Why? The Science of Athletics

1'4ECHANICS AND · LEVERAGE out the theories of the Webers, so far as the mechanics of athletics are concerned. Hence we have the postulate that "Step Running" with the bending of the knee to shorten the pendulumic swing on recovery of the leg is best for sprinters, while "Stride Running", as used by Paavo Nurmi, is the proper method to be employed by distance runners, and again, it is all a matter of the proper application of the mechanical principles of leverage. The latter is probably due to the fact that the "Stride Style" allows of more stretch of the calf muscles before they are contracted in the push action. Mechanics as Applied to Field Events Where the Field Events are concerned we may perhaps take Professor Cureton's observations on Shot Putting as the basis of our argument. More especially may we be guided by him in this matter since the experiments carried out at Springfield College accounted for the flight of a missile so completely as to allow of it being represented by a mathematical formula which ac.counts for the distance of the put to better than 99 per cent of accuracy. The major physical factors involved in Professor Cure– ton's calculations were : (a) Power (Force X Velocity of the push). (b) The angle of projection from the hand. (c) The weight of the shot. (d) Body build of the athlete. Perfection of technique in the subjects chosen per– mitted of films being made to supply accurate data, so that speeds, distances and indirectly forces could all be measured with precision. The film, moreover, was timed by photographing a falling ball, and by using the law of falling bodies, s =!gtZ, it was possible to compute the time of the action. Angles were scaled with a protractor after the film had