Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-22

vi
4 " his friend Don Marquis
play, in which he is APP
pearing, Edward Donnelly, one OF
the best known actors and pocket
billiard experts in the Players
Club, took his cue and missed a
long shot for the corner pocket.
This was not an ordinary oc-
currence, as Mr.. Donnelly has
played pocket billiards since its
early days, when the game was
known as pool. He naturaifS' was
a bit annoyed.
ST can't play this beautiful, fascinat-
ing-or words to that effect-game to-
day." declared the veteran player. Il
tighten up on every shot" :,
vulged the whole theory Of any game
of athletic exercise. The champion Is
the man who doesn't tighten up.
It. Is perfectly simple. The reason
any automobile company asks Gus
toner not to run a new car over GER
tain speed for a certain number OF
miles is that everything on the car is
tight and, until it gets broken in. one
force is working against another.
Must Not Tighten.
If YOU make any machine too rigid,
It has no freedom of action. If, in
boxing, you tighten your arm and
shoulder before delivering blow, you
have the pushing and pulling muscles
working against each other. You might
Just as well fasten one end of a heavy
elastic to your fist, bend your arm, and
fasten the other end of the elastic to
your shoulder. Many a big, powerful
man can't hit, because he is muscle
bound.
The minute the muscles are tightly
set, speed and timing vanish. To hit,
muscles should not resemble stout
ropes; they should be coiled springs,
which can be released instantly.
Camera pushes. When Dempsey hit
you it was as if his fist was bomb
which exploded on impact. He shot
his punches and they came like three
inch shells. He couldn't have done
that with frightened muscles.
Watch Babe Ruth at bat, or Bobby
Jones on the tee. Both can hit with
terrific force, but in each case the fol-
low through is perfect, showing that
all the force is expended smoothly in
one direction. There is no check, no
Tightening in the swing
Watch Bill Tilden hit q tennis ball
Every move has a loose, sweeping
rhythm. Freedom of stroke and tim
ing: power seemingly effortless; there
Is the answer. You can't run with a
cramp in your leg. Why should you
cramp your muscles before you start?
Nerves Get EN- All.
You shouldn't, of course, but the
trouble Is that so much of the thing
IS mental. When you tighten your
muscles, you become conscious of them:
you know they are there; it seems as
7 you had put power In them. Per-
maps you have, but it is not the kind
OF power you can use.
Nerves tighten the muscles, and even
the champions are not secure against
nerves. When you see Bobbie Jones
IN an open golf tournament suddenly
begin to take IS and rs, you know that,
Tor the moment, bis nerves have the
better Of the argument. He has
tightened that rhythmic swing.
You hear them say a pitcher tight
ened up" If that literally were true
he would be lacking both control and
speed What We call form" Is giving
one set Of muscles full play, by loosen
ing all the others which might act as
brakes.
The appointments Of Charles Evans
Hughes as Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court and of his brother in-law,
Waited Dutch Carter, as the third and
neutral director of the Brooklyn base
ball club occurred almost at the same
time.
It looks as If the Chief Justice now
held the second hardest job in the
family.
Primo Camera, who looks like a
cross between a large, noble elephant
and q frisky bull moose, retaining the
best features Of each, is still pushing
over opponents little known to fame.
Madison Square Garden at one time
considered putting Primo on the Miami
card, but feared to take him to Florida
for fear he might step on some of the
larger alligators and make them into
book marks, thus injuring the bag in
dustry.
(Copyright 1880, By North American News
paper Alliance1