Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE POLE VAULT is known as the '2-6-8 stride' plan is advocated. The starting-line is sited sixteen strides (gi ft. to I04 ft.) back from the take-off spot. From the starting position the athlete, in two easy strides, gets the toe of his left shoe to the first check mark, six more strides at three-quarter speed bring the toe of his left shoe to the second check mark, and in eight well-controlled strides (at just a fraction below full speed for control) his left foot reaches the take-off spot when he is travelling at full speed. For the man whose mentality, or physical reaction to mental stimulus, prevents him from rapidly creating momentum the '2-6-Io ;;tride' plan (eighteen strides in all) is recommended, since he will need more nine-tenths-speed strides to gather sufficient momentum to have him travelling at top speed when he takes off. In this case the starting-line should be sited 88 ft. to I05 ft. back from the take-off spot. The toe of the left shoe reaches the first check mark in two easy, half-speed strides, the second check mark is reached in six more three-quarter-speed strides, and_the take-off spot in ten more nine-tenths-speed strides, building up to almost full speed at the take-off. There is a special plan for the highly strung, responsive, and well– trained champion athlete whose nervous forces are such that he can get 'off the mark' and build up speed almost as rapidly as a first-class sprinter. .Such a man needs a minimum number of initial strides in which to generate optimum momentum, cul– minating in a maximum speed at the take-off. He should use the '4-6-6 stride ' plan, in which the starting-line is sited from I03 to I 20 ft. back from the take-off spot. The toe of his left shoe hits the first check mark in four free but easy strides, the second check mark is reached in six more three-quarter-speed strides, and 'the take-off spot in six more strides at nine-tenths speed, building up to full speed at the take-off. Care has to be taken in adjusting the check marks and standardizing the striding. It is my personal preference in creating the approach run to settle the take-off spot, and then give the athlete the total length of the run he is to use. I tell him nothing more than that he is to start his run easily, but must be running .at optimum speed when he passes a post which I set up beside the track 30 ft. short of the take-off spot. I adopt this plan because it saves the athlete what I regard as the unnecessary concentration of looking in succession at the first and second check marks, the take-off spot, the slideway, and the crossbar. 327