Swimming Scientifically Taught Part 3

The legs must be relaxed, especially at the hips, kicking them up and down alternately; in doing this do not open them more than from about ten to fifteen inches as in Fig. 29. This will depend a great deal on the physique and buoyancy of the swimmer. The toes should be pointed behind and the feet turned inward. Be careful that you do not make the mistake of kicking them too high or opening them too much, also that they do not come out of the water. In doing this thrash stroke you will readily know if you are making these mistakes, because the legs will become tired and cramped very quickly. Some fast swimmers bend their legs at the knees as ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 27, others take a sort of pedalling motion by bending the ankles back and forth.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 27]

This is done by bringing the toes up as the leg rises, and pointing them down as the leg snaps back. At the present time the fastest sprinters swim without the great bend in the knee; some bend them slightly to help relax the legs.

The trudgeon crawl kick is a combination of the crawl and the trudgeon, and the reason it is used for sprinting in preference to the crawl is because it is less tiring, thus affording greater speed for long distances. This may be swum in either two, four, six, or eight beats.

The eight-beat is not used very often. The six-beat is used by most of the fastest swimmers, but the four-beat is the easiest for pupils to learn and time; it also is very speedy. The legs should be kept close together at all times and after taking two, four, six or eight beats, whichever the case may be, the kick should be formed that the first and fourth kicks amount to narrow scissors kicks, then follow with the regular thrash kick, which is straight up and down, as ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 28. Point the legs and turn the feet in slightly.

Quite a few swimmers believe their legs are of little a.s.sistance, but you will find, if you practise the movements alone the way I suggest, the legs will play a very prominent part in your stroke.

You will be able to make good speed without using the arms. When these movements are thoroughly mastered, after trying all the different variations to discover which suits your particular need, you may then turn your attention to learning the arm stroke.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 28]

_The Arm Strokes._--The arms should be practised with the face under water, moving the legs only sufficiently to prevent them sinking too low, and also so you can obtain the correct position in the water. The arms should be bent at the elbows after they are brought out of the water. The reach should be straight out from the shoulders, placing the hands as far forward as possible before entering the water; by so doing you will conserve your energy. Hold the hands like a scoop; they should be about six inches below the surface before taking the sweep. While doing this the elbows must be perfectly stiff, sweeping the arms with considerable force under the surface as far back as the thighs, the body being propelled forward by the powerful force. Swing the arms from the shoulders and just lift them enough so they clear the water. Relax the arms at all times excepting when they take the sweep through the water.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 29]

Some swimmers draw the arms under the stomach, others use the arms entirely straight, a few place the arms in close to the head and extend to full length under water. As in the leg stroke, if the pupil tries the different methods he will find which stroke is the easiest to accomplish. Having mastered the arms, combine with the legs before attempting to breathe, as this in itself is quite difficult.

_Breathing._--The breathing must be done entirely through the mouth. On the crawl the head and not the body must be turned, and just sufficiently to allow the mouth coming above the water as the left arm pa.s.ses the head, and a deep breath can then be taken. When the left arm comes forward, turn the face under the water and exhale; repeat on every stroke.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 30]

Do not raise your head when breathing or hold your breath for a consecutive number of strokes. Constant practise will loosen the muscles of the neck, when you will find it much easier. In the trudgeon crawl there is a greater roll to the body, and you breathe when rolling toward the right side, as in Fig. 30.

Having learned the arm and leg movements with the breathing, it is now essential that the position of the body be correct (see Fig. 26). Do not make the mistake of burying your head too deep or the legs, either; hollow the back so as to present a slight slant to the water. If the legs and back come too high raise the head a trifle.

PART III

FLOATING, DIVING AND SCIENTIFIC SWIMMING

TREADING WATER

Treading water is a very useful and necessary adjunct to swimming, especially so to the person who either falls overboard or goes to the rescue of a drowning person, or when trying to remove one's clothes. In the game of water polo, also, this method of swimming is practised a great deal.

To tread water is like running up-stairs rapidly; the legs have to be brought up and down all the time; the hands should be kept on the surface of the water, the palms continually pressing against the water, and thereby helping the legs to hold the body up.

It is possible to stand perfectly still in deep water, it being merely a question of balance.

Stand perfectly still, with the arms in line with the shoulders and the head kept well back in the water. The head will sink below the surface once or twice until the proper balance is reached. When this is attained try breathing through the mouth. The swimmer can stand still for an indefinite period.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TREADING WATER]

FLOATING

Floating on the surface of the water is enjoyed immensely by all good swimmers. This feat may seem quite simple, but it is not very easily accomplished. There are many persons who are fairly good swimmers, and yet are unable to float properly. The best of swimmers have often attained this feat only after long and persistent practise. It is possible to learn to float without being able to swim, but in that case only by persons not subject to the least nervousness. As a means of securing rest during exercises in the water, floating gives an ideal position. Without the ability to float one lacks the absolute self-confidence in the water so necessary in order to perform numerous aquatic feats.

As a rule, women learn to float more quickly than men, because their bones are lighter. Oftentimes women are able to float the first time they enter the water. Strange as it may seem, while this accomplishment is a very difficult matter for some men to master, with women it is almost natural. Nothing is more enjoyable to a good swimmer than floating. Especially is this true while bathing at the seash.o.r.e, when the sea is often rough and the breakers high.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FLOATING POSITION]

The positions for floating or for swimming on the back is practically the same, the only difference being that in floating the body lies perfectly motionless, while in swimming on the back the limbs are constantly in motion. There is no position more comfortable to a swimmer than floating; it is the position of rest, and no bed is so soft as the ocean. To be able to lie perfectly at ease with only the toes and the lower part of the feet peeping above the water is one of many pretty accomplishments in swimming. Yet it requires considerable practise to become perfect in the art.

[Ill.u.s.tration: INCORRECT FLOATING POSITION]

After the novice has mastered the back stroke, it is essential that he should learn how to float in different positions. Begin then by extending the arms above the head, thumbs locked, and back hollowed; then bend slowly backward until the back of the hands and head rest in the water, when, by giving the feet a slight push forward, the legs will rise slowly to the surface. Keep the mouth open and breathe deeply, as the more air injected into the lungs the higher the body will float.

The head, being the heaviest part of the body in the water, should therefore be kept well back. Should the legs show a tendency to sink, extend the straightened out arms under the surface in line with the body above the head; this will counterbalance the legs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EASY FLOATING POSITION]

Another method is to draw the heels up close to the body, spreading the knees wide apart so that the heels will touch each other. Should the body roll from side to side, spread the arms until the body is steadied; sometimes a slight stroke from the side which is rolling is sufficient to maintain the balance. As women float much easier than men on account of the smallness of their bones, stout persons are more buoyant in floating than slim ones. Floating in fresh water is more difficult than in salt water. Few male swimmers can float in fresh water at all.

To regain the feet in floating seems to be a difficult thing for beginners, and yet it can be done with comparative ease and little splashing if the arms are brought in front, using the hands as a scoop while pulling the body forward from the waist up. By bringing the body and the head forward until immersed, the legs will be forced to the bottom. One thing beginners should always remember is to keep the lungs well inflated and the head well back in the water; in fact, everything should be kept under water with the exception of the mouth and the nose.

Another important thing to remember in floating is to keep the body limp, and breathe naturally and regularly.

DIVING

After a person has mastered the first rudiments of swimming, such as the back, breast, and floating strokes, he is naturally anxious to learn to dive. There is nothing more fascinating to a swimmer than a sharp, clean plunge into cool water.

The whole secret of diving is the possession of plenty of pluck and self-confidence. One need not be an expert swimmer to be a good diver.

In fact, some persons can dive very well and at the same time are mediocre swimmers. As in other branches, practise makes perfect.

While in ordinary swimming diving is indulged in merely for the pleasure derived therefrom, in racing diving is a very important factor.

Frequently races are won mainly from the ability of the contender to dive properly; in other words, to get away with a skimming plunge, thus securing a good start and getting into a stride that carries him to victory.

This form of swimming is also of the utmost importance in the matter of life-saving. As a luxury in sea-water bathing nothing equals a plunge from a good height.

I advise beginners to practise from a float or springboard, the latter being preferable, as the spring naturally throws the legs up into the air, thereby preventing the diver from landing flat on his stomach, as most beginners usually do. The essential points to be considered in diving are to keep the head well tucked in between the extended arms, the thumbs locked, the arms forming an arch above the head. In standing, preparatory to the dive, the knees should be slightly bent, so that the spring comes from the bended knees and toes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TEACHING DIVING TO A BEGINNER]

In teaching diving to a nervous pupil, at first I generally hold up the left leg as he is bending over to dive. The farther over he bends, the higher I raise the leg, as per ill.u.s.tration. Then it is impossible for the swimmer to fall flat on the water; the upraised leg prevents that.

This is the way that I advise all would-be divers to make their first attempt. After a while the diver will throw up both legs in the air behind him. To obviate entering the water with the knees doubled up, as so many do (see ill.u.s.tration), the toes must be pointed straight up, back arched. Pointing the toes tends to straighten the legs out (see page 94). Another method I use in teaching a diver to spring well out is to hold a long stick across the water, about four feet away and three feet above the diving-board. This makes the diver spring well out and throw his legs up behind him. It is well to impress the diver always to keep his thumbs interlocked. Otherwise, if he should be diving in a shallow place, the hands would spread and the head would strike bottom; locking the thumbs prevents this.

After deep and shallow dives have been mastered, the pupil can take up various fancy dives, such as the "side dive," "standing-sitting dives,"

"standing, sitting-standing dive," "back dive," "jack-knife dive,"

"front-back dive," "back somersault," "front somersault," "sitting jump," and numerous others.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A BAD DIVE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: CORRECT POSITION IN MIDAIR]