Coaching and Care of Athletes

HURDLING tioned principles. Watch for the following faults : (I) Foot not planted with toes pointed .forward; (2) take-off and/or landing from or on heel ; (3) arms spread at shoulder-level; (4) body jerked up on landing; (5) hurdler leans to side of leading leg on landing; (6) first stride after clearance is too short~ (7) hurdler jumps his fences . The coach may plan the training schedules for low hurdlers on those suggested already for the use of high hurdlers, working in stamina and speed training with either a fast 300 yds. or 440 yds. at seven-eighths effort. THE INTERMEDIATE HURDLES 440 Yns. OR 400 METRES (437 Yns. I FT. d· INs.) The intermediate hurdles do not figure in university or col– legiate sports programmes in America, or at Oxford and Cam– bridge in England. The event is, however, scheduled in the championships of the Britisli Universities Athletjc Union, and is gaining steadily in popularity through its inclusion in national, district, and cotmty championship meetings. Not unnatura_lly, marked improvement has been the outcome of sensible encouragement. In I924 D. McBone, Liverpool, took the U.A.U. title in 59"44 secs.; in I937 C. F. Byers, Oxford, brought the record down to 57·7 secs. In I9I3 the first English champion– ship, promoted by the English Amateur Field-events Association, was won in "B3·6 secs. by Lieut. E . B. Greer, who was killed when commanding a battalion of the Guards during the Great War. In I930 Lord Burghley won the A.A.A. title in 53·8 secs., an improve– ment -of nearly IO secs., and that is still the English record. In America there has not been, perhaps, the same steady, progressive encouragement, but rather a series of spasmodic bursts of intensive training in this event for the Olympic Games every fourth year. The fact that American athletes have taken six out of eight Olympic Games intermediate hurdles titles does not postulate, of necessity, that the American plan is better than the British. The truth of the matter is that any British athlete who can cover 440 yds. on the fiat in 49 secs., or a fraction better, would certainly not be encouraged to concentrate on the intermediate hurdles. Flat events are valued so much higher than hurdling or field u 305