9¼secs.]
PRACTICAL TRAINING
FOR
RUNNING, WALKING, ROWING,
WRESTLING,
BOXING, JUMPING,
AND
ALL KINDS OF ATHLETIC FEATS;
TOGETHER WITH
TABLES OF PROPORTIONAL MEASUREMENTS
FOR HEIGHT AND WEIGHT OF MEN
IN AND OUT OF CONDITION;
INCLUDING
HINTS ON EXERCISE, DIET, CLOTHING, AND
ADVICE TO TRAINERS;
ALSO,
BANTING’S SYSTEM OF REDUCING CORPULENCY,
AND
RECORD OF FAST ATHLETIC PERFORMANCES.
BY
ED. JAMES,
AUTHOR OF “MANUAL OF SPORTING RULES,” “THE GAME COCK,”
“TERRIER DOGS,” ETC., ETC.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY ED. JAMES, 88 & 90 CENTRE STREET,
NEW YORK CLIPPER BUILDING.
1877.
Price Fifty Cents.
_Twenty-fourth Edition._
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878,
BY ED. JAMES,
in the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.
PREFACE.
Notwithstanding that so many books have been written on PHYSICAL
CULTURE, there still remained a large field to be covered--hence the
publication of the present volume. Great care having been taken in its
compilation, we feel confident that the work will be in every sense
of the word practical; so that those who desire may follow whatever
their fancy prefers in athletic sports, in a creditable manner. In
our opinion, the general usefulness of the book could in no way be
improved upon; but, in order to be thoroughly posted in the laws
governing athletic contests, the “MANUAL OF SPORTING RULES,” as a
companion to this work, will be found very beneficial. The table of
Proportional Measurements, according to height and weight, will form
a good guide for the athlete as to his special muscular development.
Banting’s System of Reducing Corpulency, though not exactly intended
for training purposes, is not to be despised, containing, as it does,
much interesting and reliable information, on the subject of diet
especially. To complete the treatise, and in order to prove what can be
done by man when in proper physical condition, we add a record of the
best athletic performances.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTORY PAGE 5
Advice to Trainers 7
Training for Pedestrianism 10
Sleep 14
Clothing 14
Time and Duration of Training for Running 15
Sprint Running 16
Quarter and Half Mile Running 18
One Mile Running and upwards 18
Hurdle Racing 18
Hints In, Before, and After the Race 19
Training Practice, Fair Walking, etc. 20
High Jumping 23
Broad Jumping 24
Hammer Throwing 25
Putting the Stone 26
Training for Rowing, etc. 27
Training for Long Distance Contests 36
Training for Base Ball 42
Advice to Business Men and others 43
The late John Morrissey’s Views 49
Training in Regard to Pugilism and Wrestling 51
Principal Muscles used by the Athlete 52
Temperament 54
Growth and Decay 55
Meats, etc., to be Avoided 57
Natural Sweating 58
Artificial Sweating 58
Sweating Liquors 58
Treatment of the Feet, Hands, Sinews, etc. 58
Soft Corns 60
Hard Corns 60
Hardening the Flesh 60
Bunions 60
Boils 60
Strains 60
Sprains 60
Chapped Hands, etc. 60
Blisters 60
Exercise, Sun Baths, etc. 61
Baths--Hot, Cold, etc. 62
Thirst, Medicine, etc. 64
Weight as Proportional to Height 64
Weight when in Condition for Athletic Feats 65
Banting on Corpulency 65
Record of Best Athletic Performances 68
PRACTICAL TRAINING.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
[_According to_ CHARLES WESTHALL, _a physician, as well as one of
England’s greatest pedestrians_.]
Pedestrianism, from its being the basis and principal agent in securing
a thorough and perfect training to all who may have, from choice or
necessity, to undergo a great amount of physical exertion, may be
considered the chief feature in the preparation of men for all contests
in which great strength, speed, and wind may be required. From this
point of view the science of walking will be treated in the present
work; for whether a man may have entered in an engagement to run, walk,
jump, swim, row, or box, no training can be thoroughly accomplished
until the athlete has undergone a certain amount of exercise on foot,
and reduced his superfluous weight to such an extent that he can follow
up his peculiar forte with fair chance of improvement, or at least so
that he may not have to stop short from sheer want of wind or strength.
Pedestrianism, which has before been stated to be more or less
indispensable to the man undergoing preparation, from its healthful and
beneficial effect upon the human frame, is of most vital importance
in keeping the required equable balance which should exist in every
constitution, whether robust or otherwise. Good training is as
requisite to any man who wishes to excel, as it is to the thoroughbred
race-horse. A man who is fleshy and obese might as well attempt to
compete with a well-trained man as the race-horse that has been fed
for a prize-show to again enter the lists with his highly-prepared and
well-trained contemporaries. A man may be endowed with every requisite
in health, strength, muscle, length, courage, bone, and all other
qualifications; but if untrained, these qualifications are of no value,
as, in every instance, a man or horse, well-trained, of much inferior
endowments, has always under the circumstances proved the victor. Good
condition, which is the term used by trainers to indicate the perfect
state of physical power to which the athlete has arrived, is one of
the greatest safeguards to his health; as, in many instances, severe
and long-continued exertion when unprepared has had an injurious and
continuous effect on the constitution, and, in some few but fortunately
almost isolated cases, produced almost instant death. These few words
are not alone intended for the man who has to compete, but for a
great portion of mankind, who go through the regular routine of life
day after day, their business being sometimes performed with apathy,
and the remainder of their time passed in excessive smoking, eating,
drinking, sleeping, sitting, or any small pet vice to which they may
be addicted. That such a man can undergo the same process of training
as the professional who has an engagement to perform some arduous
task against time or a fleet antagonist, we do not ask or expect--his
occupation would not allow the same time; but the assertion that he
would perform his allotted duties with more pleasure to himself and
more satisfaction to all concerned if he were to submit to undergo a
partial training, is a truth that ought to be tested by all who have
any regard for continued good health. Were this system carried out
to even a small extent, the physician would have cause to lament the
decline of his practice, and the advertising quack become a nonentity.
As a proof how necessary training is considered by the professional,
it is only requisite to ask any _pedestrian_ of note for his candid
opinion to satisfy the most incredulous. The higher in the pedestrian
grade the man may be to whom the question may be put the better, in
consequence of his having gone through the whole performance, from
novicehood upwards; and, in every instance, it will be found that
more than one of his defeats will be attributed to want of condition
(proper training) arising from neglect of work or other causes, such as
carelessness in diet, want of practice, and, in some instances, from
the neglect of the precepts attempted to be inculcated by his trainer.
Most of the above mistakes have arisen from overweening confidence
in his own powers, or from underrating his adversaries’ abilities.
However willing and thoughtful he may have been, these _contretemps_
have almost invariably been the fate of all our leading athletes, not
only in the pedestrian circle, but in the ring, on the water, and in
all sports in which a great lead has ever been taken by man. He will
inform the querist that he will require from a month to two months for
his preparation, and if he has been out of practice for some time,
even more--thus showing to the dullest intellect the requisite time
and attention needed; for if a man who has shone pre-eminent in the
sphere he has chosen for his exertions, and has had the benefit of
previous trainings, must again undergo the same ordeal as heretofore,
a man totally untrained must at least require the same preparation, as
well as a greater amount of practice, to fully develop his particular
forte as a pedestrian. To sum up in a few words, training is a complete
system of diet and exercise duly carried out and strenuously adhered
to. From the mode of life which almost all lead, the health becomes
impaired, and the only remedy will be discovered by him who follows
the principle of training in some form or other, the more simple the
better. That the same system of training will suit all constitutions,
it would be absurd folly to advance; or that the same amount of work
and strictness of diet is requisite for a man about to run a race of
one hundred and twenty yards, as for a struggle of an hour’s duration,
would be equally preposterous. Nevertheless, the groundwork of training
arises from the benefits derived from regular diet and steady exercise.
Training will bring out all the hitherto latent powers of the athlete,
raising the man who has previously been considered almost a nonentity
into public notice, the one of mediocre calibre into the first rank,
and thoroughly develop the excellencies, etc., of the first-class
proficient to an extent that will not only surprise himself, but his
associates and long-tried friends and backers.
[Illustration: CHARLES ROWELL, Champion Long-distance Pedestrian of the
World.]
[Illustration: WILLIAM GALE, who walked 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000
consecutive 10 minutes.]
TRAINING is the process of getting a man who has to perform any
muscular feat from a state of obesity and almost total incapability
into a perfect state of health, which is shown by the great increase
of strength, activity, wind, and power to continue great exertion and
pace to the extent of his endowments. It is this acquired power which
enables the pedestrian to persevere in his arduous task, apparently
in despite of nature, which, but for his thorough preparation, would
have long before been utterly prostrate. So much is depending on, and
so many results accruing to the efficiency of the trainer, that a few
words of friendly advice to that official will not be out of place; for
although the veteran has learned the precepts given below by heart,
yet there is always a beginning to all occupations. As a rule, a great
pedestrian is not qualified at the outset of his career as a trainer
to undertake the care of most men, in consequence of there being a
leaven of the remembrance of the manner in which he went through his
work, etc., which will in most instances render him less tolerant
than is requisite to the man of mediocre talent. Another difficulty
is to find one with sufficient education and forethought to be able
to study the different constitutions of the men under his rule. The
above are only a few of the objections; but all are of consequence, so
much depending upon the treatment of the man independent of his daily
routine of exercise and diet. The man who goes first into training
is like an unbroken colt, and requires as much delicate treatment.
The temper of the biped ought to be studied as carefully as that of
the quadruped, so that his mind can be carefully prepared for his
arduous situation, which is one of abstinence, and in some cases total
deprivation, which always tries the patience and frequently the temper
of the competitor, who in these cases should be encouraged by word
and example, showing that the inconveniences he is undergoing are but
the preliminary steps to the attainment of that health, strength, and
elasticity of muscle which have caused so many before him to accomplish
almost apparent impossibilities. Such a trainer is worth a hundred
of those who have no judgment in the regulation of the work which a
man may take without in any way making him anxious to shun his duty
or to turn sullen. Let the trainer bear in mind and always remember
that a fit of ill-temper is as injurious to the man in training as any
other excess. In many instances, from a supposed well-founded cause of
complaint, a continued civil war has arisen in the cabinet, which has
not been quelled, perhaps, until the dissension has had a very serious
effect in destroying the pedestrian’s confidence in his trainer’s
capabilities and temper, as well as throwing back the trained man most
materially in his advance towards condition. Nevertheless, the mentor
should be firm in his manner, intelligible in his explanations, and
by no means bigoted in his favorite notions respecting the use of any
particular medicine or “nostrum” which he may think may be requisite to
the welfare of his man. The trainer, of course, is known or supposed
to be of sterling integrity, and having the welfare of his man as
his first aim; and on this in a great measure depends the monetary
interests of the man and his backers. We are sorry to have to mention
that such a man is requisite as a trainer, but consider it necessary
to mention it, as, if the trainer is not honest, and has not his heart
in the well-doing of his man, all the pains taken by the pedestrian
would be nullified and rendered of no avail. The trainer must be
vigilant night and day, never leave his man, and must act according to
his preaching, and be as abstemious, or nearly so, as his man, whom
it is his duty to encourage in improvement, to cheer when despondent,
and to check if there are at any time symptoms of a break-out from the
rules laid down--but at all times he must, by anecdote, etc., keep the
mind of his man amused, so that he may not brood over the privations
he is undergoing. Let the trainer not forget that cleanliness is one
of the first rules to be attended to, and that the bath can hardly
hurt his man in any season if only due precautions be observed, always
bearing in mind that it is a preventive instead of a provocative to
colds, catarrhs, and the long list of ills attendant upon a sudden
chill. The duration of the bath is, of course, to be limited, and a
brisk rubbing with coarse linen cloths until the surface is in a glow
will always be found sufficient to insure perfect safety from danger.
Of course, the amount of medicine required by any man will depend
upon his constitution as well as the lowness of his nervous system,
in some cases there being no occasion to administer even a purgative.
But these are the times when the skill of the trainer is brought into
requisition, and if he knows his business he will in these instances
give his man stimulating and generous diet, until he is enabled to
undergo the necessary privations to get him into a proper state to
be called upon to work to get into condition. In no instance ought
he to allow his man to sweat during the days on which he has taken a
purgative, as in many instances men have been thrown back in their
preparation, or, as it is professionally termed, “trained off.” The
best test when all the superfluous flesh has been trained off by
sweating, by long walks or runs, as the case may be, is taken from the
fairness and brightness of the skin, which is a certain criterion of
good health. The quickness with which perspiration is dried on rubbing
with towels, sufficient leanness and hardness of the muscles, is also
the right test that reducing has been carried to the proper extent.
TRAINING FOR PEDESTRIANISM.
There being so many classes of individuals who may derive benefit
from training, each of whom have different modes of living, and whose
particular line of excellences are as different from each other as
light from dark, it must be patent to all that the same system carried
out to the letter would not have the same beneficial effect on all,
the more especially in the dietary system, which, in almost every
case, would require some change, as no two men have ever scarcely been
found to thrive equally well on a stereotyped rule. The pedestrian
alone comprises a class by itself, which is subdivided into as many
different ramifications as there are other sports and professions
that require severe training; therefore, as pedestrianism is the
groundwork of all training and all excellence in athletic games, it is
the intention to give the hints requisite for the man who is matched
to get himself sufficiently well in bodily health and bodily power to
undergo his practice with credit to himself and trainer, and justice
to his backers. In all engagements for large amounts there is almost
invariably a trainer engaged to attend to the man who is matched, who
is supposed to thoroughly understand his business; therefore these
few words are not intended for the guidance of those in the said
position, but for those who may wish to contend for superiority, for
honor, or small profit. The same amount of work and strict regimen is
not requisite for the sharp burst of a hundred yards or so, that it
is imperative on the trained man to undergo if in preparation for the
more arduous struggle of a mile’s duration; but, as stated before,
the theory of the practice is the same. Westhall found that the more
work he had taken at the commencement of his training, after having
undergone the requisite medical attention, the easier and better his
fast trials were accomplished when hard work was put on one side and
daily practice took place against a watch. Yet he, in pedestrian
language, could race up to a hundred and sixty yards, but not finish
two hundred properly--could run three hundred yards and a quarter of
a mile, but yet not be equally good at three hundred and fifty. The
same was found to be the case at the different distances up to a mile,
which is the farthest distance he had practiced. The first and primary
aim ought to be the endeavor to prepare the body by gentle purgative
medicines, so as to cleanse the stomach, bowels, and tissues from all
extraneous matter, which might interfere with his ability to undergo
the extra exertion it is his lot to take before he is in a fit state
to struggle through any arduous task with a good chance of success.
The number of purgatives recommended by trainers are legion, but the
simpler will always be found the best. A couple of anti-bilious pills
at night, and salts and senna in the morning, has answered every
purpose. It is reasonable, however, to suppose that anyone who has
arrived at sufficient years to compete in a pedestrian contest has
found out the proper remedies for his particular internal complaints.
The internal portion of the man’s frame, therefore, being in a healthy
condition, the time has arrived when the athlete may commence his
training in proper earnest; and if he be bulky, or of obese habit, he
has no light task before him. If he has to train for a long-distance
match, the preparation will be almost similar, whether for walking or
running. The work to be done depends very much on the time of year. In
the summer the man should rise at five in the morning, so that, after
having taken his bath, either shower or otherwise, there will have
been time for a slow walk of an hour’s duration to have been taken
before sitting down to breakfast--that is, if the weather be favorable;
but if otherwise, a bout at the dumb-bells, or half an hour with a
skipping-rope, swinging trapeze, or vaulting-bar, will be found not
unfavorable as a good substitute. Many men can do without having any
nourishment whatever before going for the morning’s walk, but these
are exceptions to the rule. Most men who take the hour’s walk before
breaking their fast feel faint and weak in their work after breakfast,
at the commencement of their training, and the blame is laid on the
matutinal walk; when, if a new-laid egg had been beaten in a good cup
of tea, and taken previous to going out, no symptom of faintness would
have been felt, although it is expected some fatigue would be felt
from the unwonted exertion. The walk should be taken at such a pace
that the skin does not become moist, but have a good healthy glow on
the surface, and the man be at once ready for his breakfast at seven
o’clock. The breakfast should consist of a good mutton chop or cutlet,
from half a pound upwards, according to appetite, with dry bread at
least two days old, or dry toast, washed down with a cup or two of
good tea (about half a pint in all), with but little and if possible no
milk. Some give a glass of old ale with breakfast, but it is at this
time of the day too early to introduce any such stimulant. After having
rested for a sufficient time to have allowed the process of digestion
to have taken place, the time will have arrived for the work to
commence which is to reduce the mass of fat which at this time impedes
every hurried action of the muscle and blood-vessel. This portion
of the training requires great care and thought, for the weight of
clothing and distance accomplished at speed must be commensurate with
the strength of the pedestrian. At the commencement of the work a sharp
walk of a couple of miles out, and a smart run home, is as much as will
be advisable to risk. On the safe arrival at the training quarters, no
time must be lost in getting rid of the wet clothes, when a thorough
rubbing should be administered, after which he should lay between
blankets, and be rubbed from time to time until the skin is thoroughly
dry. Most of the leading pedestrians of the day now, when they come
in from their run, divest themselves of their reeking flannels,
and jump under a cold shower-bath, on emerging from which they are
thoroughly rubbed down, which at once destroys all feeling of fatigue
or lassitude. In a few days the pedestrian will be able to increase his
distance to nearly double the first few attempts at a greater pace,
and with greater ease to himself. After again dressing, he must always
be on the move, and as the feeling of fatigue passes away he will be
anxiously waiting for the summons to dinner, which should come about
one o’clock, and which should consist of a good plain joint of the best
beef or mutton, with stale bread or toast, accompanied by a draught of
good sound old ale, the quantity of which, however, must be regulated
by the judgment of the trainer. It has been found of late years that
extreme strictness in all cases should be put on one side, and a small
portion of fresh vegetables allowed, such as fresh greens or potatoes;
and, in some instances, good light puddings have been found necessary
to be added to the bill of fare when the appetite, from severe work or
other causes, has been rendered more delicate than usual.
The continued use of meat and bread, unless the man has a wonderful
appetite and constitution, will once, if not more, in almost every
man’s training, pall upon his palate, when the trainer should at once
try the effect of poultry or game, if possible; but, at any rate,
not give the trained man an opportunity of strengthening his partial
dislike to his previous fare. In cases like these, the only wrong thing
is to persevere in the previous diet; for if a man cannot tackle his
food with a healthy appetite, how is it possible that he can take his
proper share of work? The quantity of ale should not exceed a pint,
unless there has been a greater amount of work accomplished in the
morning than usual, when a small drink of old ale at noon would be far
from wrong policy, and a good refresher to the imbiber. Wine in small
quantities is sometimes beneficial, but should not be taken at all when
malt liquors are the standard drink. If it is possible to do without
wine, the better. The chief thing in diet is to find out what best
agrees with the man, and which in most instances will be found to be
what he has been most used to previously.
[Illustration: CELEBRATED SINGLE-SCULL OARSMEN,
1. Chas. E. Courtney.
2. W. Ross.
3. Jas. H. Riley.
4. Ed. Trickett.
5. Ed. Hanlan.
6. E. C. Laycock.
7. Warren Smith.
8. J. Higgins.
9. W. Elliott.]
[Illustration: FRANK HART, Second Winner of the O’Leary Champion
American Belt.]
After a thorough rest of an hour’s duration, the pedestrian should
stroll about for an hour or two, and then, divesting himself of his
ordinary attire, don his racing gear and shoes, and practice his
distance, or, at any rate, some portion of the same, whether he is
training either for running or walking. This portion of the day’s
work must be regulated by the judgment and advice of the trainer, who
of course is the holder of the watch by which the athlete is timed,
and is the only person capable of knowing how far towards success the
trained man has progressed in his preparation. It is impossible for
the pedestrian to judge by his own feelings how he is performing or
has performed, in consequence of, perhaps, being stiff from his work,
weak from reducing, or jaded from want of rest. The trainer should
encourage his man when going through his trial successfully, but stop
him when making bad time, if he is assured the tried man is using the
proper exertion. The rule of always stopping him when the pedestrian
has all his power out, and yet the watch shows the pace is not “up
to the mark,” should never be broken; for the man who so struggles,
however game he may be, or however well in health, takes more of the
steel out of himself than days of careful nursing will restore. If
stopped in time, another trial may be attempted on the following day,
or, at any rate, the next but one. In a trial for a sprint race, which
of course must be run through to know the time, if the day is any way
near at hand, suppose a week or ten days off, total rest should be
taken the following day until the afternoon, when another trial should
take place, when a difference in favor of the pedestrian will in most
instances be found to have been accomplished. In Westhall’s experience
in sprint racing there has been invariably the above successful result.
Of course, after the trial a good hand rubbing should be administered,
and the work of the day be considered at an end. Tea-time will now
have arrived, and the meal should consist of stale bread or toast and
tea, as at breakfast, and, if the man has a good appetite, a new-laid
egg or two may be added with advantage. In the summer a gentle walk
will assist to pass away the time until bed-time, which should be at
an early hour. Before getting into bed another good rubbing should be
administered, and the man left to his repose, which will in most cases
be of the most sound and refreshing character.
SLEEP.
Of this eight hours is an outside limit, and from six to seven will
generally be found sufficient, retiring to rest not later than 11
P. M., and rising from about 6 a. m. to 7.30. A. M., according to
circumstances. The bedroom window should always be kept open at top
and bottom, slightly in winter and wide in summer. Foul air generated
by the human breath is never more hurtful than in a bedroom. Too much
clothing should not be placed over the chest whilst sleeping, as by so
doing respiration is more labored, and the legs and extremities, not
the trunk, require extra covering for purposes of warmth. A mattress
should be always used to sleep on, never a feather bed. High pillows
and bolsters are very injurious. The natural height to which the head
should be raised in sleep is about the thickness of the upper portion
of the arm, which constitutes the pillow as designed by nature.
CLOTHING.
Flannel should be worn next the skin throughout the year, but beyond
this no restriction is necessary when in mufti. The best attire for
running is a pair of thin merino or silk drawers, reaching to the knee
and confined round the waist by a broad, elastic band. For the upper
part of the body a thin merino or silk Jersey is the best. No covering
for the head is usually worn, but, in a race of such long duration as
a seven miles walking or ten miles running contest, it is advisable
to wear a cap or straw hat if the rays of the sun are very powerful.
For running, thin shoes made of French calf, and fitting the foot like
a kid glove when laced up, are worn. The sole should be thicker than
the heel, and contain four or five spikes, the lacing being continued
almost down to the toe. For walking races, the heel should be thicker
than the sole, and containing a few sparrow-bill nails, none being
required in the toes. Chamois leather socks, just covering the toes,
but not reaching above the top of the shoe, are the best adapted for
running. Ordinary merino socks, but not thick and heavy like worsted
ones, and worn over the chamois leather coverings, are the best for
walking, as they prevent the dust and grit raised from the path from
getting between the shoe and the foot. Except for sweating purposes,
heavy clothing should never be worn in practice, the gait and stride
being much impeded thereby. A piece of cork of an elongated, egg shape
should be grasped in each hand while walking or running.
TIME AND DURATION OF TRAINING FOR RUNNING.
The foregoing are the foundation rules which constitute training,
but of course they require modification according to circumstances,
which must be left to the judgment of the pedestrian or the trainer,
if he has that necessary auxiliary to getting into good condition.
For instance, the man has had too much sweating and forced work, in
consequence of which he is getting weak, and, in the professional term,
“training off.” This will easily be recognized by the muscles getting
flaccid and sunken, with patches of red appearing in different portions
of the body, and the man suffering from a continual and unquenchable
thirst. These well-known symptoms tell the trainer that rest must be
given to the pedestrian, as well as a relaxation from the strict rule
of diet. A couple of days’ release from hard work will in most cases
prove successful in allaying the unwelcome symptoms, and far preferable
to flying to purgatives for relief.
The space of time which will be required by a young and healthy man
will be from six weeks to a couple of months; but longer than this, if
possible, would be preferable--not that it would be really wanted to
improve on the mere physical condition of the man, but to enable the
pedestrian, when able, to go to any limit as regards exertion, and to
have _time_ for practice at his particular length; for, however fit
a man may be as regards the proper leanness, if unpractised he would
have no chance of success. The principal rules of training, therefore,
are regularity, moderate work, and abstinence; the other adjuncts
are but the necessary embellishments to the other useful rules. When
training for running a long distance--say from four to ten miles--the
man should most decidedly practice daily; for the shorter length going
the whole distance, and for the longer vary the distance, according to
the state of health on the day, as well as whether the weather be fine
or otherwise. For a short race of a hundred or two hundred yards, the
pedestrian, after the body is in good health, does not require very
much severe work, but the distance must be accomplished at top speed
at least once daily, and about the same time of the day that the match
will take place, if possible. The same rules, with comparatively more
work, will apply up to 440 yards--a quarter of a mile--after which
distance more work becomes necessary.
SPRINT RUNNING.
Let the novice, some five weeks or so before the day of his race, begin
his practice by a steady run, three or four times a day, of a quarter
of a mile or so; so gently at first as to produce no stiffness of the
muscles when the temperature produced by the exercise has subsided,
and the circulation has recovered its usual condition. When the novice
has got his legs into moderate good fettle, so that they could stand
a little sharp work, he might quicken up for about 50 yards in each
of his quarter spins; and as he finds these spins can be accomplished
without the slightest strain on any muscle, the long distances may be
condensed into two a day, and two sprints of his distance at about a
fifth longer time than he would take in the race. By this means the
muscles get worked up by degrees to bear the necessary strain required.
As he finds his muscles become hard and flexible, he should lessen the
length of his spins until they are of the same length as in the race.
This point will be arrived at some nine days or so before the day,
and in these nine days all his energies must be devoted to practicing
starts and getting quickly into stride. As the day approaches, let him
obtain the services of some sprint runner to use as a trial horse;
and the best way of turning his trial horse to account is by making
him start slowly some 10 yards in the rear, and, as he passes the
novice, who is ready at the scratch, let him quicken up into racing
pace for about 50 yards. By this means the novice is encouraged to
get off quickly, and a surer line can be taken as to improvement in
starting than if the trial and himself started on even terms. Again,
the tendency of all young runners to watch their adversary at the
start is counteracted, the opponent in this way being in advance, with
a straight course only left open for the novice to the goal. So many
sprinters, from standing in a wrong position at the scratch, or from
taking a longer stride with one leg than the other, jostle or run
across their opponent in the spin, thereby either losing their own
chance of success or depriving others of it. A bad beginning makes a
bad end, and nothing is so detrimental to a sprinter as a bad start.
He may get shut out, he loses his stride, or perhaps get spiked by the
man who has crossed him; and when he does get into proper swing, he is
too far behind to be able to make up what was lost at the beginning.
Avoid walking long distances; they rather tend to stiffen the muscles
and make them slow. Never miss your race; if you can only get one spin
daily, make the most of it. Always run in form--that is to say, as you
would in the race, on your toes, with an easy, springing action of the
thighs. In the race keep your eyes well on the tape, and never lessen
your pace when in front, or let misgivings disturb you when behind;
your opponent may have the pace of you and not be able to stay. It is
better to be a good second than nowhere. Every race you engage in will
increase your experience and give you confidence for the next time.
Good time for 100 yards ranges from 11 seconds to 10¼, according to
the ground, &c. The top speed is seldom obtained until 40 yards are
covered. A good sprinter will generally beat two others in 200 yards,
each to run 100 yards with him on end. For sprinting, wind is not
such a desideratum as elasticity of muscle. The shorter the distance,
the greater care and practice should be made in starting; the longer
you have to sprint, the greater will be the necessity for working up
the muscles. In practice, run with as slight clothing on as possible;
_buff_ is to be preferred. The action of the air on the skin keeps up
a healthy flow of blood to the surface, and will do more towards a
beneficial reduction of weight than any amount of sweatings, baths, or
other appliances of the old school.
QUARTER AND HALF MILE RUNNING.
A quarter of a mile is, perhaps, next to the 300 yards, the most
patronized of any. Assuming our trainee to be in robust health, the
muscles should be gradually accustomed to the exercise by slow spins of
half a mile each, two or three times a day, taking about from 3min. to
2min. 25sec., according to the individual, to do it. When the distance
is accomplished with comparative ease, practice style and pace for
about 300 yards to 350 yards to within about a week of the race, when
the whole distance may be run, two or three times at top speed for 400
yards, slower the last 40. Ease up the practice in the last three days,
merely working up pace for 100 yards or so. The same method of training
will suit the half mile runner, with the exception of his spins being
longer, and more attention paid to an equal pace of going. The quarter
requires more speed than the half mile; consequently that point must be
attended to. A steady, machine-like style of going pays best for the
half mile runner.
ONE MILE RUNNING AND UPWARDS.
In practicing for a mile race and upwards, a long, steady course
of slow running must be gone through to get the limbs and the wind
gradually accustomed to the work. As they improve, quicken your
pace, and for mile running practice half a mile or so in about 2min.
20sec., until the wind becomes good; then lengthen the daily spins to
three-quarters of a mile fast, and the last quarter slowly. Never do
much work the last few days, but have a few fast spins of 300 yards or
so, to keep the muscles in form. In longer distance training, the same
steady practice must be followed, with this exception, that, instead of
practicing pace, rather get the condition of wind and muscle up as high
as practicable, and reserve your energies for the day of the race.
HURDLE RACING.
The usual hurdle race distance is 120 yards, with 10 flights of hurdles
3ft. 6in. high and 10 yards apart. This gives a run of 15 yards at
both ends. The quickest way of getting over them is by taking them in
stride, or technically bucking them. If the ground is firm and level,
this can be done, and three strides will take the jumper from hurdle
to hurdle, the fourth taking him over. Should the ground be uneven,
slippery or heavy, great care is required in bucking them. Touching the
top bar will inevitably be followed by a fall or a stumble sufficient
to put the jumper out of the race. In bucking, the spring is taken from
one leg, and the alight comes on the other; so that the jump, instead
of being an actual interruption of the regular strides, as happens
when the spring and the alight come on the same leg, is merely an
exaggerated stride. The advantage of bucking is apparent to anyone who
has tried both systems under favorable circumstances, and who is strong
enough to bear the strain which the high hurdles require. The lower the
hurdles are, the greater is the superiority of bucking over jumping. To
acquire the art of taking the hurdles in stride, practice over jumps
about 2ft. 6in. high, at the proper distance apart, until the style is
learnt.
[Illustration: HARRY VAUGHAN, The Famous English Long-distance Walker.]
[Illustration: JOHN HUGHES, First Winner O’Leary International Belt.]
[Illustration: DAN’L O’LEARY.]
HINTS IN, BEFORE, AND AFTER THE RACE.
In sprinting, a good start is of such importance that we would suggest
a careful practice in it. It is a curious fact that a novice will
invariably start with one foot a yard or so behind the other, either
with the body bent down low, or with the body erect, and swinging
the arms as if they were the means of propulsion about to be trusted
to. In the former case, he runs one yard more than his distance, in
the latter he exhausts and unsteadies himself. Start with both feet
within six inches of one another, the weight of the body resting on
that foot which is farthest from the scratch, and the toe on the side
nearest the goal, just touching the ground, and ready to take the first
step over the mark; the body must be kept well up, so that the first
spring is taken steadily and in a straight line. As this method is the
quickest for getting off the mark, it will apply to every description
of pedestrianism.
Before any contest, when you are stripped, take a trot to get the limbs
into order and keep them warm; the muscles will be less likely to get
strained if well heated beforehand. In running with a chicken-hearted
man, race at him, and, if you feel done, fancy that he feels worse.
Run as straight to the goal as possible; it is the nearest way home,
and therefore the quickest. The arms should be kept well up, and moved
in the direction of the course, and not swung across the body. Any
scrambling in the race is fatal to a good walker; the motion of his
legs should be mechanical. In walking races, if a stitch bothers you,
keep well on, and try and forget it; it will never last long if you are
in good condition. In a race with heats, after a heat lie down on your
back, and keep the legs raised up, in order that the blood forced into
the extremities by the exercise may be assisted by its own gravity to
return to the trunk. Rest is the best cure for a strain, and is much
assisted by cold water application. In a strain of the internal organs,
their complexity renders repair a more difficult operation, as they do
not allow of repose; recourse should therefore be had to a physician.
Running on the toes on a path is to be recommended, as enabling a
longer stride to be taken, and giving an easier motion to the body, and
less jar at each step. In heavy ground, however, it is of little use,
as the sinking of the toe in the soil interferes with the spring, and
necessitates a larger surface of the foot to get a purchase for the
next stride.
Never in practice run with many clothes on; if the weather is cold,
clothe in proportion. The action of the air on the skin increases its
healthy vigor. A piece of cork is often held in each hand to grasp
while running. In a long distance race, rinsing the mouth out with warm
tea with a little brandy in it, and munching a crust, will often take
away any dryness of throat. Never commence fast sprinting in practice
unless the muscles are thoroughly warm. Strains would seldom happen
if this was attended to. Fruit fresh picked is not to be discarded.
A small quantity, when ripe, will often give tone to the stomach and
cool the blood. Of dried fruits, figs are supposed to be the most
serviceable.
TRAINING PRACTICE, FAIR WALKING, ETC.
Walking is the most useful and at the same time most abused branch
of athletic sports; not so much from the fault of the pedestrians
as from the inability or want of courage of the judge or referee to
stop the man who, in his eagerness for fame or determination to gain
money anyhow, may trespass upon fair walking, and run. Walking is a
succession of steps, not leaps, and with one foot always on the ground.
The term “fair toe and heel” was meant to infer that, as the foot of
the back leg left the ground, and before the toes had been lifted,
the heel of the foremost-foot should be on the ground. Even this
apparently simple rule is broken almost daily, in consequence of the
pedestrian performing with a bent and loose knee, in which case the
swing of his whole frame when going at any pace will invariably bring
both feet off the ground at the same time; and although he is going
heel and toe, he is not taking the required succession of steps, but is
infringing the great and principal one, of one foot being continually
on the ground. The same fault will be brought on by the pedestrian
leaning forward with his body, and thereby leaning his weight on the
front foot, which, when any great pace is intended, or the performer
begins to be fatigued, first merges into a very short stride, and then
into a most undignified trot. There is no finer sight among the long
catalogue of athletic sports, more exhilarating and amusing to the
true sportsman, than to see a walking-match carried out to the strict
letter of the meaning, each moving with the grandest action of which
the human frame is capable, at a pace which the feeble frame and mind
is totally unable to comprehend, and must be witnessed to be believed.
To be a good and fair walker, according to the recognized rule among
the modern school, the attitude should be upright, or nearly so, with
the shoulders well back, and the arms, when in motion, held well up
in a bent position, and at every stride swing with the movement of
the legs, well across the chest, which should be well thrown out. The
loins should be slack, to give plenty of freedom to the hips, and the
leg perfectly straight, thrown out from the hip boldly, directly in
front of the body, and allowed to reach the ground with the heel being
decidedly the first portion of the foot to meet it. The movement of
the arms, as above directed, will keep the balance of the body, and
bring the other leg from the ground, when, the same conduct being
pursued, the tyro will have accomplished the principal and most
difficult portion of his rudiments. This will in a very short time
become natural to him, and the difficulty will be the infringement of
the correct manner. The novice having learned how to walk, and being
matched, requires training, which must be under the same rules as have
been laid down previously, with the difference, however, that his
sweats must be taken at his best walking-pace, the trot by all means
being totally barred. A continued perseverance in the practice of this
rule will enable the pedestrian to persevere, notwithstanding all the
shin-aches, stitches, and other pains attendant on the proper training
for a walking-match, and which every man must undergo before he can
be considered worthy of being looked upon as a fast and fair walker.
The tyro must not be discouraged with his first feeble and uncertain
attempts if they should not come up to his crude anticipations, but
bear in mind that, although the accomplished pedestrian goes through
his apportioned task with great apparent ease, he has gone through
the rudiments, and that nothing but great practice has enabled him to
perform the apparent impossibilities which are successfully overcome
almost daily. Therefore the young walker must take for his motto
“Perseverance,” and act up to the same by continued practice. The man
training for a match should walk some portion of his distance, if
weather permits, daily, in his walking-dress, which should consist of a
light elastic shirt, short drawers, and light Oxford ties. On starting,
he must go off at his _very_ best pace, and continue it for at least
three hundred yards or a quarter of a mile, by which time he will have
begun to blow very freely, and then, getting into a good, long, regular
stride, his principal aim must be to keep his legs well in advance of
his body.
The rule of getting away fast in trials should be invariably carried
out; it prepares the man for a sharp tussle with his opponent for
the lead, and will hinder him being taken off his legs in the match.
When tired he can also ease his exertions; but if he is in the habit
of going off at a steady gait, in the generality of instances he
is virtually defeated in a match before he has commenced racing.
Moreover, he must, when undergoing distress from the pace he has been
doing, never by any chance cease his resolute and ding-dong action;
for distress, if once given way to by easing, will of course leave
the sufferer, but at the same time all speed has also departed, and
not for a short space of time either, but sufficiently long for the
gamer man, who would not succumb to the inevitable result of continued
severe exertion, to obtain such an advantage as would be irrecoverable,
as well as to conquer the aches and pains which invariably leave the
well-trained pedestrian when the circulation and respiration become
equalized--“second wind” it is better known by. After this happy and
enviable stage of affairs has been reached the work becomes mechanical,
and the pedestrian from time to time is enabled to put on spurts and
dashed that would astonish himself at any other time when not up to
thorough concert pitch. The recovery from these electrifying dashes
is almost instantaneous, and the pedestrian keeps on his satisfactory
career until sheer fatigue gradually diminishes his speed, although
none of the previous aches and pains are present. The trainer must not
forget the previously-mentioned rule of stopping the man when good time
is not the result of his best and hardest exertions, as that bad time
proves unerringly that something must be amiss which requires looking
to thoroughly. As well might the engineer of a locomotive, on finding
out that some of the internal works of his engine were out of gear, put
on all his steam, and then wonder at the machinery being out of order
at a future time of trial.