The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-10-17
THE ART OF SWIMMING.
Rules Ina Nutshell for the BENEFIT
of Beginners.

Rules Ina Nutshell for the BENEFIT
of Beginners.
Swimming is a little hard at first.
All n wants is to get used to the
water first, for when he gets a mouth
full it distrcsses him. A good swim
back and will be all right in q mo-
ment. The best way to pick up swim
ming is to go into the water up to
your arms and strike out, keeping both
feet off the bottom. Mind, don't let
n drag. Just think you won't go
under, and you will be all right. liz
striking off, the beginner should fall
upon the water gently, keeping his
head and neck perfectly upright, his
breast advanced forward In unison
with the legs. The back cannot be too
much followed or the head too much
thrown back.
The hands should be placed Just in
front of the breast, the fingers point
ing forward and kept close together.
with the thumbs to the edge of the
forefingers; the hands should be made
rather concave on the inside, though
not too much On the stroke of the
hands they should be carried forward
to III utmost extent; they should next
be swept to the side at a distance from
put as low as the hips, and should
then be drawn up again by bringing
the arms toward the side, bending the
elbows upward and the wrists down
ward so as to let the hands hang down
while the arms are raising them to the
first attitude, and so on.
The legs ShOuIl bo ,,oyn1 ,J,-.
~ with the hands. They should be
drawn up with the knees inward and
the soles of the feet inclined outward.
They should be thrown backward as
widely apart from each other as DOS
sible. These motions of the hands and
legs may be practiced out of wafer.
and 1t would be well to do so, and be-
come familiar with the motions. When
in the water the learner should draw
in his breath when his hands are de-
scending toward the hips. and expel
the air from the lungs when beginning
the stroke with the hands.
Next to swimming, floating Ia inst
as needful. One tired out NAV turn
over and rest. The position in the
water is the same as that in swim
ming except as to the legs; the arms
should be stretched out over the head
In the direction of the body. If the
legs begin to sink you should throw
u your chest and keep the loins as
low as possible. In this position the
human body, which is specifically
lighter that water, may Loaf at your
pleasure. In floating, the mouth should
always be kept closed, and respiration
should be rapid.
There are perhaps half a dozen
strokes In swimming. The overland
stroke is the fastest, but then it is
tlresome. By far the best is the Arch
lmedian or side stroke. One can make
live feet at a stroke in a fair current.
The body is turned either on the left
or right side, as the swimmer chooses.
The feet perform the usual motions i in
this style of swimming. The arm from
under the shoulder stretches itself out
quickly at the same time the feet are
striking.
The other arm strikes at the same
time as the impelling of the feet. The
hand of the latter arm begins it's
stroke on a level with the head, while
the hand is again brought forward in
a nat position, and the feet are con-
tracted; the stretched-out hand is,
While working, drawn back toward
the breast, but not so much impelling
as sustaining. Greater speed can be
made on the side than in swimming
the breast-stroke, there being less re-
sistance to the water.
Treading the water is easily learned.
There are two ways. In the first the
hands are compressed against the hips,
and the feet describe the usual circle;
the other consists in not ~ctinp
both legs at the same time, but one
after the other, so that while one re-
mains contracted the other describes
the circle. In this motion the thighs
are placed in distended position, and
curved as if in a half-sitting posture.
New York Ledger.