Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES making full use of the leverage of their hips, knees, ankles, and toes. In training and coaching novices it is wise to build up their ability to sprint from 30 to 50 yds. at the beginning of the race, so that they may obtain a favourable position on the pole in the early struggle. Mter that they must be taught to fall ·quickly into a normal, natural stride action. With novices it is wise to teach them to run the first eighth of a mile at three-fifths effort, the next three– eighths at three-quq.rter effort, the next sixteenth at two-thirds effort, the next quar~er at five-sixths effort, and the final three– sixteenths at ,nine-tenths effort, which will, of course, be built up later to full effort. Throughout the body of the race it is wise to build up an even pace and an equable stride. From the very commencement of instruction the coach should warn his pupils against too much jockeying and fighting for position, or going into short bursts of speed for the sake ofpassing an opponent. Such tactics very quickly eat up the middle-distance runner's energy. Breathing and striding have a distinct correlation, and both must be characterized by absolute regularity. , Do not worry too much about a man's getting his second wind. This comes to different runners at different periods of the race, and is probably no more than the adapting of the heart and lungs to the extra work which is being put upon them. Milers should be taught that they will have to face a double struggle towards the end of their race. A miler must fight against his own increasing fatigue, besides struggling to combat the challenges of his rivals. The technique of finishing a mile race is learned best in actual competition. In time trials, however, the runner should be made to cultivate the ability to hold his proper form, no matter how tired he may become, or he will very quickly tie up. The coach, in consultation with his athletes, must determine the length of the final finishing burst which each man can hold. He must show them also how to gather themselves for the final sprint. Again, I think the coach should teach his athletes that their tactics must not depend entirely upon the running- of their opponents, but must be governed largely by their own ability to distribute their energy to the best -advantage throughout the race. For this purpose two things are necessary. In the first place, it must be discovered what is the athlete's own particular optimum speed. 246