Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES THE LOW HURDLES The low hurdles race is run over ten flights of 30 ins. hurdles, set up at 20 yds. intervals, with 20 yds. from the starting-line to the first flight and 20 yds. from the last flight to the finishing-line. The distance of the race, therefore, is 220 yds. The metric equivalent need not be discussed. This race is not included in the Olympic programme, and is contested but seldom outside the American universities, colleges, and schools, and at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. Some authorities have held that this race is not really a hurd– ling speciality, on account of the ease with which the athlete may ·negotiate the 30 ins. barriers, without ever acquiring that proportion of technical skill which is required of the man who specializes in the I 20 yds. high hurdles. I cannot agree entirely with this opinion. The event · calls primarily for speed and stamina, I admit, but even the speediest of sprinters who merely jumped each hurdle would never win a race. The secret of running a 220 yds. low hurdles race in the shortest possible time lies in the ability of the sprinter to eliminate, in so far as is possible, the interruption of his running action through the interposition of the ten hurdles. To do this he must reach the take-off for the first flight in either nine or ten strides, and must cover the 20 yds. between flights in seven strides. Jesse Owens, U.S.A., holds the 220 yds. low hurdles world's record of 22·6 secs. (see Plates XXX and XXXI, Figs. 87-92), and also the 220 yds. flat world's record of 20·3 secs. The differ– ence of approximately 2 secs. in the time taken on the flat and over 30 ins. hurdles is the normal proportion where firs.t-class athletes are concerned. It postulates tremendous built-up ability on the part of the athlete to take the barriers literally 'in his stride.' If a man is to do this he must have hurdling abl.lity and perfect precision in striding. Something of the technique of high hurdling is required, but not the whole ofit. The action must be in the nature of a step-over movement; but the body need p.ot dip so much from the hips, nor should the knee of the rear leg be snapped up to hip-level, as in the case of high hurdling. As the low hurdle is but 30 ins. in height there is no need for the close clearance that must be used by the high hurdler, and some coaches maintain that at the highest point in hurdle clearance the head of the hurdler should 300