Page:Japanese Physical Training (Hancock).djvu/64

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Japanese Physical Training

on exercises for the upper arm. Yet great "bumps" of muscle on the upper arm are not desired. The best play of effective muscle, as is shown in one of the accompanying photographs, is found just over the bend of the upper side of the elbow.

While the preceding exercises necessarily must be used by two students, working together there is another form of arm work that may be practised by one. After a few deep breaths, stand erect, with the arms held slantingly forward, so that the clenched fists are just below the waist-line. Strain the arms to the utmost tension, all the while increasing the clenching pressure of the fists. Slowly raise the arms before the body. While so doing, resist the upward movement of the arms as much as may be done without defeating the raising of the arms. In other words, make the arms go up, yet resist as much as possible by downward pressure. This little trick of physical training, borrowed from the Japanese, is the foundation of one of the best-known and most successful systems used in this country to-day. The only fault to be found with the American adap-