Coaching and Care of Athletes

THE ENGLISH SUMMER SCHOOL METHOD since quite a number of men wish to study more than one event, and in 1937, when the English Decathlon championship was held at Loughborough at the conclusion of the first week of Course I, we had returning for Course II in the third week quite a number of athletes who wished to have special instruction in Decathlon training, which, of course, involved a combination of ten track and field events-namely, the 100 metres, the running broad jump, putting the weight, the running high jump, the 400 metres, the I I o metres hurdles, throwing the discus, the pole ·vault, throwing the javelin, and the I500 metres. Boyd Comstock's scheme for Course II involved assembling the whole of the active athletes on the first day and letting each man show his form twice in the events in which he had come to receive instruction. While these trials of upward of a hundred active athletes were taking place, lasting from 9 o'clock in the morning till 6 o'clock at night, a stenographer stood at Comstock's side and noted down the remarks made by the chief foreign coach concerning each individual athlete's performances and style. The active athletes were then divided into two parties by events, and a number of the students who had been at the School for Course I were taken on as additional assistant coaches. The ori– ginal assistant coaches took charge of the more advanced performers in each event, and the additional assistant coaches were given the task of instructing the active athletes who were more or less in the novice stage. While instruction was being given by the assistant coaches Comstock, Nokes, and I were continually visiting the squads to supervise the instruction. Having regard to the fact that it is bad for·an athlete to partici– pate actively in the sport soon after a meal, the plan was hit upon of occupying the hour after breakfast from 9 to IO and the half– hour after luncheon from 2 to 2.30 by lectures, designed to teach the athlete the theory of his event and also the way to warm up, train, and generally look after himself. In addition to this, an hour each day was devoted by Comstock to putting the best athletes in each event through a practical demonstration, which would not only aid those athletes personally, but would also in– struct the others in the best way of tackling the event in which they wished to become pre-eminent. The School was also visited, for the purpose of giving demon– strations, by many first~class athletes, among whom mention may D 49