Evening star., 1942-01-11
Grid Provides Mental
Physical 1oughening
Service Man Needs
Boxing Is Close Second
In Call for Condition
And SeIf-DiscipIine
By GRANTLAND RICE,

Special Correspondent OF The Star
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10 (N.AN.A).
What sport offers the best training
for war? What game will be better
for the physical and mental tough
ening up needed by the youth Of the
country? What game does . ma
ton need most?
After getting In the returns 1t
seems to me that football coaches
have made q better case for their
sport than any other could do. 1t
was not so much a matter of build
ing up winning or undefeated teams.
It was the matter Of mass play, OF
getting many more thousands into
some form of football from the ages
that range from 10 to 20 years.
Our yoslnger people need all the
football they can get" Curly Lam
beau said. Il am saying this for
the general good OF the country
today, not with any idea OF con-
centrating on championship teams.
That is unimportant now. But foot
ball carries most of the elements
needed for war-physical fitness.
physical toughening up. team 10y
atty, discipline, sacrifice and the
ability to think under pressure"
More Should Be In Football.
The astute Curly is 100 per cent
correct. And again he isn't referring
to any concentration on the few
players needed to win champion
ship. Every football coach I've
talked to. at least so in the last two
weeks. believe there should be a big
increase in the number Of young
people playing football. even though
they have no chance to make any
frst second or third team.
Boxing ran football an extremely
close second. Here is one sport or
competition in which the entry
strictly is on his own.
1t doesn't develop team play or
team loyalty as football does, but it
calls for condition, sacrifice and self
discipline If one is to keep his fea-
lures intact.
No one can deny the fact that the
fight game is the toughest of them
all-the hardest in which to excel
or reach any high peak.
Good Boxers Are Rare.
You can name 200 or 400 fine
football players-college and pro-
fessional. You can recall star after
star from the last season. You can
name great baseball players-or at
least fine ballplayers-by multi
piled dozens.
This also is true Of golf where
there are IS or 20 at least good
enough to win some big tournament.
But in boxing when you've named
even two or three men who have
class you are washed up.
AS rule, when you get heavy
weight champion with any real class
there are no opponents who even
are close. This was true in the top
days of Jim Jeffries and almost all
who followed.
Outside of the heavyweight divis-
ion the crop today has the lowest
all-time average. It would be a
difficult assignment to name two
who belong with the great. With
few exceptions they can neither box
nor punch.
Golf Game Of Concentration.
The toughest part of golf Is the
matter Of concentration.
You might try, sometime. to con-
centrate on something for one full
minute. It may seem to be a setup
Job, but it isn't. Yet. winning golf
depends largely on good concentra-
ton for the better part OF three
hours.
There are any number of golfers
who know how to swing a club-how
to play every shot. But there are
only a few who can keep their minds
focused on every stroke needed to
string out a line of brides and pars.
1t is much easier to concentrate
on moving object than it is upon a
golf ball that isn't to leave its place
until the club arrives. There also
is the tendency either to think of
the wrong thing or to think of too
many things.