The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-06-29

tive movement of resistance until they
are again fully opened. Obviously, !
therefore. half the upward sweep of |
the under leg and half the downward |
beat of the upper should be made |
energetic, and the other half of both |
with relaxed muscles. This, of course. !
in the back crawl, for in the crawl !
proper the driving movements are re
versed
To the average swimmer the point
may seem small and immaterial, but ii
is just these small distinctions which
make all the difference in swimming.
Unfortunately most competitors win
not take the trouble to analyze their
strokes and study them in detail.
The back trudgeon-craWl may be per-
formed with one or two small scissors
kicks and a fluttering motion of the
feet between TO make the action con-
tinuous The major drives or scissors
are all that distinguish it from the
back crawl.
Air should be inhaled as the arms
are carried over the body in recovery
and exhaled willie the arms are driv.
i ing. This method is the very opposite
| of the one used in swimming face
| down, but there are excellent reasons
| for advocating it.
| To begin with. the movements lend
| themselves to this mode of respiration,
for in raising the arms to recover the
| chest is expanded, and this facilitates
the intake, while in driving the arms
| are lowered, which tends to contract
the chest and expel the air from the
lungs. Then, too, the lifting of the
arms results in n slight sinking of the
body, and it is possible to counteract
it in part by initiating the lungs and
thus increasing the buoyancy.
One of the most difficult problems in
back stroke swimming is to find the
most advantageous position. If the
head is thrown back too far it not only
offers unnecessary resistance, but The
water viii splash over the face and in
terfere with ones breathing, while i
the head is held too high the body
says in the middle, and the drag Il
: even greater
; Practice only can tell the exact Sian
: to be sought, but the aim should be Il
! minimize as much as possible the re
; sisting surface and at the same tim
7 ease the action of the arms. 1t is wei
2 to give the matter deep consideration
That the modern back strokes hav
! yet to be fully exploited is the preva
lent opinion among experts and tn
+ fact is not surprising, for the spor
a has a small following There is reaso
d to believe, however, that as the bac
! crawl and trudgeon-crawl become bet
f ter known the present records viii
4 smashed to pieces and very fast time
d made.
l. Already Harry Hebner of the Illinoi
n Athletic club of Chicago has upset a
preconceived notions by covering 1C
e yards in 1 minute 20 seconds an
IT showing ability to lower the class
/, $50 yard worlds figures almost at vii
', This he has done without special trail
c. ing and while competing in free sty
in events of all kinds, so that there ca
t. be no doubt of the great possibilitit
of the stroke he useS-the back trud
rs eon-crawl
nd In swimming the middle and lor
it. distances on the back some excellel
al performances have been made. @.
he Webster of Halifax, the English char
ur pion, is credited with swimming mi
Ike in 26 minutes 90 seconds, about a mi
VI. ute behind the American free sty
to record, and in the five mile champio
st | ship of the Thames he finished fifth
field of thirty This indicates th
he the back strokes are not as slow
ut generally supposed.