"The conventional manner of teaching provided an inordinate number of
mechanical exercises in order to overcome so called 'technical
difficulties.' Only the _prima facie_ disturbance, however, was thus
taken into consideration--not its actual cause. The result was, that
notwithstanding the great amount of labor thus expended, the effort had
to be repeated each time the problem was confronted. Aside from the
obviously uncertain results secured in this manner, it meant deadening
of the imagination and cramping of interpretative possibilities. It is
only possible to reduce to a minimum the element of chance by
scrupulously carrying out the dictates of the laws governing vital
principles. Analysis and the severest self-criticism are the means of
determination as to whether theory and practice conform with one
another.
"_Mental preparedness_ (Marcus Aurelius calls it 'the good ordering of
the mind') is the keynote of technical control. Together with the
principle of _relaxation_ it provides the player with the most effective
means of establishing precise and sensitive coöperation between mental
and physical processes. Muscular relaxation at will is one of the
results of this coöperation. It makes sustained effort possible
(counteracting the contraction ordinarily resulting therefrom), and it
is freedom of movement more than anything else that tends to establish
confidence.