, or almost level with, an opponent who has the pole. It is better to fall into place in the moving line of runners, or immediately to take the lead. Athletes should be warned against challenging for the lead too often, and also against accepting every challenge which is levelled against them. The final, finishing burst must not be used too soon, or the ath– lete will be unable to carry his pace right through to the tape. On the other hand, the final sprint should not be left . too late. The lea.der should never be allowed to get too far away from the runner, nor must the athlete lose his form when challenged, or weaken his leg-drive by turning out his toes. Fi~ally, the men must be trained in such a way that they do not lose their form in the final sprint, and, by dropping their heads back, bring their knees up so high that the stride is shortened and the breathing restricted. The common f;:mlts a coach must watch for may have been indicated by the hints just given, but will be dealt with in toto in Chapter XIX, which deals with distance running. Now we may consider some training schedules for the four periods into which this total amount of training is divided._ Here 233