Why? The Science of Athletics

I I4 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS the speedy responsiveness of muscles brought up to that pitch of perfection which comes nearest to the breaking strain without the risk of a breakdown being actually incurred. Sympathetic Nervous System Con– rots Vegetative Functions The sympathetic nervous system, which controls our vegetative functions, such as blood-pressure, digestion and glandu– lar secretion, is really our centre of instinct, and has its origin in a chain of ganglions, or unified- clusters of nerve-cells, which are situated either side of the spinal column and connected with the central nervous system. Generally speaking, but little is known about the sympathetic nervous system, · except to nerve-specialists, and that, perhaps, is one of the main reasons why so many systems of athletic training fail to serve a really useful purpose, because too much attention is paid to the training of the central nervous system, and the sympathetic nervous system, therefore, finds itself unduly taxed by the burden of general over-training which is imposed upon the athlete, and in consequence the vital functions pf the organism are adversely affected. A state of harmony can, however, be established in the workings of the various vital functions by a properly planned training system. The reserve of energy of the sympathetic nervous system is made greater by a plan of moderate and well-graduated progressiOn. The training of the sympathetic nervous system shcmld commence early in childhood, the activities for the development of the central nervous system being intro– duced a little later on in life. The potential reserves of the organism, which increase our powers of endurance and resistance, should be built up by a prolonged and oft-repeated series of fundamental exercises, characterized by periods of rest and work. By this means the sympathetic nervous system, once started, will continue to work by reason of the habits that are thus inculcated for subsequent subconscious performance.