The Athlete for 1866

112 HINTS ON TiiAiNING. this point their assistance is of little use, except to those who have lived in th? same sphere as themselves. Wedo not for a momentcountenance the self-satisfied athlete, who withmor • muscle than brains attempts ane<vline for himself. Ilia folly istoo palpable to pass unnoticed; but we urge upon every man who undertakes the improveinent of his bodily powers above their normal condition, the study not only of tho actual results ofothers, experience in the same pursuit as he is himself entering upon, but reliance on himself, and not on a trainerfor a good state of i>'alth on I proficiency to a certain extent in the exercise. His objectneed not, by any nie.m;- be, to prepare for a contest; he may merely wish to acquire a general improve­ ment in the action of his system. Wh ire robust health and moderate freedom of muscle is shown, then can we call in the assistance of some experienced per­ son, and by a dissection of his knowledge many points of value can be adopted. In the actual practice of athletics,science,vulgarly called "knack," ha- bseu mach invoked, and has responded so favourably, that in somecases proficiency is out of the question, without assistance at the hands of a qualitied trainer. Had each athlete, however, sufficient time to realise by experience his own mistakes and successes, ultimately thesame proficiency could be obtained, and the "hints," etc., obtained from the trainer—often to be forgotten in the excitement of Uw contest, andif not then, generally afterwards—would, in the self-made athlete, be firmly implanted by past experience. To a nervous novice confidence in a trainer's advice isof much importance, for if not favourably applicable, the sup­ port of another conduces to self-reliance on the day. In the principle of seli- training there isone fault ofall othersto beguarded against, and that is, contempt for the powers of other competitors. Successive victories tend to induce such a feeling and the cares of preparation become lessened in co-.isequence. There are certain periods when men are out of form, and when, in the face of a good state of health and frequent practice, the result falls short of expectation. These slight deficiencies will show in the race,and an antagonist held too cheaply may turn the tables, when, had greater care, even in the last few days, been taken a different result mighthave happened. We should not, therefore, alma th athlete to be entirely independent of the assistance and advice of others. THE BODY IN ITS EKLATION TO VITAL POWER. Indiscussing the improvement of health, the principal organsof the body wilt next demand consideration, their action in intent being sufficiently identical for the purposes of description; thoughthey vary, however, in such an amazing de­ gree in their character and quality, as to become a study of great im­ portance to those physiologically interested in training. The peculiar nature of life, its unknown source, and its relation to circumstances, make the laying down of fundamental rules in detail for its Improvement beyond the substance of our remarks. The operation of external force on an organisedmechanism by nervous and muscular, or natural impressions, contribute principally to the production of vital force, and to a certain extent their action can be re­ duced to rules. But why this subtle vital force should be so capricious in ita quantity and quality weare at a loss to know. The training offof an athlete is as often a direct loss of vital energy from one cause or another as it is of an actual reduction in muscular substance. Both cases occur, and the rea­ sons wecan assign are frequently correct, but why two athletes, organised ma­ chines under thesame exterior circumstances, and, with a preparation, for the gake of hypothesis, equally favourable to each, of the same weight, height, and measurement, should be invariaWy different in power and endurance in a •contest, we can ascribe to nothing but thespecific vital force of each individual.