Why? The Science of Athletics

I· ) 294 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS that the fastest start is secured when the starter holds the sprinters in the "set" position for I · 5 seconds as com– pared with I and 2 seconds. G. A. Walker and T. C. Hayden, in their work The Optimum Time for Holding a Sprinter Between the Set and the Stimulus, enlarged upon Nakamura's experiments and, by varying the delay– interval between the command, "Set !" and the firing of the pistol from I to 2 seconds in increments of r/5 of a second, discovered that a delay-interval of I ·4 to r -6 seconds produces the fastest start. Reaction Time A point of great importance 'is found in the reaction time of the start during which the whole body is in process of movement. Other points brought to light by Bresnahan prove that a man who is left-footed should start with the right foot advanced, and vice versa ; variation of this rule distinctly slows up the starting time. A. D. Dickinson, by exhaustive study of the placing of the athlete's feet in the "set" position, has proved that the very fastest start is obtained when the front foot is placed II to r8 inches behind the line, with the rear foot so located that it is almost opposite the heel of the front foot. In this way it is thought the force exerted in starting is more evenly distributed over both legs, whereas the normal position, in which the knee of the rear leg is opposite the frog of the front foot,' brings the major drive from the front foot, while any wider foot spread is liable to put the strain, quite improperly, upon the rear foot. · Other experiments carried out by A. H. Felkar had a direct bearing upon the question of leverage, in that he discovered that the trained sprinter who takes and holds a breath after the order to "Get set !" is not only able more completely to centralize his attention, but, through the better control he obtains over his abdominal muscles, is able to provide a firmer pelvic base whereon the leg muscles may control the action of the levers. Cureton, Coe and Wesler in their experiments pro-