_Place._
Of all places for swimming, the sea is the best; running waters next;
and ponds the worst. In these a particular spot should be chosen, where
there is not much stream, and which is known to be safe.
The swimmer should make sure that the bottom is not out of his depth;
and, on this subject, he cannot be too cautious when he has no one with
him who knows the place. If capable of diving, he should ascertain if
the water be sufficiently deep for that purpose, otherwise, he may
injure himself against the bottom. The bottom should be of gravel, or
smooth stones, and free from holes, so that he may be in no danger of
sinking in the mud or wounding the feet. Of weeds he must beware; for
if his feet get entangled among them, no aid, even if near, may be able
to extricate him.
_Time._
The best season of the year for swimming is during the months of May,
June, July, and August. Morning before breakfast--that is to say, from
seven till eight o’clock--is the time. In the evening, the hair is
not perfectly dried, and coryza is sometimes the consequence. Bathing
during rain is bad, for it chills the water, and, by wetting the
clothes, endangers catching cold. In practising swimming during those
hours of the day when the heat of the sun is felt most sensibly, if the
hair be thick, it should be kept constantly wet; if the head be bald,
it must be covered with a handkerchief, and frequently wetted.
It is advisable not to enter the water before digestion is finished.
The danger in this case arises less from the violent movements which
generally disorder digestion, than from the impression produced by
the medium in which these movements are executed. It is not less so
when very hot, or quite cold. It is wrong to enter the water in a
perspiration, however trifling it may be. After violent exercises,
it is better to wash and employ friction than to bathe. Persons of
plethoric temperament, who are subject to periodical evacuations, such
as hemorrhoids, or even to cutaneous eruptions, will do well to abstain
from swimming during the appearance of these affections.
_Dress._
Every swimmer should use short drawers, and might, in particular
places, use canvass slippers. It is even of great importance to be able
to swim in jacket and trousers.
_Aids._
The aid of the hand is much preferable to corks or bladders, because it
can be withdrawn gradually and insensibly. With this view, a grown-up
person may take the learner in his arms, carry him into the water
breast high, place him nearly flat upon it, support him by one hand
under the breast, and direct him as to attitude and action. If the
support of the hand be very gradually withdrawn, the swimmer will, in
the course of the first ten days, find it quite unnecessary. When the
aid of the hand cannot be obtained, inflated membranes or corks may be
employed. The only argument for their use is, that attitude and action
may be perfected while the body is thus supported; and that, with some
contrivance, they also may gradually be laid aside, though by no means
so easily as the hand.
The best mode of employing corks is to choose a piece about a foot
long, and six or seven inches broad; to fasten a band across the middle
of it; to place it on the back, so that the upper end may come between
the shoulder-blades, where the edge may be rounded; and to tie the band
over the breast. Over this, several other pieces of cork, each smaller
than the preceding, may be fixed, so that, as the swimmer improves,
he may leave them off one by one. Even with all these aids, the young
swimmer should never venture out of his depth, if he cannot swim
without them.
_Cramp._
As to cramp, those chiefly are liable to it who plunge into the water
when they are heated, who remain in it till they are benumbed with
cold, or who exhaust themselves by violent exercise. Persons subject
to this affection must be careful with regard to the selection of
the place where they bathe, if they are not sufficiently skilful in
swimming to vary their attitudes, and dispense instantly with the use
of the limb attacked by cramp. Even when this does occur, the skilful
swimmer knows how to reach the shore by the aid of the limbs which are
unaffected, while the uninstructed one is liable to be drowned.
If attacked in this way in the leg, the swimmer must strike out the
limb with all his strength, thrusting the heel downward and drawing the
toes upward, notwithstanding the momentary pain it may occasion; or he
may immediately turn flat on his back, and jerk out the affected limb
in the air, taking care not to elevate it so high as greatly to disturb
the balance of the body. If this does not succeed, he must paddle
ashore with his hands, or keep himself afloat by their aid, until
assistance reach him. Should he even be unable to float on his back,
he must put himself in the upright position, and keep his head above
the surface by merely striking the water downward with his hands at the
hips, without any assistance from the legs.