CHAPTER I

IN TRAINING

There are few things about which so many mistaken notions exist as about training. There are several reasons for this, but most of the erroneous ideas may be traced back to the days when professional pugilists and runners were the only men who ever entered on any athletic exercise with any sort of organised preparation. For them a severe course of training was possibly a necessity. They were for the most part men well advanced in years and naturally fleshy; and to achieve the feats which they accomplished they no doubt found it necessary to reduce their weight, and for this purpose to take a great deal of exercise and to avoid all food tending to the formation of flesh; but for the average school-boy who plays football or fives, or goes paper-chasing, or, in fact, takes the ordinary amount of boy's exercise, training, as it is generally misunderstood, is quite unnecessary, even if not harmful. He has no superfluous fat of which to rid himself, so any sweating which he may do only weakens him and renders him liable to cold. His lungs are in proper order and therefore his wind is good, and so there is no need for him to deprive himself of vegetables or his favourite pies or puddings. All he wants is to lead a healthy active life, and to do a fair amount of practice in the particular branch of athletics in which he hopes to excel.

If a boy be accustomed to walk to and from school, or even a part of the way, or to take his place regularly in the school games, he will already be in proper condition of wind and limb. He will now only require to develop the muscles which, in his contests, he will find it most necessary to use. These vary in nearly every branch of athletics; so his practice must be specially directed to the races or events in which he intends to take part. Now this practice is often as much overdone as in the old days the dieting and sweating used to be. I remember that when I was at school and training for a mile race, I was seldom content unless I had run two or three miles each day. Since then I have found out the error of my ways. The result of my long practice run was that when the day came for the sports I was much over-trained, and in the state usually described as "stale." I could have pounded along for miles, but I was as slow as the proverbial cart-horse, and when it came to hard racing I was beaten by boys who had practised less persistently than I had, and whose limbs and muscles were therefore lissom and pliant.

The exact amount of practice required depends a good deal on the stamina and build of each particular boy. Big, muscular boys can undergo far more work than lightly-strung ones of less robust constitution; but it may be taken for granted as a general rule that it is better to do too little than too much. Practice should never be continued after one begins to feel tired; and if one is still feeling the effects of the previous day's practice, it is always a good thing to rest for a day from active work, and instead to take a good sharp walk of four or five miles. When your muscles are stiff, as they are bound to be at the beginning, never force them. Get them gradually into working order, and never hesitate to rest entirely if you feel disinclined for exercise.

Rest, in moderation, is always good, and for this reason I advise boys of all ages who may be training, to make a point of going to bed early. To get up early is another aid to leading a healthy life, but I would especially warn my readers against taking any violent exercise before breakfast. Have your bath, followed by a brisk rub down with a rough towel; dress quickly, and then, if you like and can manage it, go out into the open air for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. Put on plenty of clothes, and eat either a biscuit or a piece of bread and walk quietly about, breathing freely. In the same way never do any practising immediately after a heavy meal. An interval of at least two hours should elapse to allow of the digestion of food.

Remember that your one object in training is not to force your powers, but to so increase and nurse them, that when the day for the sports comes you will be able to do your very best without fear of hurting or over-straining yourself.

Before entering for his school sports a boy must realise the important fact that it is given only to a few to excel at everything. The majority must be content to discover the branch of sport for which, by their natural abilities, they are most suited, and then to practise quietly and persistently so as to gain the best possible results.

School games and odd trials of skill will probably give the aspiring athlete some idea of the direction in which he is better than, or as good as, his fellows. In running races it is generally found that the heavily and powerfully-built boy is best suited by short-distance races, that is from a hundred yards to a quarter of a mile; but a long, loosely-knit lad usually excels at distances from half a mile to a mile. A short, sturdy boy, as a rule, develops into a long-distance runner, but as events above a mile are generally excluded, and very wisely too from the programmes of school sports, he has very little chance of distinguishing himself until later years, when his frame is set, and his heart and lungs are in a fit condition to withstand the strain caused by prolonged contests.

The prime object of the boy who desires to train for short-distance running should be to improve his speed. With this purpose in view, he should practise running from thirty to fifty yards at a time--running hard from the very beginning, and going at his fastest possible pace the whole of the way. He should do this three or four times each day, occasionally--that is, once or twice a week--running the full hundred yards. Races of two hundred yards and a quarter of a mile in length may be prepared for in just the same way, except that for the latter, a practice-run should seldom exceed three hundred and fifty yards. A quarter of a mile is a very fatiguing distance, and although it may be run in practice at a moderate speed, it should not be taken at racing pace, except in an actual race. In the intervals of training it is a good plan to obtain the assistance of a friend, and practise starting. In a short race so much depends on the start, that one who is able to go right away directly the signal is given possesses a great advantage.

The boy who intends to take part in the half-mile and mile races must pursue a somewhat different method, but he also must make a point of practising for speed. Most of his work must consist of running a quarter of a mile, or six hundred yards, with an occasional spin of half or three-quarters of a mile. The former distances must be accomplished at almost top speed, but without quite exhausting oneself; the latter must be taken at a regular, steady gait, bringing the legs out well to the front, but not carrying the knees too high. One run a day is quite sufficient, and perhaps once before the sports the full mile may be run, but this should not be done within a week of the eventful day.

Walking races are sometimes included in the sports' programme, the distance usually being one mile. The best training for this is to walk half a mile, or sometimes three-quarters, at one's best pace, taking great care to be perfectly fair, to keep the head erect, and to avoid all semblance of wriggle or shuffle.

For the hurdle race and steeplechase the beginner should practise persistently over obstacles similar to the ones which are to be used on the day, but never going the full distance, and occasionally running fifty yards or so on the level with a view to an improvement in speed.

Of jumping competitions there are usually two kinds--the high jump and the long jump, and much the same kind of advice applies to both. In each instance practice should be daily, with an occasional rest for a day, and taking great care to leave off always at the first symptom of fatigue, coupled with the feeling that what has already been done cannot be improved upon. In the high jump a beginning should be made at a height well within reach, the jumper going gently and lightly over so as to gradually extend the muscles. Then as he approaches the summit of his powers, he should pull himself together so as to put full force into each effort. He should jump cleanly, and start facing the bar. He should avoid all contortions and straining of the body, and above all things, refrain from the somewhat enticing-looking practice of jumping from one side--a practice which I once heard described as "putting one leg over the bar, and then going round and fetching the other." It may pay up to a certain point, but after that point is reached it is absolutely useless.

The best and most successful jumpers have been those who have depended entirely on the spring from the hips. It is thence that all the power is obtained. Byrd Page, the famous American jumper, who often cleared 6 ft., and once reached 6 ft. 4-1/4 ins., was a thorough believer in the straightforward method. To show what persistent practice will do, I may mention that when he was very young, his legs were so weak that he was compelled to wear irons to support them. One day the doctor told him to attend a gymnasium and practise jumping in order to strengthen his limbs. He did so, with the result that his weakness was entirely cured, and that he became, as well as an expert bicyclist, the most famous jumper the world has ever seen.

To long jumping many of my previous remarks apply. In preparing for the jump, too long a run should not be taken, and in making the spring, the feet should be placed firmly together. The whole of one's force should be put into each effort, and care should be taken to avoid making false attempts. When once he has started, the jumper should make up his mind to go right through. Both the jumper and the short-distance runner will find that a few minutes' daily practice with a skipping rope will greatly strengthen the legs and the fore part of the feet, on which much of the strain is placed.

To all aspiring young athletes I would say: Be moderate, and take care not to overdo it; lead healthy, active lives; and avoid stuffing yourselves between meals with pastry and sweets.