Harper's Round Table, August 18, 1896

by Various

2. When the arms are straight out in front the legs should be straight out behind.

3. When the arms are passing back in the act of performing the stroke, the legs are being drawn up.

The beginner should not try to swim any long distance at first. As soon as he finds that he can keep his body floating easily on the water by means of the strokes he has learned, he should aim to perfect his form rather than aim to cover long distances. The stroke which has just been described is technically called the forward breast stroke, and although there are a great many other kinds of strokes in swimming, this is the easiest of all strokes to learn, and the one that is most generally used, except, perhaps, for racing.

One of the most common of the fancy strokes is the overhand stroke. This is performed by placing the body on the right side, with the legs held out behind perfectly straight. One leg is then brought up in front and the other is lifted up behind, and the next motion is to bring them together with a swift, scissorlike motion, exerting as much force as possible. In the mean time the right hand is moved out in front and brought down through the water as far as the left thigh, while the left hand passes out of the water from the rear forward, and is drawn back similarly through the water, thus pulling the body ahead, just as one might pull one's self along by means of a rope. The start and finish of the arm-work in this stroke are well shown in illustrations Nos. 5 and 6. It is a stroke which requires considerable practice.

But perhaps before trying to learn fancy strokes, it might be well for the beginner to learn how to float. It is, of course, much easier to float in salt water than in fresh water, and it is therefore advisable when possible to learn in sea-water. The method is simple, and any one who has perfect confidence in himself ought to be able to float the first time he tries. The first thing to do is to fill the lungs well, and then cut off the air at the curve of the larynx instead of up in the nostrils. This is done by holding the muscles of the throat as they are when performing the act of swallowing. This keeps the bulk of the air in the lungs, and consequently under water; any air held in the mouth does not give buoyancy to the body.

Fat people, of course, float much more easily than thin people, just the same as a piece of fat will float on the water, whereas a piece of lean meat will in all probability sink. In the same way men with greater lung-power will float more easily than others with a lesser lung capacity. To float, a beginner should not thrust himself backward violently. He should take a long breath, and then fall backwards in the water gently, making a sort of sculling movement with his hands, at the same time raising his arms upwards until they are stretched as far out from the shoulders as he can and slightly above the lines of the shoulder-blades. The arms (which, of course, must never be lifted out of the water) should be raised no higher than this above the head, otherwise they diminish the capacity of the lungs by pressing them in. The feet should be worked up slowly from the bottom, and the legs should be spread out. (The correct position is shown in illustration No. 2.)

The first attempts will naturally result in the beginner's head going under water for a moment at a time, every now and then; but this should not alarm or discourage him, for if he holds the air in his lungs and follows the instructions just given, the head will soon come above the surface again. Then, after the body has settled into the proper position, the floater may breathe naturally, but he should take long breaths, and when driving the air out of the lungs he should do it rapidly, and likewise inhale rapidly, holding the air in the body as long as possible.

After one has learned to float, a pleasant diversion is to learn the forward sculling stroke. This is a fancy stroke, and is of no particular service, except perhaps that it is restful. The hands should be held in the same position as in floating, but the feet should be brought together. (Illustration No. 4.) Then both hands should be worked at the wrists in a sort of semicircle—this is called the sculling motion. After a few turns of the wrist the body will take a slow forward movement, which gradually increases, and this aids materially in keeping the swimmer afloat. Nevertheless he should keep his lungs full of air, as he does when floating.

There is also a backward sculling stroke, but this is performed by lying face downward on the water. (Illustration No. 3.) The body is held rigid, the feet are pointed forward, and kept moving up and down at the ankle to keep the legs from sinking, the legs are held stiff, and the hands spread out as before, and moved in the same manner.