Why? The Science of Athletics

HUMAN MECHANISM 113 quick transmission of nerve impulses, so that the muscles become more readily responsive to his will. Central .Nervous System at Work How great is the degree of control which can be established by the central nervous system has been well exemplified by men like Monte Saldo, of Maxalding fame, who ·have by constant practice and concen– tra:tion developed the ability to contract not only separate groups of muscles, but even single muscles in sequence. Nearly all trained athletes can contract the biceps muscle of the arm by will power and can move several other muscles in the same way, but one does not really begin to understand what muscle co– ordination means until one tries, and fails, to contract by will power some small muscle which is seldom brought into play in everyday life. Training, however, should produce just that ability to contract the muscles at will which is so blatantly lacking in the make-up of the ordinary untrained individual. The thing that the athlete must aim at is to make a habit of the form of exercise which will produce the kind of co-ordination he requires. In this way, and in this way only, he is able to secure perfect control over different sets of muscles. It is the lack of this mental and muscular contr:ol that makes the athletic tyro look so terribly clumsy when he first gets into action. Now let us see what else can be achieved by the training of the central nervous system. There is of course no question that a trained muscle shows a longer amplitude of contraction and does not tire so quickly as a muscle that is untrained. The greater efficiency of the trained muscle is due to the better blood supply it enjoys. A well-trained muscle, moreover, shows a greater amplitude of contraction and is more responsive to nerve impulses. Quick contraction is acquired by specialized exercises and the very gradual training of the central nervous system. This is a difficult business because it involves the develop– ment of voluntary action which has to be converted into H