Page:Japanese Physical Training (Hancock).djvu/69

Rh of that the deep breathing is as essential as is the resistance of the muscles.

There is another kind of arm work at which the Japanese student spends much of his time in the preliminary stages of his instruction. As these exercises tire the arm, until it has been brought up to its proper state of development, they should be taken, at first, with the greatest care not to overtax the muscles. By degrees the student learns how much he can endure, and what is more important, the amount of this sort of exercise that he can take from week to week.

First of all, the young man is taught to stand erect with his arms held parallel in front, his clenched fists a little below the line of his hips. After making the muscles tense he slowly moves his fists from side to side with a twisting motion of the wrists, and this motion should be made so that the movement is felt all the way up to the shoulder. After rest, with deep breathing, the arms are held extended sideways just on a level with the shoulder. The clenched fists are turned as far as they will go in either direction, the same care being taken