Hints for Athletic Training.

Observer, Volume X, Issue 620, 15 November 1890, Page 11

Hints for Athletic Training.

In view of the forthcoming- Championship Meeting: to be held in Auckland, I have decided to publith a few notes a 8 a Pfaido to afchlHtio training. The information eontaiiiod therein has been culled from the best pos.-ible Kourcps, and I meroly mention th« <a.oh to dis-ipate any false impression which mi^hc pain currency. Of course, iv laying down a scale, too much stress cannot be paid to circarastancjs, ana climatic modifications may have to be taken into consideration. However, much valuable information can be obtained from printed notes. No runuer should commence training without placing himself under the guidance of some well-known and competent trainer. Having secured a good man to act as ' guide, philosopher and friend,' the young aspirant must unhesitatingly place himself under his care and await developments; before finally deciding upon what distance he ehould go for. Very often young fellows make a great

mistake in selecting distances for which they are physically unsuited ; and then, again, careful training may be of great assistance in arriving at a decision. The preliminaries satisfactorily dippoeed of, the runner has now to turn his attention to the tiresome work of preparing himself to become • fit. 1 Early rising is generally insisted upon, but the hour for turning oat should depend in a great measure upon what the novice has been accustomed to,or injurious) effects may result. Prior to leaving home, the runner should take some slight refreshment, such as an egg beaten up in a glass of sherry, or by sucking a raw egg and eating a biscuit. Should this not be available, a orußt of stale bread and half a glass of fresh milk will answer the purpose equally as well. On leaving the house, a brisk walk or gentle trot should be made to the training ground, where a little exercise may b« indulged in. If sprint running is the object in view, where a quick, dashing start is desired, all that need be done is to try short spurts of thirty or forty yards. The following information is culled from an old Melbourne paper, and I give it publicity now, as many men are preparing for the coming sports : — ' On attaining something like form, praotice should be made of ' bursting ' and ' slackening ; ' that is, rushing at top speed ! for twenty yards, and then easing off ; and this should be repeated during the run. Generally speaking, too much work must be avoided, and if, after a fair trial, an athlete discovers he cannot stand running at all so early in the day, he should confine his morning's exercise to a steady walk of about two miles", sufficient to put him in a nice glow, aud give him an appetite for breakfast Do not let him imagine that, because he cannot have his run, therefore i there is no necessity for going out at all. The early walk in the fresh morDing air will do wonders towards improving his form, aad though at first, if unaccustomed to early rising, he may find it requires some strength of purpose to carry the practice out, ho must not cease from using every exertion towards this object. Let every athlete pruard against sloth, and treat it as his bitterest enemy. Never hesitate on awakening to arise immediately and go out, for once commence to consider or dally with any lazy feeling 1 , and the danger of healthy morning exercise being lost incre ises every moment. ' Practice for Short Distances. — It would be perhaps advisable, before proceeding with the above subject, to call attention to the proper amount of time that should elapse after a meal before any hard exercise i>3 taken. To draw a strict line upon this point is impossible, as natures differ materially as regards the conditions of body under which they can best undergo fatigue. A man in the happy possession of a good digestion can take his exercise at a much earlier hour than the unfortunate owner of a bad one ; and thin, wiry men are generally able to comaiene sooner than their stouter brethern. In determining, therefore, the exact time the practice should be done, the state of the stomach must be carefully con sidered ; and this should vary according to the length of the course to be | traversed, astonishing are the different j results of this analysis of temperament, constitution, and exercise, that it would i not be difficult to find six athletes who, after having dived together, would take their practice afe such different tima3 after that meil as to cause three hours to e-'apse between the work of the first and that of the last. Therefore, in naming ai>y particular time for an athlete to commence exercise, I put it forward for his general guidance, leaving him to n^e bis own judgment in curtailing or lengthening such time. ' A sprint race should be run whilst the stomach is strong and free from any feeling of void ; consequently, about a conple of hours after a meal a move should be made towards work. From two to three hoars and a half should elapse after a meal if thf d stance to be run is under <500 yar.is, but beyond that distance at least three and a half hours should pass. The t-horter the course is, and where strength rather than wind is required, the less time nsed be allowed for digestion, and vice versa. Should it ever ex'cur that by some unforeseen circumstances a later hour has arrived than that at which it was firgr, intend«d to go out, anii the stomach has not been able to receive uny support since tlie-la?.t meal, it will be much belter to leave the practice undone Altogether than to risk the chance of doing a serious injury to the system.' (To be continued.)

At Sheffield, veoently, the secretary of a Bootma^erH 1 Union wrote to the employer of a boot finisher named Andrews, who is not a member of the Union, n.nd described him as a ' tcab.' He further threatened to turn out the whole of the firm's, men unless Andrews was discharerecl. Dischartfftd he was ; but on Saturday the jury gave him .£3OO dimages a» against the secretary for the slander contained in tb* u«e of the word * noab.' *-:-.