New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-02
LEARNING TO SWIM.
FLOATING SHOULD BE THE FIRST STEP
! ITS EASIER THAN MANY PEG
PIE THINK

even moderately accomplished In II VIII most rea l.
Wy admit The ultra advocates Of this amusement
maintain that It IL. for health-giving and for all
other purposes the first and foremost OF all the
outdoor exercises that It Is the only one that
brings into motion every muscle and forces INTO
circulation every drop Of blood In the system. ANY
number Of incidents will be recounted to you py
the teachers OF the art OF swimming OF the cures
that have been effected I'm lung trouble and many
other diseases: in fact. swimming. like patent med
icne is the grand curc-all for those who like tho
sport. Certainly the most indolent must exercise
when In the water. How much OF health there 10
in exercise under the open sky the wisest man
cannot count.
But aside from the physical benefit TO be derived
from II, swimming Is a most desirable accomplish
ment. and the various watering places show
| large per cent Of men and women who are grace
| full and thoroughly good swimmers And the mum.
Der. especially OF women. IL yearly growing larger
Swimming IL now taught as an art an accomplish.
ment But II is within the memory OF grandmoth-
that girl who could swim was thought TO Do
to speak moderately-at least a tcmboy. II now
forms a portion OF her education. as In the olden
times the embroidery and sampler cloth did The
girl OF to-day goes to- swimming school and enters
I a swimming A few years ago the writer
/ saw two young girl, who could not have been
more than fourteen or fifteen years old, swim from
Fort Hamilton TO Fort Wadsworth and back.
II is a peculiar feeling Of satisfaction that comes
over who has been timd OF the water when
once the mastery is gained. and one knows that In
that mighty monster. ocean one can swim or hoat
or dive A woman who had been brought up In
the semi tropics, where every child In the village
could SWIM said that she had never learned be-
cause she was too much afraid Of sharks Finally.
when the family moved North she went to
swimming school. But she so In dread OF
death by drowning that the teacher thought she
would never learn. At last confidence was gained
by her finding that she could float. Soma
chers adv
as a of giving confidence. once the pupi
finds out that he float. he feels more ready 70
learn TO swim rejecting that In OF trouble he
can stifren out and float until aid comes
NOT A QUESTION OF FATNEss
In floating the pupil is laid in horizontal posi-
ton on the back the head Is bent backward ard
the water allowed to come up over the ears. The
feet should be close together and held rgid. whcn
there will be no danger Of sinking. which no IRE
ouently occurs not only TO beginners. but to per-
sons who are otherwise excellent swimmers An
other fallacy Is that only feshy people can roat
we'll With the proper instruction those VINO nav"
been thoroughly convinced that they could never
float on account OF their hnness. often master tho
difficulty The whole secret Hes In confidence ana
IN ryldity This Is understood by the French
teachers of swimming and with them floating Is
called ZEN blanche that is. making a board or
ones self or stiffenng out like plank More
over you can float the side with the two hands
IL
The one thing above all others that retards inc
novice, from mastering the art Of swimming f. the
hurry that Is horn OF fear. good teacher ~ con-
stanrlv telling . pupil Not 80 fast Not 80 fast
Rest on the stroke" Pupils usually master inc
arm motion before they do the leg motion some
teachers teach the arm movement thoroughly nrst.
one master was wont to scream out to his pupils'
ATTEND to your arms. Get them all right hrst.
Don't be the least worried about your legs. You
cannot leave them behind YOU by any kind OF an
accident They will be sure 10 follow you wher-
ever you CO.
Wade out into the water until II is about breast
high. put the palms Of your hands together just
underneath the water. With a quick motion eH-
tend them to their full length. You can make
YOUR hands scooplike you please after you
separate them. At the same time. give yourseh
good push with your foot on the bottom, ana draw
your hands back TO your sides. but not untii you
have held the position which you have got oy ea.
tendinC the lands in front of YOU with the pans
together, while you count one TINS Is What SWIM,
ming teachers call resting on the stroke; ana
YOU will send yourself far forward on nus RESI-,
once you have grown hold II, as you Will In tue
scul motion Of the hands and arms
UNPLEASANT But INEVITABLE.
II YOU carry the hands as far back as the thighs
you will more than likely get q good dose OF saN
water. as this will dip your head. Drinking salt
water is said 10 he OF the essentials OF learning
10 swim While it is not necessary 1t generally 10
a fact that "A swimmer drinks his weight Of the
ocean before he learns how not 70 The troupie IL
that YOU cannot remember everything at once f5ut
he sure TO keep the stroke about an inch under
water except when the hands steal FORWARD asaln
from the sides of the chest. when they rest almost
when YOU have mastered both the arm and the
tbe one in harmony with the other Bu, these
things. while tresorne 10 learn. and many times times
and hold the same relative importance as the sep
and manual exercises OF the soldier Iney s ars ns
old swimming teacher was never tired OF telling ms
pupils Of the ar b on IN s SHoS waV supposs
you are standing in the tank OF swimming scnoo,.
opposite your shoulders Bend your elbows SO
that n6o Gh can rest on fne rS the e from
the ground. bend both knees and draw them wen
legs to the highest and widest extent. at the same
time depressing the heels, contracting me toes up
spread-eagle fashion. describing as complete 2
seni-circe possible with each leg You VIII hnd
the toes gradually drop the feet reach tnslr
hackword circular motion bring the siily extended
thsm there while you count one. 1t is difficult TO
momentum He thinks he Is there to work. and
perfectiy useless work while he is learning make
swimming pleasure that he eyer did In al nj; ,
that is said to you, hump your back The only
thing that you gam oy this is good backache.'
EASIER STYLES OF SWIMMING.
Learning this breast swimming Is good deal Ike
learning the vowels In stenog,aphy You learn them
and then you seldom them. For this reason,
long sustained. this way OF swimming IL tresome
because the head must be c,evated sufficiently above
the water 10 make the position rather tiresome Il
IL much easier TO swim the side and still easier
yet TO swim on the back First YOU learn 10 float.
then the breast swimming. and you can at your
ease and convenience. master all OF the fancy
strokes 1t IS simply delightful to turn over on
your back and cross your hands above your head
or rest them at your sides while you lie still ard
In regard 10 the side stroke, the ordinary way In
TO bring the upper arm forward in the water then
bring II back with n quick movement toward the
hips The movement of the under arm. upon the side
upon which the swimmer rests, with the cheek on
the water. Is partially downward and backward.
The same motion with the legs as is practised IN
the breast stroke be used or the more for,,ibo