The morning call., 1893-07-16
ATHLETIC.
Knack of Starting Quickly-hints to


Now that the athletes OF the Pacific Coast
Amateur Athletic Association will soon com
mence to train for the field-day meetings and
Championship games, a few items on how 10
start, by John COrpin, a famous Eastern ath-
lete, IN Outing, will be read with much interest,"
no doubt. He says:
starting in track athletics Is the knack of
getting away quickly after the report OF the
pistol. The importance Of quick start Is we'll
recognized among first.class athletes. and many
instances could be given where start has won
a race.
"The best of these Is the race in which John
Owen Jr. beat Luther Cary making the worlds
record for 100 yards In 8 40 seconds. Here
Owen was three or four feet In lhe lead In the
first few strides, but led by only foot at the
finish. Had the two been equally good starters,
Cary would be the present worlds champion.
OF the various qualities that go 10 mahe the
successful starter. one OF the most important is
a ready mind though have seldom seen this
commented on. The time required 10 obey sig
nails varies in individuals. For several years
past German psychologists have busted them.
selves with measuring this, ana at present
series OF tests OF QuicKness is being made upon
the students of Harvard College.
differences Of four oDe-hundredthS of a sec
Ond between individuals are not rare, anc this
in a ten-secOnd dash is equal 10 fourteen inches.
Accordingly in the race above referred to be-
tween Owen and Cary mere difference In
quickness of mind would be sufficient TO ac-
count for Cary's defeat
The first care OF a starter. therefore, should
be that his mind works with utmost speed.
The experiments referred 10 show thar the
muscles react most quickly TO impressions OF
sound, less quickly to those OF touch and less
quickly 10 those OF sight.
The oIdtdevice OF dropping hands erchief
before starter is accordingly the worst posi-
Die, ana the present pistol shot the best. 1t
appears also that the reaction time varies with
The loudness OF the report. Where pistol Is
not to be used the noise should still be sharp
ana loud. Clap TWO chest-weight irons together.
or II the word gO' Is used il should be as short
and as sharp as possible.
Wnen awaiting Tor the signal the starter
snoulu concentrate his mind on the report,
forgetting everything else. He should not,
however, lose selfcontrol in the intensity of
anticipation, Tor any chance sound Is often
enough TO start an athlete before the pistol
sbot ana the penalty he then suffers is to be
set back a yard behind the rest series Of
short dashes, from five TO nfteen yards as the
gymnasium permits, should be a part of every
days exercise, Tor only by constant practice is
the height OF steadlness and mental alert
ness acquired. Let the starter. therefore,
take daily practice In getting away
from the scratch. Mr.. Lathrop, he Har-
ward instructor In athletics puts his
sprnters through 4 series of ten.yard dasnes
every day OF tile winter training and not only
are these The pleasanfest and most exhiaratfug
part of the work. but the most Profitable His
starters have for years won large majority of
the prizes in all indoor MEETINGS. Yet this ex-
erciSe can, like all others, be easily Overdone
light as it Is. Five or SIX heats a day are
enough for any man; and before race, work
should be gradually lessened for three or four
DAYS day or Two of rest will often give
better results than exercise.
1.-The Style or posture IN starting varies with
almost every athlete, yet all divergeucies
group themselves under three general types:
The SPECIALIZED rheorelical' start, the Sheffield
or professional start. and the 'studeuts' or
crouching start. OF these the first two are
erecI, but In the last the athlete springs from
all fours
'In the theoretical start either right or lef
foot may be forward OH the scratch; but the
opposite hand is always 10 the 'front.' THUS, if
the starter puts his left foot forward and his
right back, the right nand Is forward and the
left back. This start. 1t was once maintained,
presents the relative positions which the arms
ana rs always occupy when the atnlete
Is running, and is, therefore the position
from which lie can most easily spring
in'O a race. But experience has shown
that in a spriDting start the normal
motions of arms aud legs are not attained until
the second or third stride, and that thus noth,
ing Is gained by starting from The fhe0retical
posture. In a distance race, however run.
ner may fall Into his swing from the hrst, and
the theoretical start is there perhaps best.
In tile Sheffield start both right arm ana
right leg, or left arm and left leg, may be
forward. Suppose. for instance, that the
leit leg and arm are forward. The force of
single push is not enough 10 throw The
starter forward full stride, and the result
Is that the right foot Is daDbed' yard be-
yond the scratch. The arms, meanwhile, do