Page:Japanese Physical Training (Hancock).djvu/56

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Japanese Physical Training

especially applied effort along this line, and the same amount of time just before retiring at night. In the jiu-jitsu schools of Japan the student, even when he has acquired the right method of breathing, is obliged to devote a few minutes at the beginning of the lesson to deep breathing, closing the lesson in the same way. Beyond this and exercise little is needed to make a normal pair of lungs reach their highest perfection.

Nor is the proper development of the heart of much greater difficulty. Assuming that the stomach is in good condition from right diet, and that the lungs are acting properly on account of deep breathing, the heart has made an excellent start. In all exercises care must be taken that the heart is not made to palpitate severely. Should there be undue uneasiness around the heart, the Japanese instructor, after listening to its sounds, orders the student to lie flat on his back, with arms and legs extended—the arms at right angles with the sides of the body, and the feet as far apart as they may be placed with comfort. In this position the sufferer breathes gently but deeply, with