In a match or competitive bout, the umpire decides the hits, but it is courtesy to acknowledge a hit yourself.
Swimming
A graceful swimmer is as fascinating to watch as a graceful dancer. Anyone with a thorough knowledge of the strokes and with sufficient confidence in her own ability may develop into a graceful and competent swimmer. Everyone should learn to swim well, because it is not only one of the best physical exercises, but also is a useful accomplishment in case of emergency. Swimming is an all-around exercise, since it brings into play all the muscles of the body. Not only is swimming good from the above points of view, but also as a rule it stimulates and refreshes, and combined withal there is generally an element of fun which lends zest to the sport.
Those girls who fail to enjoy their swimming do so because they have no confidence in their ability. It is foolhardy to venture into deep water when one cannot swim well, but if there are good swimmers in the proximity and a float or some other object close by which can be reached by merely stretching out the arm, then is the time to gain confidence and corresponding ability and endurance.
Never swim in dangerous water alone. Never swim when tired. Over-exertion in swimming, much more so than in other sports, should be watched for, especially in racing and long distance swims, and if any of the contestants tire, they should leave the water.
There are two faults the mediocre swimmer—even the average swimmer—is apt to have, namely, poor breathing and hurried strokes. It is important to learn to breathe well. The breathing should be regular and is varied according to the different strokes. The common tendency is to hold the breath until it is a physical impossibility to hold it any longer, then let it out through the mouth with a gasp, hold the breath again, etc.
In haste to reach the objective point, the swimmer is sometimes apt to hurry her stroke. Thereby she fails to execute her strokes in good form, usually floundering and splashing without deriving any force or impetus from her efforts. This is not only ineffectual, but it is exceedingly exhausting and tiring. The strokes should always be completed in perfect form and rhythm.
There are varied types of strokes; often one stroke is more suited to an individual than another. Swimming is just as individual as walking, for it is rarely that two people swim in identically the same manner. Often bad habits become fixed, unconsciously, even in the strokes of the best swimmers, so it is well to watch one’s form carefully.
The Breast Stroke.—In the breast stroke, the swimmer is lying in the water flat upon the breast. The feet should be but a few inches below the water; the head is carried so that the mouth is just under the water; the legs are together and straight, toes pointing back; the arms are stretched straight in front, hands just touching each other, palms down, fingers together; with elbow stiff, the arms are circled back close under and parallel to the surface until they are at right angles to the body; the hands are turned in the beginning of the stroke so that the palms are outward; then the elbows are bent so that they are drawn back and close to the body, and the hands, palms down, are brought together at the chest, ready to shoot forward to the starting position; when the arms are drawn back the mouth is carried above the water, then the swimmer should inhale through the mouth; when the arms shoot forward then exhale, preferably through the nostrils; the beginning of the kick is made as the arms are drawn up to the chest; the legs are drawn up, heels together, knees bent out; simultaneously as the hands are shot forward, legs are kicked outward, then the heels are brought quickly together.
In this stroke the body gets its impetus from the reach of the arms and the kick. Thus the body should glide through the water until the momentum is used up, then the arms are circled back, etc. Always try to utilize the momentum. All the parts of the stroke quickly follow one another, so that the entire stroke is smooth.