Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES _particular state of mind, which will not keep his thoughts bound entirely to athletics. ' I do not propose saying much more about training schedules at the moment, because it is a subject which will come up again and again as we deal with the preparation for the various events which comprise the track and field programme. Where food is concerned you must consider the individual athlete's likes and dislikes. There may be certain things which are especially good for him. If so, you should try to see that he has them; but if there is any special form of that particular food which is unpalatable to him, then you must either find some method of preparing it which will be pleasant to him or, possibly, abandon that food altogether, unless it is one of the basic foods which he cannot do without. A coach should be something of a dietician, and if he has that knowledge, then the drawing up of a menu for the training table will no( present any great difficulties. The main thing, I think, about feeding the athlete is to see that he gets plenty of variety in dishes which ·he likes, at the same time ensuring that throughout his training he is having a prop~rly balanced diet. In all things connected with training balance must be the coach's watchword. If the training schedule itself is not properly balanced on progressive lines the athlete will probably suffer from a loss of both appetite and weight in the early stages. As he progresses, however, he is likely to put on weight, and will certainly show a greatly improved appetite. This is the stage -at which the coach must guard against the athlete's overeating. He must also make sure that he gets enough nourishment to meet the new demands that are being made upon his organs. .~ Baths and bathing both play an important part in training. It is not every athlete who can take a cold bath, and in this respect the coach must be guided by the athlete's reactio~. There are a great number of men, fortuna.tely, I think, who thoroughly enjoy their cold baths in the morning. If a man comes out of the bath and rubs himself down with a glow to his skin and a thorough feeling of well-being, then obviously the cold bath suits him. There are, however, men who experience these delightful sensations only to find that they are followed some little time after breakfast by a feeling of great lassitude. When this happens the coach has a sure indication that his athlete is not well suited by taking a cold bath before breakfast. Yet other athletes show the condition which is known as goose-flesh after a cold bath. Again, go