New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-05
INDOOR TRAINING FOR OPEN AIR GAMES.
Columbia practising baseball in their nnnaaur
INDOOR ATHLETIC WORK.
Practice for Baseball Teams and
R0z0ing CrezcS at Columbia.

IN most of the colleges interest now centres
about the indoor practice preliminary TO the
actual opening of the coming seasons pro-
cramme of sports.
Baseball practice holds. OF course, chief place,
but the boating enthusiasts just as hard
at work developing the best material for the
crews and the average college gym is just
now busy place. This is true especially of Co
Iu.nbia, where many students putting in
practically all their spare time training either
for the ball teams, track team crews
The manner in which indoor training for field
sports has been developed within the last few
years would surprise those lovers of baseball
and rowing who years ago spent many anxious
weeks waiting each season for the to dis
appear and the ice to leave the rivers before
they went out for practice. Now ii makes not
the least difference what the weather is, prac
tice goes just the same. Outside the gym
Tasium window the snow may be several feet
deep: inside young men, clad in lightest sum-
rner field toys. are pitching and catching, bat
ting hot liners" and sliding for bases as eager
~ as if actually a1eld. OF course practice space
l. limited. A regular game of baseball cannot
vou be played within the walls of a gymna-
sum. Therefore the game must be split up into
its component parts for practice Pitching,
tching, batting fielding, base running each
q pitching, catching and batting, which may be
bined to advantage Behind stout nets the
Toys go at their work with a will, and, though
some professional trainers say cannot be
satisfactorily developed" a ball player
Trough indoor practice, it is generally agreed
that time saver, in conjunction with the
wedding out" process, indoor training for base
ban is a success.
1t is held that the same is true as regards
rowing. Every college gymnasium is equipped
with the ordinary rowing machines. bolted to
the floor, but at Columbia there boXIke
boats so constructed that they can be used
along the sides of the big swimming tank. These
queer looking little boats equipped with the
regulation Oarlocks, and in them a man can
use regulation crew This arrangement
Possesses of course, a distinct advantage over
the rowing machine and comes about as near
to actual conditions attending outdoor practice
would seem possible TO get indoors
Swimming and work the running track are
both receiving attention in all the leading coll
it2es now, ana basket ball and gymnastics are
Kept up in connection with the training for field
vofk. The merits Of indoor work on the run
ming track have probably been more thoroughly
olSo used than any other phase of indoor train
he. and professional trainers cannot yet agree
as to its degree Of value.
Whatever the professors may think The. men
themselves are not backward about expressing
taeir views indoor training as a whole
outdoors for mine" was the verdict Of one
Columbia man the other afternoon. This in
Co"r work is probably all right as Tar as il goes
Iut a man can't do his best work in this atnos-
Ihere- It's too much exertion: tires you out
Zoo quickly l want to get out in the Omen
where a man can bang q ball without beine
afraid Of getting snarIed up in a netting. or
take a turn around real cinder track This
Idoued stuH! Ban! man can't get q foot
hoid on it. No. sir; the open for mine Well
IL won't be long now"