Athletic Training

PREFACE vii the development of this country was then in its infancy. Mr. Murphy diverted his attention from his own athletics to the study of how to make champion athletes of his fellows, and to them he imparted the results of his own ex– periments and observations. He once de– scribed this to the writer in the following words: "When I was a sprinter every fellow trained himself. Being of an observant disposition, I tried to learn all I could from watching others. I tried to avoid their mistakes ·and to profit by the good features of their train– ing. Then I began to make an independent study of all forms of track and field athletics. I wanted to know what kind of food was best for the athlete, how much work he should do to get the maximum speed if he were a runner, and how to add a few inches to his jumps or weight throwing. As a result of these experi– ments, which I made upon myself and the athletes I trained, I found what I considered the best diet for an athlete, the principles of massaging the muscles, bathing, and, in fact, the whole scheme of fitting a man for a par– ticular competition. After twenty-five years'