Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND . CARE OF ATHLETES It is the usua , and, I think, the best, practice for the incoming runner to pass the baton from his left hand to the right hand of the member of his team who is to run the next leg of the relay. This means that the outgoing runner must transfer the baton he receives from his right to his left hand before passing it on to the next runner. This initial transfer of the baton from the runner's right to left hand should be made on the upward swing of the right arm during the first stride after he has received the baton from the incoming runner. It is obvious that the athlete running the last leg of the relay need not transfer the baton from his right to his left hand. Apart from half a dozen styles of arranging the right arm and hand for taking over the baton, baton-passing may be classified under two main heads. These are (I) the non-visual style, which, despite the risk of a bad exchange, is the best method to use in sprint relays-the risk should be eliminated by much practice in baton-passing, and safety must give place to speed in a sprint relay-and (2) the visual style, which is eminently suitable in dis– tance relays, where speed is not the first essential. It may be used also by novice sprint relay runners. The latter should be educated in the non-visual style as soon as possible, because a man cannot run at top speed while he is looking over his shoulder, with his trunk turned sideways and his right arm stretched out behind him. For relays up to 4 X 440 yds. use the non-visual style, the visual style being employed for relays of longer distances. When the visual style is used the man who is to run the next stage of the race keeps his eye upon the baton until the incoming runner hands it over to him, his main concern being to assess how tired the incoming runner is. If the approaching runner is dis– tressed the exchange should take place in the first I o yds. of the 20 yds. passing zone; otherwise it is better for the outgoing runner to take over in the second half of the zone, when he is already travelling at fair speed. The non-visual style calls for a good deal more practice and close attention to technical detail. The taking-over area, or pass– ing zone, in which the baton may be exchanged, is 20 yds. in extent for all relay races. Where the sprint relays are concerned, the runner waiting to receive the baton should take up his position just inside the line marking the limit of the zone nearest to the approaching runner. He should watch the incoming runner with the keenest attention until he reaches a spot 6 to 7 yds. short of the 268