“Leg action: Below the waist shoot the leg out in a straight clean drive to its full, natural limit: hip locked, knee locked, and free play given the foot.
“Foot action: The heel of the right foot strikes the ground first. As the left leg is swung in front of the right, the foot of the right comes down flat, then, as it is raised to toe position, the heel of the left strikes the ground and in turn takes the weight of the body.
“Carriage of the body: To be perfectly upright, with the center of gravity on the heels, the head all the time traveling in a straight line.
“Knee action: Knee to be straight at first and afterwards locked.
“Arm action: Arms act with the shoulders to give good balance. Keep them fairly low, not ascending any higher than the nipples; good even swing; hand and elbow alternately reaching the hips.
“Hands: Recommended to be kept loose, corks not necessary.
“Having pointed out to you wherein individuals differ, and having indicated what constitutes a fair heel and toe walk, a few hints on training may be helpful. My first advice to any athletic aspirant is to undergo a medical examination, in order to find out if he is strong enough constitutionally to risk strenuous track work without injury to his health. I would further suggest that such an examination be an annual affair.
“What is the purpose of training? We train to gain efficiency in whatever branch of sport we enter. To train properly one must concentrate attention upon whatever pertains to his particular sport. Through such attention one strengthens the muscles and nerves, gains knowledge of the strength he possesses, so that he can use it in the right way and at the right time, to attain the maximum amount of speed with the minimum amount of effort. Training increases strength of mind, self-confidence, strong nerves, patience, thinking power, and character.
“The amount of track work needed to prepare for a walking-match will depend upon the individual, but remember that staying in bed and reading a set of rules will not do. There is a lot of hard work ahead. To start with, I would never think of entering a race without at least three months’ preparation, be it daily or three times per week. A long and careful training is far better than a short and severe one, and so I would recommend easy work for the first month, with a gradual increase of speed as one goes along. Do not bother with a stop watch until the second month at the earliest.
“Let me also suggest that one do a little morning calisthenics. These exercises should focus on developing alertness and endurance; consequently, light, rapid movements that give the muscles tone and firmness are the qualities to seek in such individual exercise.