Coaching and Care of Athletes

CARE AND CONDITIONING vided it is not to the point of exhaustion, the more one's appetite will increase. It is not at this phase of a man's life that diet restrictions should be imposed. When a man changes from strenuous physical to strenuous mental effort an adjustment of his diet is very necessary, because it so often happens that his appetite is maintained, and if he goes on eating as heavily as previously he will find that he gains in weight considerably by reason of the amount offat he stores up, but cannot eliminate, because he is not taking his previous strenuous exercise. The guides in this case are the man's own weight chart and the feeling of mental and physical lethargy which usually comes from overeating, when a change has been made from an active to a sedentary life and the processes of.digestion and assimilation are thereby altered. When I spoke a moment ago of relaxation I had in mind not the normal relaxation periods which one gives to athletes in training, but rather the holidays which boys have from school or which athletes take at the end of an athletic season. Here again it is very necessary to revise a man's diet, because on vacation he is apt to abandon work, both mentally and physically, and to follow the fond belief that as he is on holiday he can eat just what he likes. But he is sure to lose his physical condition if he will insist upon breaking the habits of dietary which you have been at such pains to inculcate. In designing any system of diet the coach should first seek out a list of acceptable foods from which the athletes may make their own choice, in accordance with their individual preferences and possibly idiosyncrasies. We will deal first with what one may consider a generally acceptable dietary. In the first place let us 'take the beverages. Most athletes will drink a quantity of water, but should not do so shortly before training, because there is no sense in unnecessarily distending the bladder. Water, throughout the athlete's training, will play an important part. The American coaches prefer warm water, I believe. There is also, as I have said, a school of thought in America which condemns coffee and strong tea. Cocoa is recommended in moderation; but personally I have not a very high opinion of the food-value of this particular beverage. It is suggested that the athlete should have coffee or tea with his breakfast, in accordance with his personal preference. Midway through the morning I am in favour of giving my athletes a cup of H 113