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Oh, do you remember, how, when a small boy in the country, in the months
of April, May, June, July, August and September (it mattered little what
time of the year it was, just so the ice was out of the water), you used
to run to the river at a “twelve-second gait,” make two simple twists of
the wrist, thereby removing a waist and pair of trousers, and plunge
into the water with speed equalled only by the rapidity with which you
say your prayers on a cold night? Of course you do. Great fun, was it
not? I used to think there was nothing like it. I could not get into the
water quick enough. That was before I learned to turn the “back” and the
“flip,” however.
After I learned to turn the back and forward somersault, when I was
about eleven years old, I would linger on the bank, or soft sandy beach,
“tumbling,” until I saw the other boys coming out to dress, then I would
dive in, swim a few strokes, just to say I had been in swimming, come
out and dress with the rest.
Like the proverbial “Wandering Willie,” the water lost much of its charm
for me after I found what royal fun the turning and twisting on the bank
afforded. I have wondered many times if the Almighty, when He created
beaches like Manhattan, Rockaway and Nantasket, making them slope gently
down to the water, and put the soft, but not too soft, yielding sand
there, if He did not think how admirable they would be to “tumble” on.
Any one who has experienced the pleasure of a few “backs,” “flips,”
“snap-ups,” etc., on the soft sand, immediately after donning the light
bathing suit, will agree with me that it is “great fun.” And he who has
never been taught, never practiced any acrobatic work, I hope will begin
“easy” at first; a few simple feats and practice carefully every
opportunity he has.
I am sure whoever takes an interest, tries, and advances as far as the
“round-off,” “flip” and “back,” will feel fully repaid for all the time
passed in learning. He will find so many opportunities of performing,
and it will be a means of great pleasure to himself, if not to his
friends.
Many of the acts can be performed in the parlor or in a very small
space. However, they should never be _practiced_ in the parlor.
Now a few words upon the benefits, physical and mental, derived from
practicing tumbling.
An expert tumbler has an everlasting faculty of always landing on his
feet. If thrown from a horse, street car or carriage, like a cat that is
dropped from a window, and the man who strikes a match on the sole of
his boot, he always lights on his feet. There is a sort of wriggle or
twist that a man who has practiced tumbling long can make in the air
that will invariably bring him down feet first.
The mental benefit is derived from the pleasure found in practicing, as
all recreation is a mental benefit. I feel that all I could preach, say
or sing about the benefit of any certain exercise would be feeble
indeed. Boys and young men—and they are the ones who will probably be
most interested in this book—are not appealed to by advice on “what they
ought to do.” They will never practice any of the feats described in
this book for the good it will do them. They know that plenty of sleep
is good for them, and they know that tobacco is bad for them; but it
makes no difference.
This book is intended more for the boy who wishes to learn but does not
know just where and how to begin. What we all need in this world is
encouragement. I should like to encourage every boy who wishes to learn.
Don’t be discouraged because it takes you so long to learn the
handspring; when that is once learned, the other acts will be easier.
Do you remember the comparative lines used by a baking powder company in
advertising their baking powder? There was the long line reaching nearly
across the page, representing this firm’s powder, “Absolutely Pure.”
Then there was the next line, not as long, representing some other
firm’s powder—not as long a line, and not so pure a powder. Then there
were other lines along down the list, shorter and shorter, until the
last, which was only about an eighth of an inch long. Now, I think these
lines might serve as an excellent illustration of the length of time it
will require one to learn the different feats. Let the long line
represent the length of time it takes to acquire the first trick; the
practice for the first trick will help you with the second, the second
with the third, and so on, so that when you have practiced and learned
many feats the time required to learn each will grow shorter and
shorter, although the acts grow harder.
This rule will apply to all athletic and gymnastic work as well as to
tumbling.
To boys who are apt to get discouraged I love to tell of a boy I knew in
Chicago. He was far below the average in natural ability when I first
knew him—awkward and clumsy—but he became interested in gymnastic work
and kept “everlastingly at it.” He fairly lived in the gymnasium. As a
result of this faithful labor, in less than three months’ time he
participated in a gymnastic exhibition, turning a forward somersault
through a blazing hoop.
Practice, don’t be discouraged! You will probably never become as great
an acrobat as one of the Nelson Brothers, but you will certainly find
great pleasure and accomplish some good results by Ground Tumbling.