Why? The Science of Athletics

CHAPTER XXI ATHLETIC PSYCHOLOGY Getting Wind Up-Emotion and Excitement-Disappoint– ment and Peak Performances-Staleness-Brain and Body Will Not Function at Maximum Effort Simultaneously– Watch the Athlete's Weight-Food Consumption and Loss of Appetite-Importance of Quiet Sleep-Divert Interest for Relaxation-Coaches who Inspire Confidence. ATHLETIC psychology is a big subject, but it is in th!s department of his craft that the coach does, or does not, establish his claim to greatness. A man may know every single thing there is to know about athletic technique, he may have a perfect genius for imparting his knowledge, and yet he may fail to turn out a successful team, simply because he does not understand the temperaments of the various individual athletes committed to his care ; or it may be that his own personal anxiety for their success is at the root of the trouble, for when people are working in close association nothing can be more catching than the communication of fear or anxiety. None the less, there never was an athlete yet, capable of doing a really great performance, who did not suffer from what is popularly termed "getting wind up", whether he showed his emotion or not. . · "Getting Wind up" What is meant by "getting wind up" must be distinctly understood, for there are two essential factors to the sensation, which varies in the time of occurrence prior to competition in accordance with the temperament .of the individual athlete. The right sort of "wind up" is the sort of sheer excitement that brings a man right up on to his toes, ready and eager for the contest ; the wrong type is anxiety, which may amount to positive fear, and, in 343 ~ I