Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-31

quickly, and in helping a person to
stay afoat or TO continue moving
slowly for long time, says the New
York Sun.
There are times, as in going to the
rescue Of drowning person, or In get
ting to a float or pier against a strong
tide, when a few fast strokes are all
important, and the ability to swim a
short distance very fast is extremely
useful. But II those few fast strokes
fail, the ability to stay afoat becomes
OF first Importance, and many So
called good swimmer has been drowned
because he never learned the art Of
swimming long distance In leisure
ly manner.
For the art OF swimming to be Of
practical use TO O person It should be
so cultivated that he can rely on II to
support him In almost any emergency.
One should be able to swim at least a
dozen strokes very fast and one should
be able to keep on swimming easily for
at least an hour without touching bot
tom.
Endurance In swimming comes from
two things; the time of the stroke and
the adjustment Of its force TO the
strength OF the body. A person can
walk for an hour or two without be-
coming exhausted and a summer girl
can dance for six or eight hours at
stretch, but very few persons can run
at full speed after a street car for
block without losing breath. II Is 50
In swimming. Very few outside OF those
who have been specially trained for 1t
can swim any great distance at high
speed. but aynone can keep up a GER
tain rapidly of stroke for very long
time. What this rapidity will be, de-
Ponds on the strength OF the individual
and should be ascertained by practice,
In the castaway stroke, used by sail
ors in the English navy, the swimmer
makes.Snly about five strokes minute
and does not move more than two feet
at stroke, but man has been known
TO keep 1t up for two days after being
lost overheard from a boat on the Good
win sands.
The best way to adjust the stroke Of
the individual is TO keep II In exact
time with the breathing, which will be
about twenty strokes O minute or
little faster. If the strength Is exerted
when the lungs are full and the chest
is firm and expanded, II can be used to
better effect, and II the time Of the
exertion Is always the same as the time
OF breathing, the whole operation be-
comes harmonious and falls into
rhythm which requires very little effort
to keep IN.
Another reason Is, that when one
does not breathe In exact time with the
stroke the breathing must be hurried
20 keep up or the stroke must be slowed
to avoid the unnatural shortness Of
the breathing II Is the stroke which
should be adjusted and not the breath
Nothing else is so exhaustlng as ir-
regular breathing especially in swim
ming, and nothing else so quickly
brings II on as lrregularty In the
stroke, or a stroke which is too slow or
too fast for the natural time of the
breath.
The whole art OF swimming Is d.
rected TO bring about this adjustment
Ten years ago American champions
used a style Of stroke which would be
laughed at today. The we'll known
Trudgeon, which consisted in swing
ing both arms forward out Of the wat
or, the body being on the chest. with
the head and shoulders well out, was
so exhausting that no swimmer in this
country could keep It up for more than
100 yards. even when specially trained
for the effort The reason for this was
that II was out Of time with the breath
ing.
American experts began about six
years ago 20 take up the English side
stroke which differed from the Ameri-
can side stroke in making the stroke
OF the upper arm after the kick and not
at the same time. This alternate mo-
ton resulted In doing away with the
peculiar jumping up-anddown motion
Of the American stroke and left the
body deeper In the water, so that the
head did not come Up at all, the mouth
being turned TO one side Just enough
to inhale the breath as the kick forced
the body forward, and made wash or
trough In the water Just deep enough
10 clear the swimmers mouth.
The head being carried by the water
oil the time the feet came nearer the
surface, and all the power Of the stroke
was used TO propel the body forward,
whereas a great deal Of the power In
the old-style was used in bobbng the
head up and down, This saved power
and added greatly 70 the endurance OF
the swimmer, II being much easier sim
ply 10 propel a floating body than TO
propel and lift at the same time.
The next step was TO try the return
over the water Of the under arm. which
had always been carried forward under
water. AT first this seemed like going
back to the old Trudgeon stroke, but
there was this great difference that In
the Trudgeon the whole head was
above the water line, and the stroke Of
both arms was the same, sweeping
from side TO side. In the new stroke the
face and head are buried after the kick
and the under arm Is lifted out and
thrown forward while the whole body Is
submerged. The next Kick makes the
wash in which the swimmer breathes,
the upper arm stroke follows. the head
and face disappear. and the under arm
Is brought out and thrown forward.