ATHLETICS.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 28, 4 December 1930, Page 11

ATHLETICS.

STARTING

The art fo starting is by far the/most important and difficult part of sprinting to master. No. matter how much pace a. man may possess, -unless he be si fast starter he has very little chance of shining in good-class company. ' ( ?K«. ''American cracks are rightly famous'iroV ! their fast starting. This is, I believe, due .to their continual practice. In addition ;to their summer work, they also practice during the -winter months. At the Olympic in 1908 B. E. Walker the South African sprinter was defeated in the second heat of the 100 metres by the American, Beetor, through being a slow starter, and he set his mind on improving his starting by gping down on the morning of the final and put in some practice with the result that,when the final took place he was quicker away 'than the other competitors and eventually won the event. >The course to be f olowed in starting is as follow: two holes are made the distance between them of course, depending entirely on the length of the sprinter's legs, but the first hole is usually about five inches from the line. Care should be taken to make these holes deep enough to get a good push off. The back of them where the ball of the foot rests should be almost perpendicular. When "on your mark/ kneel down on the right knee, la this position the knee of the back leg should be level with the ankle of the front foot. At a further command to {t get set" raise the body and rest all the weight on the left leg and aims, with the back leg easily resting in the hole, ready to push off like lightning. At the report of the pistol push away as hard as possible with the. right leg, at the same time using the aims as if to push away the ground from under;you. It is essential that the body should not be raised high, but rather to dart off the mark with the body balancing forward, which will necessitate getting the legs striding out rapidly to prevent falling forward. When on the mark take no notice of your surroundings or the other competitors. Have every sense and nerve of the body intent on getting ■quickly away at the report. Never try to beat the pistol. You may win occasionalaly at a meeting when an incompetent, starter is officiating but it is a bad habit to get into and hard to break; at the same time it is dishonest .

BALANCE AND FINISH To pick up the legs quickly is undoubtedly one of . the secrets ©£ fast sprinting. Therefore it is apparent that a forward balance naturally necessitates the quick striding of the legs to preserve the equilibium. The world renowned sprinter A. B. Poatle, was an exponent of this forward style of running, so there is much to commend it, and every sprint- i er should deliberate on it for himself. When this particular style is at' first tried, it will be found that the first fifty yards can be run much faster, but after this distance it is common to lose all form, and get too far over, the result being that the last part of the journey is yers slow indeed. This s'tateof^aftairs' I should imagine is due to thef stomach and back muscles not being strong enough to support the body at this angle, therefore I would advise anyone who is so affected to devote a few minutes longer to his breathing and punch-ball exercise, ii is strange how few sprinters seem to realise the value of correct arm action; many m fact, seem to think it^is right to fight the air violently with their arms. This is absurd and the most certain way to lose all form and style. There are some runners I know who seem to have no style at all, but simply fight their way along by sheer physical force, and yet, although by no means in the [ first class, meet with a certain amount

of success; in handicaps.. It has always seemed to me that these men are running out of their distances, and should not be running in sprints at all, by so doing they are only tearing to pieces a good constitution. The runners would, I feel certain, shine over a quarter or half mile, which is their real distance. There are two styles of arm action, both correct. Those sprinters who run with, the forward balance of which I am such a keen advocate, should adopt a forward! and backward arm action. Great care should be taken when practising this arm. action that the arms are not thrown too far out. Such a swing is useless, for the balance is altogether altered. In this style the muscles of the shoulders and back are brought into action as soon as possible. The cross action should be adopted by runners who are only slightly inclined forward. When running in this style the arms should be thrown across the; stomach and worked simultaneously with the legs. When sprinting the head should always be firmly held by the muscles of the neck, and inclined forward; the muscles of the shoulders should also be knit, thus holding the head) and shoulders firmly together throughout the race. On no account allow the position of the head to change, by looking round or sideways for as soon as the pose of the head is altered the entire balance of the body is lost. It is when nearing the tape that runners are most tempted to lose their form in an endeavour to reach it sooner than is possible. It is a common sight to see sprinters absolutely lose their balance in the last twenty yards of a sprint. This is due chiefly, as already mentioned, to loss of control. The arms are raised;, the runner starts fighting the air, the result being that he tilts on to his heels. At -the finish of a race and at all times, the sprinter must exercise self-control. The sprinter should, without in the! least decreasing the pace at which he is running, contrive to draw a fresh breath in the last twenty yards and when he is about ten yards from the finish, to make a special effort to push the upper part of the body forward while simultaneously quickening the stride. On no occount try to jump at the tape, or at least not till you are about two yards from it. But I would advise the novice not to try it until he has had a lot of experience, for it is a very dangerous practice from which a serious injury may arise. It is the runner with the most nervous energy who makes the best finishes; in fact some of the best sprinters are even hy-i s't§rical teisub'jects. On passing the tape the sprinter should not suddenly stop, but run on at full pressure for about another five to ten yjurds, then gradually taper td a trot; for sprinting imposes a very severe strain on the heart, and a sudden stop is calculated to dp considerable harm to this most vital organ. Another thing to remenjber is that running past the tape in a face will strengthen a man and give him confidence in his to run the journey out.