TRAINING. Each particular form of athletic exercise requires special training, if a person is to excel in it. Not only must the athlete do over and over again the things he expects to excel in, but he must learn the best ways of doing everything and must train himself to do them with the least possible expenditure of energy. It is here that the coach is best able to help the aspiring athlete. There are, however, some things which must be learned and done, no matter what the sport or game the person is to enter: The clothing should be adapted to athletic contests; it usually consists of a shirt and knee pants of light cloth, thick stockings and shoes suitable for running on the road. A sweater or blanket is a necessity for use after exercise, in order to prevent taking cold. The rubber-soled gymnasium shoes are good for road work, though a light leather shoe is preferred. The exercise should be general and not confined to the forms of exertion that are necessary in the particular contest. Anything that develops general strength and agility is an aid in any special contest. It is a serious mistake to try frequently to make a record for one's self; that is, to run at full speed over the entire course in which the competition is to take place, to throw the hammer as far as possible or to jump as high as one can. After two or three weeks of general exercise and trials of the event at a moderate pace, the person may safely, as often as once or twice a week, do his best without fear of injury. Some good athletes never attempt to make a record except in competition. Proper diet is essential to any person's physical well-being. It is not necessary that a person should deny himself the things he likes to any great extent, or punish himself with a rigidly selected diet, but he should have good, wholesome, well-cooked food and plenty of it. Rich pastries and heavy, indigestible foods of all sorts should be excluded. He should be regular in his habits, and he should remember that tobacco and liquors and everything that overstimulates bring a reaction that is injurious. Bathing is another important factor in athletic training. Every time after a person has been heated in exercise, he should take a shower bath or a sponge bath, and then rub himself thoroughly dry with a coarse towel. If a shower bath is used, a person should be careful not to turn on too cold water or to stay under the shower too long. On the other hand, if the water is too warm, it is debilitating in its effect. A cold sponge bath in the morning is always invigorating and never weakening. Sleep is another of the important things connected with training. At least eight hours a night of good sound sleep are essential, and it is infinitely better if this sleep can be taken at regular hours. To retire early and have several hours of sound sleep before midnight is much better than to prolong rest the following morning.