Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT, IMPEDIMENTA 203 pay to have loose garments flapping about one's nether limbs to endanger the success of the jump. 3· SHps.-It is very necessary that the athlete should wear a pair of slips beneath his shorts; in the first place, it adds to the decency of his appearance, and in the second it prevents the shock of sudden movement from jarring him in such a way as may cause varicocele in years to come. 4· Sweater.-A thick warm sweater, high in the neck, long in the sleeves, and capable of being pulled well down over the thighs, should always form part of the athlete's equipment; the old-fashioned sweater to pull on over th·e head is infinitely preferable to the new coat-sweaters, which do not give the same amount of warmth or comfort. 5· Shoes.- The success of the athlete's efforts de– pends to no small degree on the proper selection of his footgear, whether it be jumping or hurdling shoes, sprinting pumps, or heavier shoes for the weight events. As the footgear varies greatly with the different events, it will be necessary to describe it under separate headings. 6. Spr£nt£ng Shoes.- These should always be made to measure from non-stretching leather-kangaroo is the best. The sprinter's shoes should be absolutely skin tight-it is of the first importance that his feet should not be able to shift about, even ever so slightly, as they strike the ground. The toes of the shoes should be rounded so that the wearer's toes are held tightly together. It is needless to say that the shoes should be as light as possible. The spikes in a sprinter's shoes should be so arranged that they will give him the greatest grip of the track obtainable in accordance with his own style of running. After a pair of shoes have been used for the first time, the spikes should be examined. If any of these are found to lean at all in any direction, they