WHAT MAKES THE SPRINTER?

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 59

WHAT MAKES THE SPRINTER?

AIrtERICAISr "VIEW OF BRITISH TRACK ATHLETICS. '{By Arthur F^ Duffey, in C. B. Fry's Magazine.) . ".There are many differences between the English public and the American in the matter of amateur athletics, and if one looks into the matter the reason is not hard ta find. To bsgin with, the English as a natica hare always manifested an interest in all manner of sports-— not partrcularly such sports as test the individual, so much as the more purely personal pleaeases of fox-hunting, horse-racing, and the ffgsfc. From the latter pastime the public,,

j so long- accustomed to wagering money, i has come to legard a race as a race, whether between horses or men, amateurs or professionals : and outside betting at athletic games, especially in England, is almost a general practice. That this should have a tendency to take sprinting and running out of its proper sphere cannot be doubted, and that it cannot fail to have a harmful effect both from an ethical and from a practical point of view needs little demonstration. In America they live to the principle that interest in sport for its own sake is of paramount importance. *iid anything that works agaicst this principlo works against athletio purity. To be sure, we borrowed our ideas of college athletics largely from England's universities. But while the majority of the best amateur atliletes in America — the men who have made and broken records — have been developed from our colleges and universities, in England we find just the contrary conditions prevailing, and $ie holders' of the English records are not j usua-lly representatives of its great universities, but men developed from athletic clubs and public gymnasiums. The "spoHingr" element, so called, has little in common with amateur athletics in America, and the general public is only just aeguiringr its taste for athnetic games. But _in England^ as I -have said, the colleger seem to haw- the minor part, and ■the general public, perhaps, takes a more active, but by no means a more assthetic, interest than the busy population of America. I would not say. however, that college ■ athletics in England have degenerated. It ' is only arocher evidence of America taking hold of a good thing and improving on it. We are quick> aggressive, and to the point;. England is slow, methodical, and long-winded. In a word, we are sprinters, " while the English, aie longdistance runners; and this comparison is as true in fact as- it is in fancy. Why does not England produce faster men fior the short distances-? I think that one reason lies in the methods of training employed here. in Ajnesioa training "does not mean hard, exhaustive, muscular work ea much as. judicious diet, absolute cars of the general ■ health., and. especially of the nervous sys* : tern, and work suited to tße mdfcvidual'a_ needs, instead! of iron-bound rules of exer-~ 1 cisc intended to- suit all cases. In England too' much attention, is paid to the muscular , work* and too little to the more important other .details, such as the diet and per- . sonal habits. Gnce I had an idea that , I would like to study medicine, and so I began to- read anatomy and ' physiology. However, before I- had mastered all that the books contained, I became convinced that! medicine was not -my forte, and I ; aTsandoned it, but jaot before I had learned [some thhrgs -that- were- of service to me t in. -training.-.- And "one* o£ these 1 things was ; that 'it is, the nervous system, and its I "control over kht> liauseles,. " that counts in " sprintingj. no# the size or hardness of a. ', man's muscles". . . "^Experiment has proven that -moderate, use-, of ,a muscle increases. £fca- ' nervous for.ee> and mokes, it respond to the- will ofita owner- with electrical rapidity^, while,, on -the other hand, exreessive- use- has -just the- opposite effect, ; arid ther nervous - force is all the quicker ' exhausted from its too great tension. Indigestion, or anything- affecting the general nervous system, like tobacco or ■ alcohol, will surely hive a harmful effect the response of muscles. And I think that one principal fault of the English system is the enormous- consumption of ■ meat. Meat in proper- proportions is es1 ssntial ; but -too much of ifc may disorder ' the stoaiaeh,. cause dyspepsia, and, by itsundoubted influence on the animal appetites, cause other serious losses of vitality , that axe particularly injurious to the nervous system. Wattes, is a qu*int old country, and I met some quaint characters there. One of themr--w*3 an athlete who got up at five o'clock W the morning of his race to train. To be sure he wasted a lot of time at night, said liked a few pints of ale to digest- his supper, so perhaps he trie*d to atone" for that by his early rising. He did enough work to lame a horse, and ate meat -like a cannibal, but, strange to say, hv? did aiot break any records. All of this I learnt from his own lips, for ha -came- to me for advice. When I told him to cut hig meat diet in half, to give up his. pipe and his ale, to do only one third as much work, and to go to bed afc 10 and sleep till 7, he looked at me in amazement. Xt was what in America would be called a "quit-your kidding" expression. I ani afraid that my' programme took his breath away; he thanked me and went away, but I doubt very much if he followed, my. advice. Part of it was too hard,, and the rest of it tco easy for him. Besides, ife upset his cherished traditions, and tradition is almost as sacred as religion in Great" Brjtain. There are several reasons for the superiority of the English runners in the longer distances, but I am of the opinion that, as a nation, temperament has much to do with it. What the Americans accomplish they accomplish in a hurry. It was a " dash " • that won San Juan Hill, and ihe average American is reared in an atmosphere of hurry and bustle. Sut so the Englishman. He is the son of his father in every way. and he holds to the principle that hurry begets worry, and that time and perseverance are all that are necessary to win success in any walk — or run — of life. And this inherent national trait counts for much in the development of the dogged powers of endurance which are so essential in longdistance running, and which the American runners do not seem to possess in as high a degree as our English cousins. Another point, and one not to b© despised, is that our American runners pay much more attention to style in running than the English. The good American runner is rsually a picture of saa^e when in motion, but it is undoubtedly a loss of energy to maintain this graceful poiss all through a mile or two-mile race. The British athlete pays very little attention to style of running a distance, and this actually seems to be an advantage to him — for it is mighty poor consolation to be "a thing of beauty and a joy for ever," and lose the race as a penalty for your, gracefulness. It is a mistake to suppose that the big gymnasia and elaborate indoor apparatus used in America make the American sprinter. As a matter of fact, the indoor gymnasium has very littlo to do with the development of a sprinter. Th~e value of pure fresh air and sunlight cannot be overrated. There are few runIx6X3 who do any indoor trailing who will

not tell you that they feel much better when their outdoor work begins. Indoor work may develop stamina, but the sprinter must get the energy that clips fractions off the' ten-second mark from the blue sky. and the fresh air, and the warm sunlight. The enthusiast who follows up records will bear me out in this; for most good records for the 100 yds and 60yds dashes have been made at a time of the year when outdoor exercise was the rule. It will bo urged against me that some men are faster in the dashes on an indoor than on an outdoor track. But this does not disprove my contention. For I think that a man who is fast on an indcor track would be much faster if he devoted a sufficient amount of time and attention to his outdoor exercise.

Anything that will . mako a man feel stronger and more vigorous must be a valuable adjunct in training. Therefore I ?m convinced that the sunlight and fresh air of outdoor training are factors of the greatest importance in stirring up energy in the runner.

I have often b&en asked what method of training I use, and have been urged to reveal the "secret" of such success as I have had in running. There is no secret lhat I know of. and I do not believe that my method of training differs in any very important feature from that of hundred' of other runners But there is no doubt that while in training the most important thing is a. man's personal habits. Regular and sufficient sleep, avoidance of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in any form, and, in a word, the exclusion of every form of even the mildest dissipation, are the first requisites of getting into form. Then comes the diet. A happy medium should be struck between the vegetable and the meat food, and all foods over-rich in starch and sugar should be tabooed, as well as anything that does not agree with the rndhidual's digestiyi, no matter what it may he. Th^n ns to the exercise proper I would say, first of all, develop the start % learn to. start properly, with the least possible effort, and a great deal has been accomplished. After that comes the development of the stride, and intelligent work wiU accomplish wonders in that direction. Breathing exercises must not be neglected. " And the greatest danger of all to the beginner — that is, tiring the muscles by overwork — mnst be avoided. Last, and by no means, least, is the importance of the bath and massage. Nothing restores fatigued muscle to its normal condition so effectively as intelligent massage, and a good "rubber" is a pleasure to the amateur' athlete.

Training properly conducted should' not be an ordeal to be feared, but a process that brings out all that is best in the physical man^ and stores up a reserve force of vigour tfra* is, more or less, completely under the control of whoever tracts faithfully and intelligently. It is this control of- vigour that distinguishes ihe properly trained • man from . the- over-trained one." The man. who is over-trained expends his vigour and vitality rashly; it is not absolutely under his control, and he uses up--more energy to make his muscles respond than is necessary. The result is that he fatigues rapidly, while the carefully trained man. can economise his strength, holding ib cornplef-ely tinder his command, and liberating his reserve store for the final spurt that counts for victory. Science is only the highest form of common sense, and the man who would train scientifically must first of all train sensibly.

All yonug men are more or less interested in: athletics, either on the football field, the water, or the cinder path; nearly all of them have ambition to excel in some sort of manly sport. It is chiefly to the younger generation that I address these hints on training, gathered from my own personal experience during my athletic career, which began during my schoolboy days. Only the trained and successful athlete really appreciates the hardships, self-denial, and persistent work which are necessary before one "can literally come to the front in athletic sports, particularly in sprinting.

No hard and fast rules can be laid down for building up the body and' training it for athletics. No two constitutions or bodies ara- alike ; eaoh individual requires a different treatment. Each must exercise and train to suit his own physical requirements and capabilities. But, in. any case, elementary training: must begin long before the more vigorous course required to prepare oneself for public performance or championship form. To the beginner in sprint running I would say that simple but strict rules must bo followed, and a regular life led. Rise early, takj a cold or tepid bath, and a hard rub down. Eat plain and wholesome food.' Never over-exert yourself. Early to bed every night. Such is the simple regimen that will put any boy or man in fair condition preliminary to a regular couise of training. Begin by jogging about a mile or two across country in the morning at an easy pace, keeping this up for two or three weeks, and always take a good rub down whfcn yovt return home. After iHs preliminary work in ths morning, take a rest ; and during the day use chtst weights, or dumbbells, fot" developing the arms, chest, and shoulder muscles.

As in running, begin these- exercises gently, gradually increasing the violence and length of duration when you find you can do so without fatigw. Never overtire yourself in any way. Take a brisk walk before going to bed', and retire early.

After a course of about tHree weeks as given above you will find your muscles toned up, your lungs in good condition, and your whole body so evenly developed that you will b& in proper shape for training.

Having gotten your body into condition to under go a strict and rigorous course, begin by running sprints of 50yds or 60yds for a week, running the distance about five times at almost your top speed. The afternoon is the best time for this ; and her© I may way that I have always tried to do- my training as near the hour at which my race is to be run as possible. My reason for- this- is that the body, when you toe the mark on the day of the race, ought not to have a longer or shorter time of "daily life" than, on an ordinary day. A training day should be like a race day.

Dr Arkle, of St. Thomas's Hospital, London, who has been deerstalking at Lake Wanaka, is enthusiastic over the excellent sport he obtained, and speaks well of the inducements that ptago offers to sportsmen. He secured six heads — one 13-pointer, two 12-pomters,, and three 10-pointers.