BRITISH SERVICES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 129, 2 June 1937, Page 20

BRITISH SERVICES

|iJEjRIN6 THEM FIT

OLD AND NEW METHODS

■ The.few. remaining officers who were instrumental in introducing scientific physicaljtraining to the Service's some th|rty4tliree • years ago must by now beuin.:"the Retired List, writes Comjhander P. F. Newcombe, K.N., in the "Dailyf'.jelegraph.".- That its value as a n^tionaiy necessity is at' long last rec6||iiiSod ;■ andtthat: the Government is organising for it oh a national scale musti.ljei* to theiii above all people, a ' soui>c^;of. •great satisfaction. ProbablyVitas'not'known, to many that' the;causeV;\vhich:forced the adoptioji. of. "compulsory..; exercise 'on both Services jtfieri'.',are;much the. same as those from which the country is suffering' now. .'■... During the, industrial evolution around the -middle of last century overcrowding became rife and conditions of living in the poor quarters of large towns deplorable. A high percentage 6f ; recruits came from these centres, and it was not long before a marked deterioration became apparent in'their > stamina and physique. So serious did things become that the Army authorities were forced to take steps', to remedy them? At that time little or nothing was known about 'physical education and welfare. Gymnastics were the prerogative of the few enthusiasts who could afford the hobby or of the pro- , fessional strong man and acrobat. The authorities made the best choice available and sent a picked party of officers and men to Oxford, where Mr. McLaren-conducted the foremost gymnasium'of that day. /Here'they were taught a series of exercises, with heavy bar, dumb-bells, and clubs (with what horror must old-timers'remember them, especially those extra drills!), and many, clever feats! on horizontal and parallel' bars. ■'" ." -ARMY- GYMNASTICS. '/ As the. professor promised, the combination of all these produced colossal muscular development; so, having perfected .themselves in the system, the party returned to train other instructors, and thus by. 1860 a start was made with .physical training in the Army. Except for minor alterations these original methods remained the official . form of torture for the next forty years;. It was a considerable time before

the.Navy began to experience similar trouble, for until 1880 all men-of-war i were principally dependent on sail. The sailor, aloft in.all weathers, hanging on to masthead or yardarm, for ever heaving and hauling or'away in boats, was possessed of sinews of steel, a courage, balance, and agility which' no artificial methods could begin to emulate. But the advent of steam and all its accompanying laboursaving devices soon produced their inevitable'effect. years ago the humorous artist depicted two sailors on leave dropping in at'a country hostelry-with the request, "Give us a couple of quarts, please, Miss, and if we likes it well stbr> arid 'aye some." This was the trouble: when masts and yards disappeared" the sailor liked his beer as much as ever, but there was insufficient opportunity to work it off by physical exertion when he returned on bpifiJi^'iCoriseqilently -crime,- rboth peSy^and serious, increased * out of all prJ)pp*tibn I ,'-.untjl.;.the|r;..lojdships, serir ously^disturbed, were .driven to consultl^iS^ejttiren atVthe^War Office. \|vj|^^;i;jißtANp.,:;T»AlNlNG.: ; v '■' l®efcKth'e:irl'.iia.dvice:i:and. cd-opera-: ti6n':txaiSifig'quartersf were established at^WJhale;-:lslaiid, that great naval eslablisiiment from which so much of:vital importance to the efficiency of,the Senior Service has emanated. Here iiristrtiptprs were trained, though eypryi candidate spent a." portion of his'course in the Military^ Gymnasium at>Aldershot ; arid naval physical training, "Wasl^modelled on Army lines. . "■ Things continued thus for some thirteen' .'years/. - .Medical. return's began to.'Bhow-:an Alarming ■ percentage of ' invaliding from heart trouble, amongst not only the men, but the instructors as welli .Subsequent inquiry by medical proved beyond doubt that the system of training was principally the cause. . ■-... The constant -use- of heavy appara-tus-imposed a., strain on the vital organs." By overloading the body, with unnatural muscle the-heart was given any.rtopos9ible~job\in"pumping the extra-blood required to supply it. That the instructors—who were always at i,t' and, of course, outwardly splendid specimens—were the sufferers was the surest proof that things were . seriously wrong. •:. .This..time it was the turn of the Senior Service to take action. In 1902 the late -Admiral Palmer, then a com- j mander. and: Superintendent' of Naval! • Physical 'Training, was instructed to examine'and report on the various systems ,in vogue on the Continent. In Sweden he ■. greatly; attracted by the;system1 pf free arm and body exercises carried; out without any heavy apparatus in the Swedish ■ Service and civil ■ establishments. On Admiral Palmer's report: the system was accepted by the Admiralty.

THE SWEDISH SYSTEM.

A Swedish professor was-installed in the Royal Naval Barracks at Portsmouth, and the ■- first"'; course started for a mixed class of officers and ratings in 1903. Later a separate Physical Training School was established, with what is still probably the most complete establishment oft. its sort ih the country, consisting, as it does, of a splendid , gymnasium equipped with every possible requirement, swimming baths, and open-air training quarters. Specially selected medical officers were appointed to deal Nwith.the anatomical side of the newfound science. Excellent lecture*rooms were embodied in the school, and--all potential instructors, officers,] atid'.ratings alike, underwent a course and had to qualify in anatomy.

'The Army' was soon hot on the'trail dt■ the Navy, so that by 1914 the system was thoroughly established in both Services and-had reached a high state df efficiency, V.This, then,' was the origin of scientific physical training in our country some thirty-three years' ago.

.Great experience was gained during the war. This, together with constant Experiment and research since by the experts and medical officers attached to the three schools, has naturally led to a vast improvement in methods of teaching, yet the original system, as Irought from Sweden by Admiral Palmer, is still the basis of all training.

CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY. ',; The one infallibie test in whatever form national physical training takes, ■will'toe results," and these can only be obtained by instructors blessed with character, personality', and understanding adequate to instil the necessary enthusiasm. The headquarters physical training staffs of the Navy, Army, and Air Force Schools attach the greatest importance to ; this in their selection of candidates for instructorships. Tjhere is no more thorough course ipt' instructors in all that belongs to physical and recreational training than at[the three Services' H.Q. gymnasiums, where some hundreds of excellent ingtructbrs/'are turned out each year.

.These men return to. civilian life at t:comparatively early- ,age. A short course.':■ to;faTniliarise,them, with civilian requirements should be suffici.ent iti| convert the majority into the right ij?am£ of. natiohaL instructor. ■