Why? The Science of Athletics

,I 1: I! 1 1 li I I ' 2I4 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS 23rd. Friday 24th. Saturday planting and handshift. Supper, cold ham and salad. Lemon drink and glucose. Bed I0.30. Lot of home-work. Up 6.30 to finish home-work, no time for exercises. Breakfast, grape-fruit, eggs and bacon, tea and toast. Lunch, boiled fish and one potato, Rye- Vita bread, lemon drink and glucose. Supper, soup, chop and one potato. Lemon drink and glucose. Bed IO p.m. on account of home-work. COMPETITION DAY. Up 8 a.m. Bending and stretching exercises. Breakfast, grape-fruit, lightly done · chop, tea and toast. Lunch, I2 noon, two lightly boiled eggs, tea and toast. 2 p .m. lemon drink and glucose. . 2.30 Competition. 2 swings over bar at 9 ft. 6 in. Started vaulting IO ft. cleared IO ft. 6 in., I I ft. and I I ft. 6 in., but failed three times at I I ft. 9 ins. Now, I knew perfectly well whatA the boy in question was capable of and I anticipated confidently that he would clear I2 ft., or perhaps I2 ft. 6 ins., on June 24th, instead of the I I ft. 6 ins. he actually produced ; but:when I saw his training book it was not far to seek the reason why he had reached his limit that particular day at I I ft. 6 ins. The trouble lay in the fact that he had missed his full amount of sleep during the preceding week owing to our iniquitous home-work system, and had eaten unsuitable meals on Wednesday. It is wonderful how much one can tell from a combined graph of mental and physical work, and you will always find that when a boy is working extra hard with his brain, say in preparation for an examination, the curve in his graph of physical performance begins to drop~ In the extract from the training book the reader has no doubt noticed a reference to form exercises, one of which is shown in Fig.. 2I, Plate 5, and another in Fig. 39, ...... u