Coaching and Care of Athletes

HANDLING THE ATHLETE the seventy-four subjects were less than 5 ft. 8! ins. in height, the shortest man being 5 ft. 3 ins. and the tallest 6 ft. 1 in., but the largest group ranged between 5 ft. 9 ins. and 5 ft. 1 1 _ins. The limbs of the men were in proportion to their heights. In girth of chest and abdomen also the ideal sprinter exceeds the normal, and shows yet greater abnormality in the circum– ference of his arms, thighs, and calves. On the other hand, the circumference ofhis knees and wrists is subnormal. The conclusion is that the sprinter is abnormally muscular and subnormally bony. It is a curious fact that the head of the sprinter, taking the ideal at 5 ft. 8! ins. in height, is, in circumference, normal only for a man of 5 ft. 6 ins., although the neck is above the average in thickness. Hence the sprinter is of a brachycephalic, thick– necked type, strength tests on whom have shown him to possess a notable development of the lungs, back, and legs. Finally, the hips are narrow, the insteps high, and the feet short. I have quoted this description of an ideal sprinter at some length to emphasize how much a coach may learn by common-sense investigation. Lightly built, , slender .athletes usually make good distance runners, with the very small men normally designed for the longer distances. High hurdlers are generally tall and well built, preferably with extreme length of limb from the crutch to the sole of the foot. They are never heavy in appearance, having more the look of a gFeyhound straining at the leash. The heavy events require heavy men, but here there is scope for variety. Hammer-throwers, shot-putters, and discus-throwers all need bulk, and · may even carry a certain amount of super– fluous fat, provided they have unimpeded agility; but there have been first-class javelin-throwers of comparatively light build, but exceptional quickness and superabundant energy. Long jumpers and those who practise the hop, step, and jump for a considerable time were regarded as conforming to the sprinting type. Ed. Gol1;rdin, the first man to exceed 25 ft. in the long jump, and his fellow American negro, De Hart Hubbard, the first man unofficially to beat 26 ft., were both what one might describe as black pinches of dynamite. Both were also great sprinters. Chuhuei Natnbu,Japan, who at one time held the world's long jump record of 26 ft. 2l ins. and the world's hop, step, and jump record of 51 ft. 7 ins., was another diminutive athlete. On the other hand, Jesse Owens, U.S.A., who has raised the . 6g