OCR Text |
Show MIND AND MUSCLE RELATED. Fear, Anxiety or Nervousness Fatal to Difficult Feats. In all feats of skill tho Influence of tho mind Is most Important. To per- i form In thoioughly good stylo any dlf- I flcult feat of skill It Is absolutely nee- ! esHury that tho mind must bo fieo from fear, anxiety or nervousness. 1 knew once, years ago, a man who had been a bull fighter in Spain. During ono of his glowing accounts of tlte sport I expressed my surprise that he should have left tho life. His reply was; "One day 1 was about to enter tho ring, nnd I had a llttlo cicopy fueling fuel-ing of fear. Then I stopped for good Tho man who fools fear Is suro to be klllod." And It Is equally true that the man who fear3 Is heavily handicapped, no mattor what tho contest may bo. Anxiety and nervousness aio closely akin to feat ; and both aro so powerful In their effect as to lender It almost Impossible for ono to peifoim poifoct-ly poifoct-ly and dlfllcult or delicate feat of skill. Tho man who Is afraid or anxious or nervous Is almost mho to fall. AH emotloiiB when Intense have n powerful effect upon tho muscles. This Is plainly seen In tho tension of tho muscles, clinching of hands and arms, as woll as of tho face In anger, In tho spasmodic bro.tthlng of excitement, in tho muscular weakness ami trembling nf fear, and In many other conditions that might bo mentioned. Now, In feats of skill of whatever nature, whethe1 balancing, Juggling, marksmanship, marks-manship, tumbling, or shot putting, it Is necessary that Just tho right muscles -mist bo used nt just the right Instant, and to Just tho right degree When, howovor, tho muscles nro disturbed dis-turbed by emotional excitement, bucIi doltcato adjustment Is 'Impossible nnd llio prohablo result Is failure Tho mental state most conduclvo to success In games of skill Is confident calmness. And by practlco this stato of mind may bo inado n habit a habit most valuable In all gamo of skill, even In that gamo of skill called life Dr. W. It. C. Latson, In Outing. |