Why? The Science of Athletics

WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS bed, it's all Lombard Street to a China orange that he would not sleep, and anyway, Nature generally knows what is best for her children. While we are on the subject of rewards, there is still a word or two to be said. All too often coaches and games masters alike pay · too little attention to the psychology .of the athlete. They forget that there are often times when a pat on the back from them and a word of praise, or commiseration, as the case may be, will mean a great deal more to the athlete they have trained than the prize he has won or missed winning. Social approval, especially from the man you have trusted implicitly to train you for months on end, means far more to most athletes than the tangible prize with which their efforts may have been rewarded. Mental Out– looli Plays big Part So far, we have dealt rnainly with the physical side of the subject we are con– sidering ; but the coach who sets out to condition and prepare athletes must be something more than a physiologist, he must indeed be, also, a keen psychologist. The mental outlook of the athlete towards his sport as a whole, and in relation to competition in particular, has much to do with his ultimate success or failure. We have seen, already, that the building of power through the development of physical organisms involves the removal of drains and strains from the individual. Physiological drains poison the system and set up abnor– malities which interfere with organic processes. It is equally true to say that there are emotional drains, such as worry, apprehension and irritability, which also interfere with the body processes. For example, the fear-emotion retards the flow of digestive secretions and therefore upsets the digestion of the athlete. These things being so, it follows, naturally, that the coach must concern himself with training the athlete's mind as well as his body. In planning both _training– tables anQ. relaxation periods the coach should be for