Success in Athletics and how to obtain it

SPRINTING If the foot is flat, it is like a farm wagon, heavy and uncomfortable to ride in, and utterly incapable of conveying the weight above it at hz'gh speed and with comfort to the weight or without injury to the vehicle from the consequent shaking. But if the foot is per– fectly constructed, with ligaments and muscles well developed and braced up, then it is like a vehicle well hung on good springs and running on shock- absorbing pneumatic tyres. · The higher the arch of the foot, the greater will be the springing powers of the jumper and also the re– sistance to the downward thrust of the weight. Properly speaking, a man lying flat on the floor should be able to see daylight under the athlete's foot between the heel and the ball when the muscles are properly taut ened up. Taking "the start" in detail, on the word "On your marks," the athlete places the tips of his fingers on the line, the left foot is placed in a hole which has been cut some six inches behind the line, the left knee rests on the ground close up to the left hand, and the right knee rests upon the ground close into and slightly in advance of the left ankle-bone, the ball of the right foot being i11 a hole which has been cut with a strong back wall to resist the push off in starting. (See fig. 3, p. IO.) Remember that the position for starting in a sprint must be so arranged that there is no cramping of the limbs and body. To make holes the sprinter must place himself in the easiest position according to his build. A rule-of– thumb principle would be that the runner places his extended fingers upon the mark, with his body crouched with the right knee opposite to the hollow of