Read Ebook: How to swim by Sterrett James H

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 242 lines and 27218 words, and 5 pages

The exercise of swimming has the effect of toning up and quickening the whole muscular condition, making the moving muscles pliant, responsive, and not bunchy and hard, as in the case of some of the heavier athletic and gymnastic pastimes.

The double-over-arm stroke is more frequently referred to as the Trudgeon, but nowadays this name is a misnomer, as the original Trudgeon stroke was so called after a man by that name had won an English 100-yard championship, using the double-over-arm, or both arms out of the water, but kicking a sort of leg motion like the breast stroke action, a style not now approved of by modern swimmers, because the scissors kick, as used with this stroke, made the same way as in the over-arm side stroke, has been found to be better, faster and more graceful in action.

The Stroke for Distance Work

Before describing the movements of the double-over-arm stroke, we will here remark that almost all the world's records for middle and long-distance swimming have been made by this stroke, and some idea of the speed attained can be formed by the following records, all made by George Hodgson of Canada, one of the world's greatest distance champion swimmers, and the best exponent of this method the writer has ever seen: 400 meters, 5 minutes 24 2-5 seconds; 1,000 meters, 14 minutes 37 seconds; 1,500 meters, 22 minutes; 1,600 meters, 23 minutes 28 1-5 seconds, and one mile, 23 minutes 34 1-2 seconds. And at the time the great swimmer made these records at the Olympic games in 1912, he defeated all the fastest and best swimmers and record-holders from all parts of the world, some of them using the famous crawl stroke, thus proving himself, as well as the stroke, to be the best in the world at that time.

While it would not be literally correct to call the modern Trudgeon stroke a "double-over-arm-side stroke," yet that is most nearly what the motions of the double-over-arm approach, for you must first swim one part of the stroke as a side-stroke movement, and then roll over partly on the breast to get your other arm out of the water, thus giving you more positive action and greater speed by getting both arms out, than you would get from the single-over-arm, in which one of the arms must be pushed under and through the water, with the resistance such negative action entails.

Depends Upon Side

If you swim on the right side you begin the movements of the double-over-arm stroke by diving into the water, or pushing off on your side from the side or end of the tank, or the shore, and, when at full length, with right hand under the water and extended beyond the head, and the left hand pointing backward, and at the count of "one," bring the right hand downward, on the inside line of the body, and not behind the back, for this movement will keep you on your side like a cutter, while if you pull downwards and back of the body, you will be thrown on your chest too soon and stop your run.

At the same time as the right arm is being drawn downward, and on the same count of "one," the left arm is thrown forward out of and clear of the water, and at the count of "two," the left leg is drawn up to meet the left arm as it comes down and through the water much like an oar, and at "three" the legs are whipped together and the body turned partly on the breast and the right arm brought out of the water and thrown forward, the body rolling to the right side again and repeating the same movements. If you swim on the left side, of course you must make the movements described to suit the opposite arm and legs from those given in the description.

The Test of Breathing

And now you are up to the point where it is a real test of whether you have mastered the art of breathing, for this stroke requires regular and automatic breathing, with proper timing and precision on each stroke, before you will be able to swim it easily and as comfortably as the other strokes, because you cannot miss a breath or hold your breath for any number of strokes, but must take the quick gulp of air while on the side as the face is upturned just as you draw the right hand down through the water, then close your mouth, and exhale slowly through the nose while the face is under water, until the stroke is fully completed, or, in other words, breathe in harmony and in timing with each stroke.

The double-over-arm, because of the submerging of the face on each stroke, and because of the forced regularity of breathing, and no effort being required to keep the body afloat, is well adapted for swimming in rough water, as the waves will not be so apt to dash in your face and mouth at the wrong time, to disconcert you, and interrupt the regularity of your breathing.

Charles B. Durborow, conceded to be the world's greatest distance endurance swimmer, uses the double-over-arm stroke in making all his great long-distance swims, some of which have never been made before or since by any other swimmer.

The Crawl Stroke

The crawl stroke is undoubtedly the greatest stroke that has ever been invented or discovered in connection with the art of swimming, and until its adoption and subsequent improvement by experimenting with it until it was brought up to a high point of efficiency, the swimmers of the world had practically reached their limit of speed performances, having perfected the other strokes beyond further improvement, and thus it was that they were eager to take up the new-found method by which it has been discovered that a person can go still faster through the water.

And now, before describing the stroke and the action of the arms and legs when swimming the crawl, as we have done in our previous lessons, we will tell you the secret of why this new method is so much faster than the others, and the whole thing is a matter of eliminating resistance, or minimizing the negative parts of the stroke and getting a maximum amount of positive action; or, in other words, doing the same thing as has been done in many other things to produce greater speed--applying the maximum of power while at the same time reducing resistance to the minimum.

The crawl stroke originated in Australia, and Dick Cavil, one of the members of that famous family of expert swimmers, and one of the best all-around swimmers the author has ever seen, told the writer that his brother, "Tums," in an argument with another swimmer as to their relative ability, said he could tie his feet together and then beat the other chap for a length of the pool, and when the contest came off he made good his boast.

"Tums" Cavil always argued that the legs were not of much use to him in fast swimming, and he believed that they hindered other swimmers when going at top speed, because in drawing them up and separating them they stopped the run on the stroke, and he at once started experimenting on this theory, with the result that a new stroke was developed and launched on the natatorial world and at once became popular, until now it is used by all the fast swimmers of the world.

At the Olympic games in 1912, Hodgson, the Canadian swimmer, beat all the fastest swimmers in the world at middle distance swimming, using the double-over-arm stroke, and Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian, beat all the short distance men of the world with the crawl stroke, swimming 100 meters in 61 seconds, and since then the big bronze-skin athlete, at his home in Honolulu, swam 50 yards in 23 seconds and 100 yards in 53 1-5 seconds, which shows how very fast he can go through the water with the crawl stroke.

The Important Point

The most important thing to remember in swimming the crawl stroke is the fact that the body should be kept perfectly flat on the water, the face and head partly submerged, the eyes preferably above the water and looking straight ahead. The arms are alternately reached out at a comfortable distance in front of the head, and on a direct line with the body, not pointing out sideways, but, if anything, pointing at the start of the arm stroke more nearly to the center line of the body.

The catch on the water should be taken at the beginning of each arm stroke, using the weight of the shoulders, without over-reaching, to get a good leverage on the downward pull. The arms must be brought straight down, stopping the pull about on a line parallel with the shoulders, and in recovering, describe a long oval, making sure that before the power of one hand is fully expended the other has taken up the motion, that it may be continuous, for it is this regular and steady pull of the arms, and not the thrash of the legs, that has the most to do with propelling the crawl swimmer through the water.

Breathing while using this stroke is harder than the other strokes, because the swimmer must not roll the body out of its straight line; therefore, the head and shoulders must be slightly turned in order to get the breath, which can be taken after swimming two or three strokes, but later on, when one has mastered the movements better, breathing should be done on each stroke, exhaling slowly under water.

The Leg Movement

The legs are moved up and down in a continuous action, and not necessarily in co-ordination with the arms, the motions being free from the hips and not from the knees, keeping the legs straight, without having them bent much at the knees and pointing the toes out straight.

However, after the swimmer has mastered the leg action, he can bend slightly at the knees, in order to get the sort of propelling movements necessary to help move the body in its steady pace through the water. But remember, the legs do not play so large a part in the crawl stroke as the arm movements, and are used mostly to keep them afloat and accelerate the run, and the fellow who gets it into his head that the more work and greater fuss he makes with his legs the faster he will go, will soon find that he is retarding his movements and not getting the full speed.

While there are definite and fixed movements for the crawl, hardly two swimmers use the stroke exactly alike, but all of them must nearly approach the proper position in the water, get good balance, breathe regularly and with precision on each stroke, and relax more in the crawl than any of the other strokes, if a clean, easy movement through the water is desired.

The Recognized Methods of the Crawl Stroke

There are two methods of swimming the crawl stroke that are generally accepted by expert swimmers and master coaches, the one being referred to as the straight crawl, where the swimmer lies very flat on the water, with but very little roll in order to breathe, and uses a six-beat kick, which the majority think is the best method for sprinting, say, from 50 to 220 yards, and the other being called the Trudge-crawl, using a four-beat kick, the under leg being used with a short scissor or Trudge kick, and the swimmer rolling more than on the straight crawl, and the action of legs not being as fast, this latter method is considered best for middle and longer distances.

L. deB. Handley of the New York Athletic Club, a recognized authority on swimming matters, and a man who has had a lot to do with the coaching of many good amateur swimmers, both men and women, and who has spent considerable time in connection with the study of the crawl stroke, has proposed the following suggestion in connection with the crawl method, which the author cheerfully endorses:

"It has been my aim for several years to have universally accepted a swimming nomenclature that would be descriptive, in as much as possible, and I have classified the strokes under the styles of: crawl, for a leg thrash of even scope; single Trudgeon-crawl, for leg thrash with one major and one or more minor kicks, and double Trudgeon-crawl, for a thrash with two major kicks or two such kicks and minor ones; then add two, or four, or six-beat, to indicate the number of movements per full stroke. That gives to a swimmer a pretty clear idea of a man's stroke without further explanation, while such names as Australian, American, rotary, etc., mean nothing unless every detail is added.

Swimmers who want to take up a more thorough and deeper study of the crawl stroke than given herein, should read the "Symposium of the Crawl," in "Speed Swimming," No. 36R of Spalding's Athletic Library, price 25 cents.

Training for Speed Swimming

There are many and various ways of training for speed swimming, and it would require quite a volume to enumerate them all. Dr. J. K. Shell has prepared for the writer a form of training for swimming which not only fully meets my approval, but it is so good that it is herewith given:

"In training the only maxim for the successful racer is, 'Don't do too much.' It is unnecessary to swim every day, nor is it useful to go the entire distance at each immersion. The aim is to strengthen the muscles, and have the powers and functions trained to an excessive expenditure of power without any deleterious after effects. The best plan for either a one hundred yards or a mile man is to swim three days a week at the pace he expects to race, at intermediate distances, reserving the entire distances for the same day on which the race will take place. The first week of training should be given to running, punching the bag, some hand ball, dumb bells, Indian clubs, pulley weights and general gymnasium work.

"The second week commences the swimming work--go slowly, pay the greatest attention to form, never mind speed, but get your action fully automatic and working with a conservation of energy. Do half of your distance three times this week.

"The third week will see you going on with much greater speed and easier action, and now commence the regular practice of starting and sprinting.

"Starting is but the action of a standing broad jump; there should be but one spring, and that made at the report of the pistol. Stand in the position taken in jumping, just as you are ready to go off. Have the legs bent, the arms back, the body leaning forward, and when the word is given don't straighten up and then spring, nor swing your arms forward and then back and off, nor look at your competitors, nor pick your course, but spring, and spring with power and quickness far out, get the arms in front quick, dive shallow, and get a stroke in under water, and be sure to have your stroke ready upon reaching the surface. These little points come in very important in a hundred yards, and in a distance race give you an advantage of many feet without any extra exertion; excepting that of thinking instead of floating. This sprint and start may be practiced on the intermediate days of swimming.

"During the third week increase your distance to three-quarters, and endeavor to swim it clear through from start to finish, not holding back for the sprint, but depending upon your energy and spirit to sprint out the last 150 yards. The full distance should be swam not later than one week before the race, and at very nearly your best speed. Three days before the race do at your best speed three-fifths of your distance, and rest quietly until the day of the race, doing just enough exercise to keep yourself pliant. On the day keep cool--don't fret and worry. Don't think of a race or racing until you get on your mark, get set, and spring--and strike the water and then swim hard and steady clear through, and swim fair and true.

"The swimmer demands plenty of sleep at night, regular and methodical. Be in bed each night by 10:30, and sleep until morning; do not let anything disturb you; go to bed to sleep, and sleep that sound sleep that swimmers usually get. In the morning, take a few quick movements, a splash off, a little walk, and a good nutritious breakfast. In eating, use fully all seasonable vegetables, and I would advise the use of a good modern cook's products--except the pastries and highly seasoned dishes. Roasts--beef, mutton and game--and broiled steaks, filets and fish, fruit and custards, all may be enjoyed. But eat slowly, masticate well, and have good cheer wait on you.

"Have a friend--a trainer, a rubber or a mate--with you in training, and never omit a good, hard, conscientious rubbing and massaging and kneading of the muscles; let all your muscles be pliant during this operation; and finally recollect in racing, and in your actions, to be 'always a gentleman.' Don't jockey nor scold, nor be profane, but swim, and 'may the best man win.'"

In this connection the writer would call the attention of every swimmer--whether he belongs to a college or not--to the Official Intercollegiate Swimming Guide, published annually in the Spalding Athletic Library series for the Intercollegiate Swimming Association. This book contains not only articles of interest concerning the happenings in the collegiate swimming world, and records of same, but, each year, in addition, contains special articles by leading authorities on some important feature of swimming.

Touching and Turning

Touching and turning is a branch of swimming more practiced for racing than for ordinary purposes. There are several styles of touching and turning, but I will deal with the one most easily mastered, and shall begin by advising the learner to practice across the bath, from side to side, and not to be in the slightest hurry. Master the details of the turn by slow motions, nor need there be any desire to lengthen the push until one knows that he is performing all the motions perfectly. We assume that the pupil is lying on the right side. He must, therefore, when about three feet from the end of wall of the bath, have finished the progressive movements of the left hand, which, instead of being put into the water again to renew the stroke, must be reached forward in advance of the head until it touches the wall immediately above the water mark. The palm of the hand is then placed flat against the side of the bath, the hand being in a horizontal line, with the fingers pointing to the right, which is the direction one will turn to. The little finger is uppermost, and the thumb downward. This done, the body is close to the side of the wall, the knees are now bent, the body turned around by pushing with the hand, that is on the solid wall, until the feet are pressing on the wall and directly below this hand, but, of course, under the surface of the water. The whole body is now drawn up or crouched together, and is turned, as it were, on its axis. It is under water, head and all. The soles of both feet are placed hard against the wall, the hands put together in front of the head, which is kept between the arms, and the position of the body and limbs should be straight, with the legs crouched up. Then, by a strong movement of the legs, the body is pushed off from the side as if shot from a catapult and straightened out. Its position, when lying on the push, is the same as when lying still, in plunging. From nine to fifteen feet is the distance generally covered by the push off before renewing the stroke. One must be especially careful to guard against pushing off, even to the smallest extent, stronger with one foot than the other, else a slip may take place on the smooth tile work, and that means a loss of perhaps a yard or two, and, in the case of a competition, puts the swimmer off his course, or station, and bumping against another swimmer and fouling are likely to occur.

Ornamental Swimming

If there is any one thing more than another in connection with the art of swimming that will show that a person has mastered the watery element and is at ease at all times in their foster sphere, it is a knowledge of ornamental swimming. To be able to successfully and correctly make any kind of a dive, to float in various positions at will and to perform the multitudinous natatorial feats that are possible, is an accomplishment that stamps the performer an expert. We will, therefore, suppose that those who are about to essay these difficult swimming movements have passed the elementary and intermediate stages and have the ability to float well. Without a knowledge of floating, or at least the ability to control the buoyancy of the body when placed in all manner of positions, it will be almost impossible to make any success of ornamental swimming. Many of the movements that seem remarkable to the uninitiated, however, are not really hard at all, but can be accomplished with practice, by being persistent and patient until finally acquired.

Among the feats that are at all times interesting and those that stamp the swimmer as being clever, are porpoise swimming; sculling on the back, using hands only; the running header; plunging, feet foremost; the sitting jump; imitation of a torpedo; the back dive; revolving; the twister; back somersault; marching on the water; the propeller, and imitation of a bicycle rider.

Floating

Most people can float in salt water, no matter what may be their build. In learning, the first movement is to gradually throw the body on the back, arching the spine, keeping the chest well inflated, crossing the arms over and back on the head, the thumbs locked or fingers touching, which latter movement tends to increase the expansion of the chest and thus make the body more floatable. If the legs are kept straight out and together the beginner will find that their weight in this position, in most cases, has a tendency to sink the body. This can be overcome by drawing up the lower limbs and extending them slightly apart and keeping them bent, which will have the effect of more evenly balancing the body, and then, later on, when the swimmer masters control of the breathing, so that the lungs can be kept partly inflated all the time, he will find that the legs can be gradually extended until they are straight, when the position in the water will be more graceful. Because of their lighter bony structure and increased tissue, women learn to float easier than men, while stout persons, being more floatable, master floating quicker than slim people. But the latter need not despair of learning, for the best floating and the most graceful work I have ever seen of this kind has been performed by comparatively slim people, who have caught on to the proper equipoise of the body and overcome the tendency of the legs to sink. Floating does not properly belong to the elementary part of swimming, as there is considerable skill required and much practice needed before those who do not float naturally can accomplish the art; but, as the ability to float means so much in ornamental and scientific swimming, the novice is advised to learn to float as soon as possible. Double floating is much easier than single floating, as each of the two performers aids the other in supporting the feet and lower limbs, the parts that have a tendency to sink.

At the seashore nothing can be more pleasant than to go out beyond the breakers and float on the back and be buoyed up and down by the hidden power of the sea, and if one is tired from battling with the strong waves, it is only necessary to turn over on the back, a little farther out, on the long swell of the big rollers, and get thoroughly rested before coming in again.

Diving

Shallow Dive

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet