SPRINTERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1952, 23 July 1891, Page 29

SPRINTERS.

By Malcolm W 1 Foed.

Another style of setting is the " right at pa and left leg forward style." The feet are in the same position as in the Wendell Baker setting, bnt his arms are reversed. The supporters | of this method claim that no half swing of the arms is necessary, for p full swing when the pistol goes off will be found to be in complete harmony with the motion of the legs. In this style the front foot is never stepped forward with and the back foot moves first with a goodsized stride. Few athletes use this style, but those who have tried it say that after becoming at home with the movements they have found a great deal of merit in it. There is no denying that from the first there is complete harmony between the swing of the arms and the stride of the legs, and one reason why the style is not more used may be on account of its being new. Trainers as a rule teach styles in athletic games which they have practised themselves, and as this method of starting is comparatively new there is hardly anyone qualified _ to show it oorrectly. This' may account for its not being developed. Its supporters are but a drop in the bucket. In this style, when the pistol is fired, the right arm is swung way back, the left arm forward, and a stride taken with the right leg. It will ba seen that this is the exact motion of the arms and legs whan the athlete is in full running, and on theory the style should be good. W. C. Downs, the quarter-mile champion runner «f America, starts in this way, but he is not considered an especially fast starter. His races ate generally longer than sprinting distances and quick starting with him is not so important as the running itself. Until this style is used by men who make fast sprinting records nothing definite can be said as to how it compares with the ordinary way, but several fast professional sprinters are of the opinion that if an athlete will master it thoroughly he will find it better than the ordinary way. ....... .. ... Before dropping the subject of starting it will be well to call attention to the habit of becoming unsteady or overbalanced while standing on the mark waiting for the pistol. The remark "One is unsteady," is of common occurrence where the starting is either poor or there are novices among the contestants. It is caused by

a competitor leaning over so far while setting that he cannot fail to fall over or step in front of the scratch line to prevent falling on his face. It is a starter's business, after he orders the men to get set, to hold them on their marks until all are still. Novices have a tendency, in place of holding themselves rigid and waiting for the pistol, to gradually lean over very slowly, getting nearer to the ground every second, until finding that it is impossible to keep a balance they either run right off, in the hope that the report of the pistol will follow, or they endeavour to save themselves from stepping over by lifting the back leg and gesticulating with their arms.

When an athlete does this the starter, if he knows his business, will order all the contestants to stand up, and then he orders them to set again. It is often seen that one contestant is perfectly steady, while the other is just the reverse. The steady one should keep hie patience irrespective of what may be transpiring a few feet from him, and hold himself in readiness to run when he hears the pistol. The majority of sprinters find it difficult to stand steady when others may be causing considerable delay and bother ; but continued practice will enable one who really wishes to learn to stand perfectly still, always being ready to run, no matter what ba going on around him. Very often when athletes know that an incompetent pistol firer has charge of them no' attempt is made to hold the mark, and all their thoughts and energies are bent on beating the pistol. When athletics were nob on the sound basis they now occupy it was a most common occurrence to see half a dozen competitors runoff simultaneously, apparently with no signal being given. The trnth of the matter was that they had, after bein? told to get ready, been watching each othei. knowing that the starter was auite likely to \, ■■> unable to hold them, and when one moved others followed so as not to be left. A really competent pistol firer, even as late as six years ago, was almost unheard of in this country, and one reason why so few athletes of to-day, even though present athletic performances are generally superior to the old ones, can approach the many old-time fast sprint records is on account of the starting of to-day at most important games being what it should be. Half a dozen years ago beating the pistol was such a common occurrence that an athlete was considered very slow if he did not do it; nothing was thought of it, and the press would seldom comment on it. Amateurs have become thoroughly educated in the difference between fair and unfair starting, and a beat of the pistol nowadays is generally heralded wherever tbe games at which the occurrence took place are mentioned.

The running part of sprinting consists simply in striding as rapidly as possible. No effort should be made to take a long stride ; simply step oat naturally. Fay no attention to keeping your head np or down, for such points will adjust themselves. Let your arms take a natural couree and swing at will. Go_ on the principle that sprinting consists simply in developing tbe muscles of the legs, co that they will bound with more vigour at each stride. Running at his best Baker's motion is very easy. He is capable of striding 7ft Bin or 7ft 9in, and has shown speed at the rate of 200 yds in 20aec. He is an ideal type of a runner, so far as style^ is concerned. In build he is more slender than the general run of sprinters. He stands sft llin tall, and weighs 1381b in running trim. Comparing his physique with H. M. Johnson's, the difference of bulk can be seen at a glance. Baker's record for 100 yds is lOiec. Johnson's is 9*4-ssec,but the latter was a professional runner. He died last summer of peritonitis. He had a wonderful physique, stood 6ft tall, and weighed 1851b in running trim. He did not travel in the smooth way that characterises Baker, but more like a succession of thrusts with the legs. His running impressed one with, the idea of a large, heavy machine propelling itself along ; Baker, on the other hand, glides. Luther Cary finished 110 yds in 11 l-ssee last fall. In build Cary is nothing remarkable, standing sft 9in tall, and weighing 1331b. His strides measure about If fc shorter than Baker's, and about 6ia. shorter than Johnson's, but compared with those of Frederick Westing, the present 220 yds amateur champion runner of America, they are long. Cary has rather a laboured style of running, bat he is very fast. It was claimed thbt last fall ho ran at Princeton lOOjds in 9§sec, but the Amateur Athletic Union rejected the record, and the. probabilities ara the inexperience of the timers accounted for the fast figures. Cary was heaten by John Owen, Jan., only lft for the 100 yds amateur championship of America last fall, and Westing was about a similar distance behind Cary. The time returned was 9 4-ssee, the best amateur record in the world, and these three men are without doubt — for this distance — the fastest amateurs in America. Westing is only sft sJin tall, and weighs in condition 1271b. His strides are in the neighbourhood of only 6ft, but he puts them in so rapidly that his speed is tremendous. He won the 220 yds championship, j which was ran around a tarn, in 22jsec, defeating both Owen and Cary, although the former was only lft behind. The time is most meritorious, for the best American amateur record for this distance, made on a straightaway track by Baker, is 22seo. Owen ie a fine sample of a sprinter, weighing about the same as Westing, bat standing several inches taller. He acts in a business-way when on the mark, and runs with great strength. He strides in the neighbourhood of 7ft, and has a smooth action for a strong runner. He is the only amateur who holds a 9 4-ssec record for 100 yds, and only two other men, Johnson and Bethuae, both professionals, have equalled this time. Previous to last championship day 10 amateurs held the best record for 100 yds, lOsec. Nine of these performances were made in America and one in England, but Owen's performance erased all these .names from the record slate, and he now stands as the premier amateur 100 yds runner of the world. It will be seen by the description of the phyBique of these fast runners that it \a useless to judge by the bnild of a man what his capabilities should be at sprinting ; any athlete possessing more than the usual amount of nerve and muscular force can with practise make a fast sprinter. When practising for sprinting anywhere from a half to a dozen starts should be taken. These consist in setting and then running off for 30, 40, or 50 yards, varying the distance. A little wait should be taken between each start, so as to allow the heart and lungs to get rested. If an athlete tries too many starts he will feel it in a few days by being able to show no speed and by having the muscles of the legs continually sore. One should study himself to determine how many starts he may take at each practice. End each practice by taking a couple of spins for 100 yds, and if practice for 220 yds is wanted run that distance several times a week. An occasional race with other athletes is very good, although many of these tend more to tire one than to do good. Hard work should never be taken continuously, and although the temptation may be to ran as hard as possible in practice, still this most be avoided. Every move should be made with the feeling that you can do juot ft little more if you try. Continually exerting one's self in practice will leave nothing

for the competition. If yon make it a point to keep fresh in practice you will find you can use plenty of effort for the race.