HOCKEY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 125, 28 May 1936, Page 4

HOCKEY

WANGANUI ASSOCIATION DRAW FOR SATURDAY. [ The Wanganui Hoekcr Assncinfl»» | eompetilions will b e advanced a further . slago on Saturday. The following are the fixtures and referees:— Men's Senior. I Hinemoa Av. Y.M.C.A.. at 3 p.m.. ov ground No. I. Umpires, Grev and Hart nell. Hinemoa R v. Wesley, at 3 p.m., on ground No. 2. Umpires, Spurdie and Glen ii y. uata v. I (•ch. A, at 2 p.m., on ground No. 2 Umpires, Atkins and Condie. Junior Practice. Tei-hnieal B (blue) v. Technical C < white), at 3 p.m., on ground No. 3. Umpires, Condie and Upton. Women’s Section. Old Girls v. Kauangaroa, at 2 p.m. on ground No. 3. Umpires Glenny and Spurdie. Technical O.G. v. Putiki, at 2 p.m., on gtound No. 1. Umpires, Grey and Hartnell. J Ratana v. Araiuoho at 2 p.m., on ground No. 4. Umpires, 8. Hughes and Upton. Girls’ College v. Technical College, on Girls’ College grounds, at 3 p.m. umpires, Goldsbury and Thompson. Gonville O.G. v. Girls’ College, on Girls’ College grounds, at 2 p.m. Empires, Goldsbury and Thompson. Kh whailii lias ih e bye. more than a mannerism, but one highhhUiN esstui instructor puts forward luis Rleu oi’ “pointing O 1 the chin” at a just behind the bail, and keeping it there until the ball is struck, ns one of the essentials in thy development of a sound style. He is raieiul to emphasise, however, that this advice is not merely put forward as a substitute for tire time-honoured . maxims about “keeping your eye on the ball” and “keeping your head down.” Certainly it ma^e a it easy to do both these things, but once the‘proper method of swinging has been leaiiicd, ne believes the pointing of tho cam ensures the correct use and cjhtrol of the body without ihe ne estitv ol concentrating on a whole host ot details. I have no doubt that to many these admonitions have been really help«ul, -•nd io most have done more good than harm. But there are two objecting I to putting too much stress upon th.s | idea of the still head. The ii.se is that in the ears of too many hearers the I’ still head” becomes tlic immovi.b.c head, and in the effort to maintain n rigid immobility of neck and head the player tightens up all sorts of mu.-.c.e-which ought to l>e relaxed, with resu t.that are highly detrimental to the f ee dom of the swing. “No one’’ o< served Francis Ouimet, the AmeUkan Walker Cup captain, • 4 could hope to drive a ieally iong ball with his head fixed in a ciamp.” And that is hohc the less true, although the clamp m purely a mental one. A certain amount of lateral movement of the head is essential to a perfcctly-groox ed swing. Ihe second objection to too much insistence on keeping the head down is that, like all such mechanical »vaieguards, it is negative rather than positive in character. It does to some effect prevent the swing going g, but it ig nut really a o effective as a positive effoit io get the body turn synchronising smoothly with the rest of the swing—a result which can be achieved fairly easily by making sure I hat the downswing originates in the feet and not in the hands or arms. Curiously enough, no-body -is ever accused of “lifting his head” in the drive or long iron shots? In these the orthodox swing finishes with the player presenting the full breadth of his chest towards the holo, and the head comes up as a matter of course. But in the shorter shots when power is no longer a desideratum, it is possible for the player to hit past his chin, and continue gazing on the spot where the ball rested, after the ball itself is safelv on its wav. J. H. Tavlcr, I. bcl ieve, used to encourage his pupils to make a habit of setting a fout on the spot, where the bull had been before looking up to see where it had gone. In short shots many people seem to find this a useful safeguard, but the fact remains that however excellent my intention to carry it out I shall not be able to do so if I allow my shoulder to force my head up too «oon, and in that rase I must prepare once more to wilt before the raddie’s unfounded rebuke, “Y<m lifted your head! ”