Why? The Science of Athletics

40 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS For the sake of the present argument one cannot do better than by quoting from the Fourth Commandment. "Six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do." Because, just as it is necessary that the athlete should rest between periods of violent effort, so is it necessary to give him one whole day of rest in every week, not only to allow his muscular mechanism to settle down and recuperate, but also for the sake of his mental out– look. The observance of this rule will go a Jong way to helping the athlete to avoid that sort of mental and physical staleness which comes from being always on the job. Finally, the period immediately preceding a parti– cular competition for which training has been under– taken should culminate in two or three days' rest, to give the human machine a chance of settling down and ass~mbling its forces for the big effort. Neither in the case, however, of the weekly rest, nor in that of the pre-competition relaxation; is it suggested the athlete should remain entirely idle, otherwise, through the normal processes of Nature, he ·will become liverish and therefore lethargic. He must do some walking, for the sake of his internal organs and, equally, he must rest part of the time, eithe:r: with his legs up, or his body in a recumbent position, to ease the pressure on his arteries and veins. When the season is ~:wer, follow the old fo~-hunting custom and "turn him out to grass". So many fine athletes, in my opinion, have failed to prodpce their best form, simply because they rac€ both on the .track and across country with hardly a break between the two seasons. Relaxation after a competition usually Rewards takes the form of a reward, no matter whether the athlete has done well, or whether he has completely lost his form and gone all to pieces. He has made his effort, he feels a natural reaction, and it is up to the coach to find a means of bridging the