Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III WHY ATHLETES GO STALE The two principal dangers that confront the athlete are those of overwork and underwork; of these, the former is by far the greater. The natural energy and enthusiasm of boys of school and college age, their fear of being thought " quitters" or " yellow," their sense of loyalty and responsibility to their school and college—all these influences tend to make an athlete work far beyond his strength and have, in many cases, brought about serious consequences. It is difficult for a boy, in the midst of the strain and excitement of the training season, when the whole atmosphere about him is tense with the anticipation of the coming game, to think very much about the future—of the life that is going to follow his graduation, for which, in large measure, his training now is a preparation. It is even more difficult, at a time when the fate of the whole world seems to hangon the outcome of that final game, for him to maintain a proper sense of proportion. Yet it is at this very time that he should be most careful, for if he strains himself by any extreme exertion or tries to endure beyond his capacity, he not only runs a risk of life injury, but he is very likely to put himself out of the particular game or sport for which he is training. Coaches and trainers are coming to realize more and more every year the necessity for cautioning the athletes under their care in this respect. Physical directors in schools and colleges are making a special point of carefully watching the work of the men in relation to the capacity of the individual; slowing up certain men that are showing signs of over- exertion and those who are endowed by nature with less robust physique. In most schools and colleges a boy is required to pass a physical examination and sometime...