CHAPTER IV

HOCKEY AND INDIAN CLUBS

$Hockey.$--Hockey is a game which has become very popular in England during the past few years. It is generally believed to be a southern form of the Highland game of shinty, the great game of the clansmen in years gone past, and still played in many of the northern glens, notably on the Dumbartonshire side of Loch Lomond. The hockey of the North is not played according to any scale of points, the winning team being that which secures most goals; in the South, where it is frequently played on ice as well as on _terra firma_, certain marks of merit are awarded, after the style of Rugby Union football.

The modern hockey stick is to some extent an artificial contrivance after the style of the driver or play club of golf. Indeed, to golf it bears some little semblance, and strangers frequently confound the two pastimes. The Scottish school-boy, when hockey comes on in its turn with other recreations of the playground, sets out for the woodlands with a strong, sharp pocket-knife. He examines carefully all the hedge-rows to see if there is any young plant which has a natural turn at the end. If he can find such with a three feet shaft and a four-inch crook at the end he sets to work there and then, and in due time his "shinty" or hockey stick is pruned and ready for the game. The full-grown Highland player will possibly provide himself with a very heavy oak sapling, and with this he will strike powerful strokes, with his right hand, or both hands if required, when in a close contested maul or fray in front of the goal. These naturally-grown clubs have more spring in them than those of artificial make, but unless they are carefully bound with cord the head is apt to give after a little hard play.

A good deal of the art of the game consists in passing or nursing, as in Association football. A novice would strike the knag or knob away from him as soon as he had obtained his opportunity. Not so the adept, who would "dribble" it forward, to use a football phrase, a few yards at a time, work it on to his partner, back up, and keep following it, then, with one swinging blow, make a shot for goal. In hockey on the ice the dribbling game is seen to most advantage, as the skilful skater can take the knag a hundred yards or more by adroit nursing or passing; were he to strike it away with the first blow the chances are that it would be immediately returned with interest, and a goal scored to the opposite side.

In the Highlands it is a grand sight to see two opposing bodies of clansmen--met as of old they met with targe and claymore--to fight out a friendly game. Everything is cast aside but shirt and kilt, and bare-headed and bare-legged the contestants seem to have walked out of the picture of some ancient Highland foray. Striking off in mid-ground the welkin soon rings with their shouts in Gaelic, their cheers and expostulations. Blows that were meant for the knag sometimes fall heavy upon an opponent's knees, and soon legs are to be seen streaming with blood. In the heat of the play they feel it not, though next day they will possibly not have a part of their under limbs without bruises between ankles and knees. With terrific swing Donald or Duncan, who stands six-feet two in his socks, will drive it like a cannon ball through the air; and arrested by Malcolm's head in its flight the latter drops like a stone, only to recover his senses in a minute again and go off in wild pursuit. When the sun sinks, the game is proclaimed over, and both sides shake hands, dress, and depart homeward, well pleased with their sport, no matter whether they may have won or lost.

$Indian Clubs.$--Club swinging, if carried out in the correct style, brings almost every muscle into play, develops the chest and arms, imparts an easy carriage to the figure, and, if persevered in, under proper conditions to be hereafter mentioned, will ultimately enable the most round-shouldered individual to assume that lissom and perpendicular attitude which is the characteristic of the finished athlete.

First let me impress upon you the importance of avoiding heavy clubs when you commence the exercise, or even after becoming moderately proficient. Difficult feats are not easy to accomplish with very heavy clubs, besides the latter, instead of strengthening the muscles, are more likely to produce the opposite effect. Directly the club is heavy enough to sway you about on your feet, the exercise is doing you harm, and your attitude will appear ungraceful. Should you be ambitious to swing very heavy clubs, be advised to proceed cautiously, and gradually increase the weight at long intervals. Clubs recommended for ordinary use should weigh between 1-1/2 and 2 lbs. each, as that weight affords plenty of muscular exertion to strong and comparatively weak men alike, especially in difficult exercises. After becoming fairly proficient with the lighter weights, heavier clubs might be used with advantage, say three or four pounds each, but a practised athlete of great muscular power may safely swing clubs of twenty pounds or more. A club, say twenty-two inches in length, made of willow which should weigh about 1-1/2 lbs., is the most suitable for young boys or ladies. The club should be well tapered towards the top and artistically shaped: an ill-shaped club is a very awkward and unsatisfactory instrument. In nearly all exercises the feet should be some distance apart in proportion to your height: for a man of five feet nine inches, about the proper distance between heels would be seventeen inches. For many exercises the shoulders should be kept square to the front, while in others it is necessary to turn more or less to the right or left. If the shoulders are turned through half a right angle, reckoning from the position with the shoulders square, the shoulders are said to be half-right or half-left; if the shoulders are turned through a complete right angle, the shoulders are considered full right or full left as the case may be. Style is a most important item to be considered, not only for the sake of appearance, but also in order that the utmost physical benefit may be derived from the exercise. An eminent authority, in speaking of style, remarks: "If you swing clubs without regard to style, you will naturally contrive to cast almost all the labour upon your strongest muscles, so that the exercise, instead of searching out and strengthening your weak points, will merely tend to increase the muscles which are already disproportionately developed; whereas, if you attend carefully to style, you will be compelled to bring a great variety into play, so that your weakest muscles will be at first most severely taxed, and will gradually become developed in proportion to those which are naturally strong."

It is necessary that the knees be kept straight and the muscles of the legs well braced, as there is a tendency at first, especially with heavy clubs, to let the knees bend in the course of certain movements; the head should be carried erect, and should turn with the shoulders, so that you always look in a direction at right angles to the line of the shoulders. The best way to keep the head steady and in its proper position is to fix the eyes on some point a trifle above their own level, in a direction at right angles to the line of the shoulders for the time being. Should you allow your eyes to wander, you will find it impossible to keep the head steady. In summing up the chief points relating to style, the following should be kept in view, viz.:--

(1) All unnecessary movement of the body should be avoided, the head should be carried erect, and the feet firmly placed at a distance apart in proportion to your height.

(2) In swings, keep the arm as nearly straight as possible; in twists, the hand should be kept almost in the same place throughout the movement.

(3) The movement of the club should be kept even, and avoid all abrupt or sudden changes of pace.

(4) The clubs should be kept in accurate turn with each other.

In order to correct your own style, a good plan is to practise before a looking-glass.

The proper position for holding the club before beginning an exercise is called "the carry." Stand erect and grasp the club with the right hand, lift the club and hold it up vertically, with the hand just in a line, and not raised higher than the shoulder.

Club exercises are divided into four series. The first, called Outward, are those in which the right club moves in the same direction as the hands of a clock facing you, whilst the left club moves against the hands of the clock.

Inward exercises are those in which these conditions are entirely reversed, and parallel exercises are those in which both clubs swing with or against the clock. Windmill exercises are explained at Fig. 2, the subject is made clear in Fig. 1, where, for the sake of simplicity, both hands are holding the same club; the right hand, which is travelling in the same direction as a clock facing the athlete, is making an outward circle, as the left hand is working against the clock, the left hand is making an inward circle, and as both hands are swinging with the clock, a parallel exercise would be in progress, if there were two clubs instead of one as shown in the illustration.

The outward front swing follows "the carry" as a natural consequence. Straighten the arm completely till the hand is above and about three inches in front of the shoulder; the point of the club should then be allowed to move slightly forward, with the wrist turned in, then let the hand and club move to the right, the arm being kept straight, and the club being kept in a straight line with the arm throughout the movement. A circle can then be described and a return made to the initial position.

To make this description more easily understood, I have a capital illustration in front of me, and I cannot do better than quote it.

"If you were to stand with a wall about ten inches in front of you, the point of the club, would, in the preparatory position, just touch the wall at the highest point you could reach with the club; and as you did the swing, the point of the club would always touch the wall, and, if it were chalked, would draw a circle on the wall, of which the radius would be as nearly as possible equal to the length of your arm and the club together."

This is one of those simple-looking movements which are by no means easy of accomplishment. The arm should be kept straight with the arm and the club in a line, and avoid stooping as the club passes in front of the legs. Beginners should practise front swings, and follow them up until they are done with before attempting anything else.

CIRCLES, SWINGS, AND TWISTS.--It should be noted that circles are divided into "swings" and "twists". The club and forearm acting in a straight line during the movement would come under the heading of "swings," whilst circles swung from the wrist with the hand as a centre point are reckoned as "twists." Some of the very advanced movements, however, unite the characteristics of both swings and twists, and it is difficult to say under which heading they should be classed.

Fig. 2 illustrates the outward front swing with both clubs. The exercise shown is a cross windmill, the performer with both clubs straight above the shoulder swings the left club outwards; so soon as the left club points downwards he will swing the right club outwards, and it will arrive at the lowest point just as the left club has completed its circle.

THE OUTWARD BACK TWIST.--From "the carry," raise the hand a little above the shoulder, passing it slightly to the rear, so that the forefinger is level with and within two inches of the lobe of the ear, the elbow being raised to the right till it is nearly as high as the shoulder, allowing the club to slope a little backwards from the hand. From this preparatory position, let the point of the club move to the right, and, keeping the hand close to the ear throughout the movement, a circle can be described by the point of the club.

In this twist get the point of the club sufficiently to the right and to the rear as the club descends, in order to avoid letting the point of the club pass too far to the rear as it ascends. Care should be taken to keep the hand in the same place throughout the twist, and don't duck the head forward during the ascent of the club. This tendency is produced by the fear of a blow on the head while the club is travelling in its upward course.

WINDMILL EXERCISES.--The exercises known as windmill are very interesting. As in parallel exercises, the one club does outward circles and the other inward circles, keeping exact pace with each other, the one being always half a circle ahead of the other; therefore, when one club points straight up, the other points straight down, so that when viewed from the front, the clubs appear always to point in exactly opposite directions. A windmill exercise is difficult to learn, but when grasped, you should at once tackle the corresponding form on the other side.

Fig. 3 shows the inward back twist being cross windmilled.

THE OUTWARD CROSS FRONT TWIST.--In this twist the hand should be kept close to the left breast throughout the movement, and as the club descends, turn the wrist out and bend it over, the while turning the wrist out as the club ascends till it is horizontal on the left, again turning it sharply as the club finishes its ascent. Twists similar to the cross front twist may be performed with the hand above or below the height of the shoulder, also a cross front twist may be done with the hand at the height of and in front of either the right or left hip. Avoid letting the clubs go too far forward while they are below the horizontal, and too far back during the higher part of the movement. Each front swing should be done in good style, and endeavour not to stoop as the clubs pass each other when they begin to ascend.

Fig. 4 shows the outward cross front twist with the right hand at arm's length, whilst the left club is simultaneously making an outward back twist at arm's length, it must be noted, that although the right club is moving towards the performer, yet as it is moving in the same direction as the hand of a clock, parallel, and in front of the twist made, it is called an outward twist.

Fig. 5 shows an outward back twist at arm's length with the right club, the left club is making an outward front twist, the only difference being, that the circle is made with the left club entirely in front of the left arm, instead of in the rear of it.

Fig. 6 shows an inward swing with the right club done simultaneously with an inward swing with the left club. This exercise can be made into a cross inside windmill in the same way that Fig. 2 can be made into a regular outside exercise, instead of being a cross outside windmill.

Fig. 7 shows an inside back twist at arm's length above the head and an inward cross front twist at arm's length downwards, the connecting inward front swings being also shown. This is very difficult.

PARALLEL EXERCISES.--These consist of an outward circle with one club and an inward circle with the other, in which the two circles are begun together, and in which the two clubs keep exact pace with each other throughout, consequently both clubs appear to be always parallel to each other. This is called a "parallel" combination. When the various parallel combinations have become familiar to the learner, he may continue such combinations in succession to each other and profit thereby. Parallel exercises are considered the greatest test of proficiency with clubs, as the slightest error will cause a divergence of the clubs and be at once detected.

Endeavour to master a parallel combination thoroughly, and then the combination on the other side will come easy enough.

Fig. 8 shows a parallel exercise, an inward front swing with R. being done simultaneously with an outward front swing with L.

Fig. 9 shows an outward back twist with R. and an inward cross twist with L.

Fig. 10 shows an inward back twist with R. and an outward back twist with L., followed by an inward front swing with R. and an outward front swing with L.

Fig. 11 shows an inward back twist with R. and an outward front swing with L.

Fig. 11A shows an outward front swing with R. and an inward back twist with L.

Figs. 12, 13, 14 show some of the movements of clubs as generally practised on the Continent, but we consider dumb-bells more suitable for lunging movements.

Figs. 15, 16 show some wrist exercises, which are sufficiently plain to need no explanation.

Fig. 14 shows the outward cross front twist with the R. hand near left breast, while the left club is making an outward front swing; the corresponding movement would be an outward cross front with the L. whilst the R. made the outward front swing.

MISCELLANEOUS CIRCLES.--Circles which may be done with the arm passed behind the neck, and the hand brought forward over the left shoulder, require extraordinary length of arm and elasticity. Circles are sometimes done in which the centre of gravity of the club is caused to remain stationary while the hand moves in a circle, which conveys the impression that the club is revolving about an axle through its centre of gravity. These are difficult movements, and very attractive.

THROWING THE CLUBS.--These exercises require great dexterity before satisfactory results can be obtained. To let go the club and cause it to turn twice or more in the air and catch it again, is a feat that entails endless practice. Dealing only with the right club, a few brief notes regarding some of the simpler movements must suffice. (1) Perform an outward front swing, and as the club approaches the horizontal in its ascent let it go, and after it has made one revolution in the air catch it again; this is the outward throw. (2) The inward throw is an exact counterpart of the outward throw, but done by an inward swing. (3) "The double outward throw" and "the double inward throw" are done by allowing the club to turn twice before catching it. There are endless varieties of other throws, all of which allow unlimited action, as the shoulder cannot be kept strictly in position, because the clubs have to be carefully watched while they are in the air.

Without doubt, Indian club exercise is an attractive pastime, and entails no strain on the system, unless by the foolish practice of using too heavy clubs.