PLAIN AND TRICK SWIMMING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 263, 10 November 1906, Page 9

PLAIN AND TRICK SWIMMING.

The time is at hand when the small boys will bo swarming on our beaches Many of our youngsters learn how to ! swim almost as soon as they learn to I walk. Some few of them do not. hence j this article to furnish them the required hints. Why suck :i simple; acquirement should be neglected is one of the mysteries of human nature, but if those who imagine they are swimmers would etudy a few of the fundamental rules it is probable that most of the accidents could be avoided. It is as easy to teach children to swim as if to tench them to read and the instruction bhould begin equally as early. The first thing is to gain conlidence, and the best way To fret this is to begin the experiments on j beach or the edge of a stream where the slope is '.gradual, and where, in consequence, there is a long reach of shallow water. To begin with the learner should wade slowly out from the shore until standing waist deep in the water. Then let | him throw himself forward upon the I water keeping the head well back upon j the shoulders. At the forward movement the arms should be extended, and : as soon as be. is well in the water they j should be brought back with a sweep. I This is called "scooping. -- By repeating thia performance a few times each time I facing toward the shore, the beginner i will soon learn the supporting po-.ver of j the water, and will have confidence for j more extended efforts. He knows that ' he is in no danger, becauso he can touch i the bottom at any time. Jiy repeating the movement described over and over again, and gradually learning to thrust out vigorously wiih the legs at the same ■ time, one can learn to swim without any assistance, although, of course, the pre- , sence and advice of one Mho knows how ■ to swim is desirable on such occasion.*. I The mistake that many beginners j make is in trying to swim on the. top ' of the water. This is an impossibility. By submerging the body as much as possible, yet keeping it near the surface, the task of propelling one's self is made easier. Learn to know the supporting power of the water. Tim water requires but little assistance to hold one up. If men had no legs they could not sink, so long as they kept air in their lungs and water out. If the intending swimmer will only assure himself on this point he will find progress in other respects very easy. It is much easier for a woman to learn to swim than for a man. on account of her lighter weight in proportion to her size. r>he. is naturally buoyant. While only about 40 per cent of men are able to float, at least double that percentage of women are able to do so. In other worde, far less effort is required of women to keep themselves upon the surface.

GOLDEX RULES OF SWIMMING. The essential part of swimming i< the art of keeping the. head above water, and in doing this there is really no skill at all. Confidence in the sustaining power of the water is the only secret, and if the novice will only dare to trust to the water and remember a few simple rules, swimming will be made easy. First, keep the hands and feet well •btJiOw the 'eufaw and : imtners'e fthe whole Ixidy up "to the chin. Anyone with the least smattering of physical science knows that the flotation of*various bodies is exactly in proportion to the quantity of water displaced. No man can stand upright in the water, because tho amount of water displaced by the soles of the feet would not counteract the weight of the body. It will be i-een by the simple carrying out of tins principle that exactly in proportion to the immersion of the bndv is it sustained by the water. Every I inch of the body raised above the sur- | face becomes a dead weight, pressing the j body under the water and calling for jgreater exertion on the part of the I swimmer. This action is instinctive* , and is one of those where instinct is j inferior to reason. j Hollow the spine and throw the back jot' tho head upon the shoulders. Move the limbs quietly. A crood j swimmer is at once distinguished by j the ease and quietude of all his movej ments. The arms and legs are flung i out vo their fullest extent, sweep ■ around in the water equably, and are drawn up for every stroke without the least hurry. The racing stroke, of ; course, is not in consideration, for that ', rmist of necessity be. quick and powerful.. ■ The. endurance of the long, slow stroke I is surprising, and its speed by no means . contemptible. '■ CORRECT MOVEMENTS IX SWIMMING. 1 After becoming able to keep himself atloat. anil thus gaining the first essential of confidence, the learner may attempt to master the correct movements. In striking off the swimmer l&hould fall upon the water gently, keeping his head and neck perfectly upright, his breast advancing forward, his chest, inflated, then withdrawing his logs from the bottom, and, stretching thorn out. strike tlie arms forward in unison with the ]e<r s . The back oannof be too much hollowed or the head' too inueh thrown back. The hands should be. placed just in front of the brpast. the fingers pointing forward and kept close together, with the thumbs to the, edge of the forefingers; the hands should be made rather concave on the inside, though not too much. In the stroke of the hands they should he carried forward to the utmost ex tent; they should next bo swept to the side, and should then lie drawn up again

by bringing the arms towards the sides, bending the elbows tip ward and tho •wrists downward, so as. to lot the hands hang while the arms arc raising them to the first attitude, and so on. The legs should -ho moved simultaneously with the hand?. They should be drawn up with the knees inward and the soles nf the fpet inclined outward. They should then bo • thrown backward as widely apart from each other as possible, describing circles. When stroking the learner should expel his breath as he drives his hands forward at the beginning and inhale as they are descending to his hips. It is very essential to the stirrers of the swimmer to properly regulate the respiration. The first ambitions of the young swimmer are to learn to dive and* float. One of the most delightful sensations in connection with swimming pomes from diving. To dive the head should be drawn slightly down toward the chest, the arms stretched forward almost on a level with the breast—not raised above the head. An oblique plunge should be made, taking care not to keep the body too stiff. The diver should avoid striking upon the breast, the general consequence of fear. After entering the water the head should be thrown back, face upward, the back hollowed, which will make one rise to the surface. If one has gone a considerable depth and does not rise fast enough, by striking out with the bands and pressing downward lie will immediately ascend. In floating the body should be kept in a. horizontal position. the head thrown back as far as possible and the feet about six indies apart, until oup. has had some practice, when the fee.t ■may be brought together and the general pose improved. If the legs begin to sink throw out the chest and hollow the spine. In this position the body, which is specifically lighter than water, may float at pleasure. The mouth should always be kept closed and respiration should be natural. This is an easy. graceful accomplishment, restful and of very simple acquirement, especially by women.

From this simple style of floating one may easily learn to take several very attractive floating poses, all of which should be made from the straight float. The arms may "he placed, akimbo, with the hands upon the waist. The hands may bo placed under the head, elbows akimbo and well depressed, or the arms may bo folded across the breast, the foot being crossed. In the basket float, which has always been regarded as a very neat trick, the body floats much easier than in any other position. To perform this the swimmer lies upon the back in the simple style of floating, crosses the feet, and slowly draws the knees up toward the bod) , as far as possible. Then, reaching down with hi hands, he gTasps his ankles at the inner side of the deg. It his position it is easy to float for hours. The reclining float is a splendid accomplishment, and probably the most attractive feat performed in the water. Beginning with the straight- float, the swimmer quietly moves his right under the water to his neck, at the same time raising his left hand to the* waist, his arm akimbo with elbow depressed, and then drawing his right leg up from the knee to the foot, keeping the left leg extended. ITe throws his head gently to the right, with the chin extended upward, forming the picture of ease and contentment which never fails 'to cause the uninitiated to marvel. The rolling float is always attractive, and one who performs Vt usually excite.3 much interest and comment. It is not a wonderful feat, although generally regarded as such. It is hard to illustrate other than by living example. Starting from the straight float, the left foot is crossed over the right instep, the head is thrown to the right, the clasped hands raised sumultaneously out of the water above the head, with a leaning toward the right, which cause the body to roll side. As the face rounds up toward the surface again, the hands should be moved again slightly toward the right, the head thrown in that direction at the same time, and by repeating this movement the

body may be kept rolling quite rapidly as long as one may hold his breath, the action being very similar to that of a rolling log. For the balance float, one simply comes to a perpendicular position in the water with the arms folded across the breast and head slightly thrown back. Should the buoyant power of the water cause the legs to rise towards the surface, the simple action of depressing the chin, bringing the head forward a trifia, will enable'one at once to resume the vertical pose. To tread water, the hands are compressed against the hips, the body perpendicular, while the feet describe the usual circle as in swimming. A very pretty natatorial act is to swim upon the back employing the hands only, and to pirouette in a circle either from left to right or right to left. It is very easy of accomplishment. In pirouetting from left to right the hands are employed very much like a fish's fin, the action of the right hand, with broad palm, being toward the feet, the left hand moving with broad pakn from the left hip upward. The movement should be made entirely from the wrist, the arms being parallel with the body. On the recovery from the stroke the hands should be brought back edgewise through the water, so as not to offer any resistance. The body should be kept extended at full length, and the speed with which it may be made to rotate is really amazing, considering the slight outlay of strength required. By drawing the knees well up to the chin, the feet crossed, and the same hand movement employed, one is able to rotate -much, more rapidly and perform what is known to 6wimmers as " the churn: , """ In reverse swimming on breast there are two methods employed, one of which is exceedingly difficult, even to the most expert swimmers. The other is quite easy to do, and is very attractive and showy. The movement of the arms in the breast stroke is reversed, while the feet are employed in an upward and downward movement alternately, bending from the knee, the feet breaking the surface at each movement. There are numerous other tricks and feats which may be performed in the water which would be hard to describe without practical illustration.