METHODS OF SWIMMING, FLOATING, DIVING, AND SOME GOOD WATER GAMES
Some girls, after they have learned the alphabet of music, and are
able to play elementary scales on the piano, are eager to surprise
themselves and annoy their listeners by starting in to play tunes, if
indeed they are not ambitious to tackle grand opera. But the wise
learner is satisfied to take one step at a time, and before going on
he is sure that he can do the previous steps reasonably well.
I am old enough to have boys of my own, still I hope I shall never be
so old as to forget my own boyhood, nor to feel that much of the boy
nature does not still keep with me; and this is why I advise my boy
friends who read this to learn surely whatever they undertake; in this
case it is swimming.
After you can manage the breast stroke well, try the side stroke,
which you will find more speedy, but it has its disadvantages in a
long swim, by reason of the tension thrown on the muscles of the neck
in keeping the head thrown so far back from its normal position, while
the chest and shoulders, square to the front, offer considerable
resistance to the water. History has not handed down the name of the
founder of the side stroke, but he deserves canonization equally with
the man who ate the first oyster. Nature evidently intended man to
swim on his side, as in this position the body moves more easily in
the water, to which it offers less resistance, while the action of the
arms is not so fatiguing, and the head is supported by the water at
its proper angle to the trunk.
There is no arbitrary rule as to which side you shall swim on, left or
right being a pure matter of choice; but while I think the left is
preferable, as it gives greater play to the right arm, the right is
the usual side "put on" by the majority. The great thing is to be able
to swim equally well on either, as this enables you to keep your face
to the breakers in a rough sea on whichever tack you lay your course.
When you have mastered this stroke you will seem to move forward
continuously, and not in a succession of jerks, as with the breast
stroke. The natives of the South Sea Islands, who are, to my thinking,
the best swimmers in the world, use this stroke for a long, steady
swim, and I have been surprised at the speed they make and the length
of time with which they can keep it up without a sign of fatigue.
RACING
The racing stroke is effective for speed, but it soon wears out all
but the strong, expert swimmer. In acquiring it you must remember that
pace is the great desideratum, and, consequently, rapidity of action
is requisite. To gain this you must combine two movements in one, by
striking with the propeller on whichever side you swim at the same
time as the feet, the sustainer acting in the same manner as before.
As the legs are brought up for the kick the propeller is lifted clear
of the water, the arm being slightly bent in a graceful curve, and
thrown forward in an arc to its fullest extent, the hand being held in
the scoop-like position it maintains in the water. Now kick, and bring
the propeller simultaneously downwards and backwards, with a bold and
vigorous sweep, until it reaches the thigh when the elbow is bent,
drawing the hand upwards to be thrown forward again. As this stroke is
being made, shoot out the sustainer quickly forwards, and while this
arm is pulled in towards the body the legs and propeller are quickly
brought into action for the next stroke. The learner will have to
count one, two, only in effecting this movement, as, when the
propeller and legs are striking, the sustainer is shot out, and _vice
versa_.
OTHER WAYS
Swimming on the back is very easy, once the confidence is assured. In
this method the hands are folded on the breast, or still better, kept
under the water and close to the sides. This done, the feet are drawn
up together, as in breast swimming, and then kicked out together. As
the arms are the chief driving power, swimming on the back is at best
but a slow, jerky method of proceeding, but if one has not learned to
float, it is a good way to rest for a bit in a long swim.
Some swimmers, particularly those that are narrow chested or lank and
lean, can never learn to float, though once you know how, it is easier
and far more comfortable than "falling off a log."
At first, when learning to float on your back, and by the way that is
the only way to do it properly, you will find yourself sinking slowly,
feet foremost, until you seem to be standing up, and must use some
exercise to keep afloat; but you can learn.
Before lying flat on your back, inflate your lungs fully; as you do so
you will be surprised to see how you seem to lift out of the water.
Now, before your lungs are exhausted, for you will sink as they empty,
breathe deeply again and exhaust slowly as before, keeping your arms
by your sides and your legs close together and extended.
Don't expect to float like a life boat at the first try, for you are
not built along life boat lines; but if you stick at it, and make the
experiment at least once every time you go in swimming, you will float
well before the summer is over.
GOING IN
If you know the water, the best way to enter it is by a quick plunge
or a straight dive.
To walk into the water and "duck" is rather an ignominious proceeding,
only to be excused in the novice or the lady bather we see at our
watering-places bobbing up and down at the end of a rope. The swimmer
should not rest content until he is able to plunge in like a workman;
but first, a word of caution! Never attempt to dive unless you know
that the water is deep enough for the purpose.
Many serious accidents have occurred from this mistake, notably when
bathing at sea. An incautious plunge from the ship's side into the
sail bath extemporized overboard to ward off any danger from sharks
has resulted fatally to the rash swimmer, and at all times danger
attends rash plunging.
It is, nevertheless, astonishing into what shallow water an expert can
fearlessly dive from a height, his arms and head emerging almost
before the feet have disappeared beneath the surface. The diver needs
to be very quick of hand and eye, and many accidents attest the fact
of the game not being worth the candle.
I have seen bathers extend the arms over their heads and fall forward,
which generally entails a smart tingling of the chest and stomach, as
the body is almost certain to drop flat on the surface.
A very neat plunge, which requires practice and a little pluck, is
made by standing erect on the brink edge or board and, instead of
springing from the board, allowing the body, kept rigid, to fall
forward until it attains the proper distance, then suddenly throw up
the feet and plunge in like an arrow and without a splash.
UNDER WATER
It requires some practice to swim under water, but you can soon do it.
It is well to learn how to keep the eyes open under water. This is
no more difficult nor painful than it is to keep them open in the air.
This skill may be of great use in locating a body that has sunk for
the last time. Many such cases have been brought up and restored to
consciousness, under proper treatment.
WATER GAMES
are not as many as land games, but some of them afford good sport. One
of these is "Water Bladder," which requires good swimmers, at least
they must not be afraid of the water.
To play this game place two places, for goals, at proper distances
where the water is overhead, and mark each with crossed rods, the tops
about a foot out of water. Divide the party into two sides and take
your positions as in an old-fashioned game of football. At the word
"Ready," the umpire, who is on the shore or at some convenient point,
throws an inflated bladder between the opposite sides. The object of
the players is to send the bladder over the enemy's goal, and the
rules are very simple. It is foul to interfere with an opponent by
putting your hands on him, it is foul to use more than one hand in
handling the bladder, but you may swim in front of a man, dive under
him, in fact "interfere" in every way you can. Each goal counts one
point, and five points make a game.
TUB RACES
One might suppose that this would come under the head of boating, but
one would be mistaken, for it properly belongs to swimming, as any one
who has witnessed or taken part in such a race will tell you.
Each contestant supplies himself with an ordinary washtub. At the word
"Go!" he places it in the water, climbs in as best he can, and paddles
with his hands for the taw line. This is great fun, and if one out of
ten gets through he may count himself fortunate. He may not succeed a
second time and will not if the others can help it.
When I was a boy we had no end of sport in running and diving from a
springboard. This, as you know, is a long, strong board--the longer
the better--one end of which is firmly fixed in the bank and weighted
with logs or stones; but no matter how weighted you must see to it
that it does not get out of balance.
The free end projects over the water at any desired angle, and care
must be taken at the start to see that there are no stones or snags
from which harm may come below the surface.
It would be difficult to find anything more graceful than a lot of
slender boys speeding up this spring-board and shooting out, feet
first or head first, into the river, pond or swimming pool.
When a boy can turn a somersault from the end of the board, and come
down feet foremost in a clean-cut way, he may be said to be an expert.
Contrary to the belief of those who have not tried it, it is much
easier to turn a back than a forward somersault, though neither can be
achieved without some practice.
In the back somersault great care should be taken that the diver leaps
far, so as to be free and clear of the board when he turns; otherwise
his head may strike with bad results.
As I have said before, diving may be useful in saving life, or in
finding objects that have been lost in the water. In such cases it
will be necessary to keep the eyes open, otherwise you will be much
like one groping in the dark.
The tendency in diving is to keep the eyes closed. There is a feeling
that if they are opened the water will hurt them, or that its touch
will be painful; but this is a great mistake. If the water is clear,
and clear water is the best to swim in, one can see under water nearly
as well as on top and the eyes are in no way affected.
Pearl divers in the Persian Gulf sometimes stay under water for
minutes at a time, and if they could not keep their eyes open while
searching for the pearl shells, their descent would not profit much.
The eyes of these people are never injured.
In the Bay of Apia, in the Samoan Islands, I have seen native boys
diving from a canoe under the bottom of a great ocean steamer. On one
occasion a boy brought up from a depth of fifty feet a silver coin
that had been tossed overboard to test his skill.
CLOSING ADVICE
Never go into the water when at all warm. The best way to enter is to
plunge or dive in.
Never go in more than twice a day, even if a fresh lot of boys come
down to "dare" you. Learn to laugh at dares.
Never stay in the water more than half an hour at a time, unless there
is an absolute need for your so doing. You cannot learn too early that
good health is easily lost and hard to regain.