Shallow Dive
Diving is a necessary part of a swimmer’s knowledge, and once the learner has mastered the simple strokes, there is but one way to enter the water—head first. What is known as the low or shallow dive is not only the best for the beginner, but is useful when one advances to the racing stage in their experience, while being the easiest to learn. To make a good dive, stand perfectly erect, with the hands first placed at the sides of the body, the position being the same as you would assume when making a broad jump. Then bend the legs slightly, draw the arms back of the body and spring forward, getting the arms in front of the head, palms downward, the thumbs touching, entering the water with a shallow dive, keeping the feet and legs close together, without bending at the knees while entering the water. As soon as you make the plunge point the hands upward and the body will come to the surface at once, inclining always as the hands are pointed; for, if you should point the hands downward, then the body would descend. To learn to dive, a little confidence is needed more than anything else, and after you have made your first effort, which, on account of timidity, is usually a little awkward, it will be a matter of a short time only when you will catch on to the idea, after which you will never think of jumping in the water, the pleasure and sensation attending a dive always being fascinating. Of course, there are other forms of diving, such as the high dive, running header, etc.; but these can be mastered later on, when the pupil has advanced to a higher point in the art, when they will be found to be easy of accomplishment, and you will be ambitious to excel in all the various ornamental and difficult water feats of the expert swimmer.