Harper's Round Table, August 18, 1896

by Various

Although it is preferable to have some one to teach you how to swim, it is not absolutely necessary, and any one who has failed to learn as a youngster may, by following out the instructions here given, learn how to swim and float and dive by practising in the water all by himself.

One of the most important things for the beginner to have, of course, is confidence. He must not fear the water any more than a rider should fear his horse; on the other hand, he should not be overbold or reckless and attempt too many risks. The beginner should not go to a stream where there is a current, or in sea-water where there might be an undertow. He should choose a lake or a pond or, if at the sea-side, a bay; and he should stick at first pretty closely to shallow water. Salt water being so much more buoyant than fresh water, it is much easier to learn how to swim in the sea; in fact, if a man who has absolutely no knowledge of swimming will only keep control of his head, and retain his hands under water, he need never fear of drowning should he fall overboard into salt water. It is advisable, however, when first attempting to swim, to have some one on the bank near by who could come to your assistance should anything happen.

And now for the preliminary steps. First drive a stake into the bottom of the pond where the water is from three to four feet deep. Then take hold of the stake with both hands and stretch the body straight out on the surface of the water, with the back upward, of course. I might just as well say here as anywhere that the first thing to do when going into the water is to submerge the entire body, head included. In fact, it is a very good thing for timid people to go into shallow water and put their heads under the water and open their eyes, for this very soon gives them confidence in themselves. The head should always be wet, too, because otherwise, with all the body under water and only the head in the sunlight, the blood is apt to rush upwards and eventually cause a head-ache.

FIG. 7.—DETAIL OF BREAST STROKE.

To return to the stake. The first motions to be learned are those of the legs, and they may be divided into three parts. The first motion of the legs is to draw them up, with the knees bending outward, and the feet kept as closely together as possible. The second motion is to extend the feet outward and move the legs backward, and the third motion is to draw the feet quickly together, extended as far out from the body as possible. These motions are clearly shown in Fig. 7, and they are also displayed in illustration No. 1. This photograph was taken while the arms were going back and the legs were starting to come up.

It will take the novice some time before he can master these motions absolutely, and unless he is careful he will never master them at all; and although he will learn to know how to swim, he will not swim correctly, nor will he be able to get the greatest advantage out of the labor expended. To acquire this leg motion correctly a beginner should go through this kicking action twenty or thirty times, counting one, two, three, as he does so, and keeping his mind all the time on the theory of the thing. Then he should come out of the water and rest a few minutes, and then go back again to the stake and go through the exercises again.

After the leg motion has been thoroughly mastered, the proper use of the arms must be learned. It is a common fallacy that the beginning of the stroke in swimming consists of holding the hands in front of the face palm to palm. This is the wrong way. The hands should be held flat out, thumb knuckle to thumb knuckle and forefinger to forefinger, under the chin and almost touching the breast (see Fig. 7.). As soon as the stroke is begun the palms should be turned a little outward so as to assist in moving the body forward. The hands should not be separated to any great extent until they have been pushed out almost to arm's length, and when they are brought backwards in the stroke they should not be allowed to pass much behind the line of the shoulders.

A good way to learn the arm stroke is to kneel in shallow water, or to lie across a plank in the water, and practise it. The most difficult part of the early stages of swimming is to learn how to combine the stroke of the arms with the stroke of the legs. It is absolutely necessary that the arms and legs should work in harmony, and therefore the following rules should be strictly observed:

1. When the hands are being thrust out forward, the legs should be coming together, as in the third part of the leg motion described above.