Coaching and Care of Athletes

HURDLING measurement from crutch to sole of 37 ins., and at his best weighed 13 stone 8lb. As an Oundle School boy he won the British Public Schools 440 yds. fiat title in 1928 in 52·6 secs., the long jump with a new record of 22ft. 3t ins., and showed inside I 7 secs. for second place in the high hurdles. Early in 1930 Simpson started training for the World Students' Championships to take place in August. His 440 yds. time on the fiat had not improved meanwhile, and on June 14 Burghley beat him by 5 yds. in 55 ·8 secs. for the Midland District 440 yds. hurdles title. Simpson's time was round about 56·5 secs. How– ever, he .stood up splendidly to a tremendously severe training schedule, and in the final trials, which took the form of a match between the British Universities and Bedfordshire, he won the 400 metres intermediate hurdles on a straightaway grass course in 53·9 secs., only half a second slower time than that in which he had won the ·British Universities 440 yds. fiat title a year previously! There is no question in my mind about the need for 440 yds. hurdlers to undergo a really severe training. The event is, perhaps, the most strenuous in the whole gamut of athletics, and the man who cannot stand up to hard work in training, and who has neither the will nor the ability to punish himself in trials, will certainly not come through successfully in competition. The amount 0f starting and sprinting practice which should be included in the training schedule is open to debate. Coaches of the older generation maintain the opinion that there should be no concentrated sprint to be first over the initial flight of fences. These coaches legislate for an averagely fast start which merges into a mechanical striding action. The newer school of thought requires the fastest start that is consistent with steadiness, because of the moral ascendancy which a man derives from being first to ground over the initial flight. . The final decision depends, in my opinion, upon the degree of pace judgment the coach can develop in the athlete he is training. The 440 yds. hurdles race is run in lanes from a staggered start, and nothing will help the man in the outside lane except pace judgment. If he is a good enough lead runner to stand a chance of winning he will not see anything of the rest of the field until a considerable part of the race has been run. In any case if a man is going to run his race in anything like 53 to 54 secs. it is obvious that he cannot afford to loiter over the initial 40 yds.