Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES English Championships of 1929, when he was placed third to Lord Burghley and Sergeant F. A. Foley, of the Guards, in the r 20 yds. high hurdles. He won his first English hurdling title in 1932 in the fast time of 14·9 secs., and that title he still retained in 1937. He was placed third in the Olympic Games ii::t 1932, and was runner-up to Towns in 1936. Curiously enough he first gained international honours as ·a long-jumper. That Finlay is a wonderful all-round athlete, who rrtay yet achieve Decathlon honours, is proved by his performances in the championships of the Royal Air Force in 1937, when he competed in seventeen events in the space of four days. His efforts included javelin, 141 ft. ro ins.; high jump, 5 ft. 8 ins.; long jump (team event), 20ft. 10! ins.; second place in a fast roo yds. heat; the individual long jump title at 22 Jt. 4! ins.; second place in the individual high jump; 36ft. 7 ins. in the r6-lb. shot team event; and second at 38 ft. 3! ins. in the individual shot-putting contest. He also ran a very fast leg in the hurdles relay, and won the individual !20 yds. hurdles title in 15•4 secs. And yet, not a week later, at the British Inter-Services Cham..: pionships, Finlay equalled his own Inter-Services high hurdles record of 14·8 secs., was placed third in the long jump at 22 ft. 2! ins., and jumped only a little below his best height of 5 ft. ro ins. in the high jump. We come now to the question of which style, or styles, it is per– missible for the high hurdler to use. I have said that the style to be used in this particular hurdling event depends largely upon the build, and particularly the length ofleg, of each individual hurdler. This, it appears to me, is so obvious that the statement should represent a truism. And yet the average athlete tends to become so fascinated by the revealed form of world-beaters as to be totally incapable of realizing that some modification in the style of the champion must be made to suit the lesser light, unless he possesses the build of the champion whom he so greatly admires. Perhaps the most glaring example one can quote in substa.n– tiation of the foregoing statement is ' to be found in the almost idolatrous worship of the chop-down of the leading leg to effect a quick landing displayed by the majority of British high hurdlers. But surely it must b.e obvious that a long-legged athlete must chop down, or he.will overstride between flights, whereas a short-legged athlete must riot do so, or he will fail to reach the take-off for the next flight in the requisite three strides? 286