The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-07-03
LEARNING TO SWIM.
AN ATHLETIC SPORT WHICH ONE
SHOULD BEGIN EARLY.
Swfmming Brings Into Use More Mus
oies Than Any other Exereise--Tho
Methods of one Successful Teacher.
Points That VIII Help Many


be was a small boy.
Never Brighten a very small child will
the idea Of getting him used to the water
A good deal OF harm is done by parent
sduckinQ" children who don't want 10 &,
In the water. / see full grown, stronl
men who can never be at home in thu
@ater because they were frightened thii
way when children.
have classes at the New York Athletic
club for boys, mostly the sons Of members
and will tell you how go 70 work with
them.
OF course the breast stroke is the first
stroke taught That is the simplest and
most natural way OF swimming, being
practically an imitation Of the frogs
method. In 10 the legs do nearly all the
propulsion and the arms merely keep the
body up.
For the first three lessons usually teach
a pupil how 10 work lnB legs In swim
ming a set Of leg muscles are brought into
use which arc not required in any terres-
trial sport. The legs consequently feel
stiff and sore al first and should not be
overworked II is a good thing TO use
gymnastic apparatus bringing these mus
cies. which are inside the thighs, into play.
The instruction in leg movements IS
given 10 the pupil while he holds onto the
edge Of the bath He must open his legs
wide in sending them out and turn his toes
out. The two legs should describe an oval
ugure not quite complete, as the heels
should not come together. Those VINO
teach themselves 60 swim often have
downward motion of the legs-what we
call double club actiOn-which hinders
them very much The inside Of the legs,
and not the shins, should strike the water
If You cannot understand this 80 10 the
frog and learn
In bringing the legs back the feet should
be strengthened out so as 20 nearly form
line with the leg. Holding the feet at
right angles 20 the legs hinders greatly.
In the fourth lesson the pupil learns the
prm movements. He goes through them
twenty times or 80 out Of the water and
then he goes into the water with belt
FOUND his chest, 10 which is attached
line and pole which ! hold In working
his arms he must be taught TO keep his
fingers together and his hands fat on the
water. The arms should be drawn back
until the shoulder blades touch and no fur
Their. He must lie nearly fat on the wa
Ter. The tendency TO kick the heels out Of
water is easily checked. One cannot swim
properly with the legs nearly in the posi-
lion for treading water.
In the course Of two or three lessons with
The belt and pole pupil learns TO swim
few strokes by himself A good meaty boy
can be taught, as a rule, in a much shorter
time than a lean one. have had boy
learn to swim in two lessons. Ten is the
number more often needed. The beginner
must breathe through his mouth not his
nose.
A boy under my care usually spends five
~uinutes ia the water at the first lesson and
&c additioaal minutes at every other les
son until be reaches a maximum Of about
shree-quarters Of an hour.
The next thing TO do is 10 teach him TO
dive. My plan is TO make him stand on the
edge of the bath and fall in head foremost.
This is better than making him stand up
right and fall fiat on his stomach in the
water. He straightens himself out grad
ually till he can stand upright and dive
properly. In diving be must stretch out
his feet behind so that he may not make
second splash with them after the fore
part of his body has entered the water. He
must also keep those feet stretched out
when he is in the water. If the feet are
held at right angles TO the legs they take
three or four yards from the length of the
dive.
The boy is next taught TO float, which is
practically doing the breast stroke on the
back. ! don't teach them any stroke but
the breast until they can swim about half
mile. The first stroke then to be taught
Is the side. This is an advance on the
breast stroke, because the arms give more
assistance TO the legs in making progress.
Then comes the overland stroke. A man
swimming this stroke bears some resem-
blance TO a porpoise, and it is as superior
70 the breast stroke as the action of the
porpoise is 60 that Of the frog.
In swimming the overland stroke man
purus usually on his right side. He sends
forward his right arm, sends out his legs
and sends back his left arm, with hand fat
against the water at the same time When
he prepares TO draw in his legs and his
right arm he takes his left arm, which he
has carried back as far as possible out of
the water and brings 1t in front of his head.
This arm should be brought forward with
bent elbow and with the point of the arm
held 80 as TO offer least resistance TO air or
spray.
There are two or three kinds of overland
strokes There is the familiar English
one. In this the taking of the arm OUT of
the water causes the body 70 sink, and
three-quarters Of every yard travelled is
spent with the face under water This is
a splendid stroke for making time but is
very difficult. Moreover, the swimmer is
liable TO run his head into an obstacle be
cause be cannot see three-fourths of the
time.
! teach what is sometimes called the
Sundstrom stroke and it obviateS the last
unpleasantness. saw it used by the In
dams on the Columbia river in 1869 The
difference between this and the other is
that the swimmer brings back his right
arm with downward motion, while the
left arm is raised in the air. That down
ward motion keeps up the body, so that at
least the left eye remains out of water.
Not quite such good time can be made
with this as with the English stroke.
Another thing 10 be done is TO teach the
boys 10 see under water. Nine out Of ten
ordinary swimmers close their eyes under
water, as they should not l make boy
get under water and count his fingers,
holding them at first against his face and
then at arms length. / have boys who
can pick up half a dozen nickels at the
bottom of twenty feet Of water. They can
also get down TO the bottom, starting from
the surface of the water, which is a deal
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