THE INTRICACIES OF SPRINT RACES
Sprint races are those which are run with maximum effort and top speed from start to finish. Races generally considered as sprints are 60 yards, 80 yards, 100 yards, 100 yards, 220 yards and 440 yards races. Starting blocks are permissable only on sprint races.
There are accepted types of sprint starts-
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1. The Bullet where the toe of the rear foot is placed opposite the heels of the front foot.
2. The Medium Start- where while kneeling down, the knee of the rear leg is placed opposite the arch of the front foot.
3. Elongated Start- When in the kneeling position, the kneel of the rear is placed opposite the heel of the front foot. The rear leg is pushed farther back. The first two styles of start are suitable for short people or people of average height while the last style is for athletes above 6 feet in height. Each athlete is free to choose whichever is convenient.
THE MARK POSITION- At the "Mark" position the most comfortable position which will ensure maximum get away should be the one to be adopted. The guilding word therefore is the comfort of the athletes and the utility of the foot placing.
1. The arms should be straight and placed shoulder wide. Fingers spread out in opposite direction. Hands should be placed behind the scratch line.
2. Shoulders faces squarely to the direction of the run.
3. Face should look straight downwards.
4. Body completely relaxed.
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THE "SET" POSITION- At the command of "Set" the body should rise into a position where the hips are slightly higher than the shoulders. At this stage the angle formed by the front legs should be about 90° and the rear leg should be about 120°. There is no definite period or length of time which should elapse before the gun is fired. Since the set position is a very difficult one it is only wise that athletes are not kept in this position for a long time. The law makes it definitely clear that the gun shall be fired when everybody is steady. It thus means that the yard stick for measuring the length of time between the command "Set" and the firing of the gun is the steadiness of all the athletes.
RUNNING THE 100 YARDS RACE: There are three (3) phases in 100 yards races and these must be correctly noted
1. The First Phase (Acceleration phase): This is the first phase in sprinting which immediately follows the report of gun and it covers the period between the first stride and the time when the sprinter reached between 40 and 50 yards the acceleration phase can rightly be said to cover the first 50 yards. The characteristics of this phase are : (1) Very short first stride (2) Very low body weight to ensure that the center of gravity is pitched well in front of the driving foot. (3) Vigorous arms action. (4) Very strong driving leg. (5) High kne3 action. (6) Fast leg movement
2. The Middle Phase (coasting): This is a period in a race especially in the sprint when the runner is rightly at the top of his speed but yet looks extremely relaxed. This phase is noticeable in 220 yards and 440 yards.
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3. The Final Phase (The Final): This is the last effort made by sprinters to get to the tape. Many people adopts many types of finishes- some spread their arms, some raise their arms, some dip their bodies while others runs through.