St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-07
TEACHING s WINNING
An Athletic Accomplishment
Which One Should Ac-
quire Early in Life.
1t Brings Unused Muscles
Into Play and Develops
the System.
A Need for More Swimming
Baths for Poor
People.
Some Of the Best Styles
in the Practice Of
NatatiOn.

Swimming is the most attractive of
all possible sports just now, and 1t is
very Opportune time to print some valu-
able information for those who can and
those who can't swim. Gus S undstrom,
the swimming instructor of the New
York Athletic club and champion long
distance swimmer of America, has
written the article printed below for the
benefit of the readers Of the New York
Sunday World. 1t is addressed to men
and women in general and to boys i'll
particular. Mr.. SundStrom is thirty
years old, and was born in Brooklyn of
Swedish parents, went to sea in his
youth. is five feet eleven inches high.
weighs 1S3 pounds when trained. and is
fair-haired and of agreeable cOunte-
nance. This is whathe says to swimmers
and to those about to learn to swim:
Every boy should learn to swim. To
be good swimmer it is in most cases
necessary that a man should have
learned when he was small boy. You
know that pleasing poem which says:
When Pop was little boy like me he used to
go in sWimmin';
He went away right up the creek, where
there weren't any women.
One day tramp came along and stole all his
apparel,
And he had to wait till the sun went and go
home in a barrel.
That tells how boys learn to swim in
the country. In the city they have to
90 to baths, where they learn much
better with the help of competent
instructor than those country boys
can.
Never brighten a very small child
with the idea of getting him used to the
water. A good deal of harm is done by
parents "ducking" children who don't
want to go in the water.
Danger of Frightening Children.
| see full.grown, strong men who can
never be at home in the water because
they were frightened this way when
children. l am teaching my son. now
two years old, to swim. He practices
in bath tub twice day. and when he
is four years old expect him to be a
good swimmer.
have classes at the New York Ath-
letic club for boys, mostly the sons Of
members. and will tell you how go to
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 it the legs do nearly all the
propulsion, and the arms merely keep
the body up.
For the first three lessons 1 usually
teach pupil how to work his legs. In
swimming set OF leg muscles are
brought into use which are rot required
in, tprraStrial cnnrt The lpTS "a
quently feel stiff and sore at first, and
should not be Overworked. 1t is good
thing to use gymnasium apparatus
in bringing these muscles, which are in
side the thighs, into play.
The instruction in leg movements is
given 10 the pupil while he holds OH to
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 figure, not quite COM
plete, as the heels should not come to-
gether. Those who teach themselves to
swim often have downward motion of
the legs. what we call a 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, go to the frog
and learn.
In bringing the legs back the feet
should be Strengthened out so as to
nearly form a line with the leg. Hold
ing the feet at right angles to the legs
hinders greatly.
The Arm Movements.
In the fourth lesson the pupil learns
the arm movements. He goes through
them twenty times or so out of the
water and then he goes in the water
with belt round his chest, to 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 shout
der blades touch and no further. He
must lie nearly fiat on the water. The
tendency to kick the heels out of the
water is easily checked. One can not
swim properly with the legs nearly in
the position 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 Il rule, in a
shorter time than lean one. l 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.
boy under my care usually spends
five minutes in the water at the first
lesson and five additional minutes ut
every other lesson until he reaches a
maximum of three-quarters of an hour.
The next thing to do is to 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 upright and fall fat on his
stomach in the water. He straightens
himself out gradually till he can stand
upright and dive properly. In diving
he must stretch out his feet behind so
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 Art of Floating.
Tue boy is next taught to float. which
is practically doing the breast stroke on
the back. Then comes life saving. This
is valuable, not because the average boy
can he expected to plunge and rescue a
| drowning man in his clothes, but be-
cause he is often called upon to carry in
| an exhausted companion when bathing
iii the sea. | take the part of drown
ing man first and then get the boy to do
1t. One way is to have the rescued boy
put his arms around the others neck
and face him. The rescuer can then
swim with all his arms and legs. An
other plan is for the rescuer to put his
| LETT hand under the others chest. while
he uses the right. The other can use
his left arm and his legs if he is not too
| tired to do so.
In resculng drowning persons it is
| usually necessary TO float ana hold