Why? The Science of Athletics

206 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS arms up and back, while he bends back his head and again hollows his back, In this case, the arm action is carried out by the posterior fibres of the deltoids, the trapezius muscles, the teres major and the rhomboideus muscles, while it is the ligamentum nuchae that bends back the head and the quadratus lumborum and the erector spinae muscles which again come into play to enable him to hollow his back. When a man has thus completely mastered the tech– nique of his event mentally and has, moreover, such a comprehensive knowledge of the muscle-action-sequence involved, it should be no hard task for him to discover a method of developing, by means of exercises, the muscles that are mainly concerned in the performance of the feat. As can be seen by reference to the book Exercises for Athletes (Webster and Heys; John F. Shaw & Co. Ltd., · London), special form-exercises have been designed whereby the pole vaulter can experience ail the sensations, but not the indescribable thrill, of the vaulting action without ever leaving the ground. Finally, when the athlete is in the stage Mathematical of building up his technique, it is necessary Considerations for him to have some knowledge of what may be termed the mathematics and the dynamics of athletics. For instance, the question of optimum speed is all– important in both track and field events ; for the runner who does not know the speed of running which will allow him to produce the fastest total time will soon be in an awkward fix ; while the jumper who ·does not know the approach speed which will enable him most efficiently to convert the momentum of his run into the impulse of his jump, and the thrower who does not know the turning, gliding, ;~·or approach speed which will allow him to generate the greatest contributory velocity, while still retaining control of his muscles for the actual delivery, .... will never reach maximum production of athletic poten- tiality.