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.

The Side Stroke.—In this stroke the kick is very important. The scissors kick is used. The body lies with shoulder and side flat in the water, usually the right side; the upper leg is kept straight, almost stiff, and is kicked forward; the under leg is bent backward from the knee; then the legs are brought together and closed with a snap; the arms are stretched overhead, palms out; the upper arm, kept rigid, with the hand slightly cupped, circles just under the surface to the thigh, then the elbow is bent and the arm carried above the water to the first position; the under arm starts as the upper finishes and is carried to lower thigh; then, the elbow bent, it is shot forward under the surface of the water, palm of hand down.

The whole stroke is: Upper arm starts the pull, the legs are opened, and breath is inhaled; then as the upper arm finishes the under arm starts, the legs are snapped together; breath is exhaled as the under arm goes forward.

The Trudgeon.—The scissors kick as described in the side stroke is used also in the trudgeon. This kick is very important and should be practised carefully until the swimmer is perfect.

It is always better to swim on the right side if it is possible, as it relieves the pressure the heart is apt to be subjected to if the swimmer prefers the left side. The body rests in the water, arm stretched at full length, the palms are turned down; the upper arm catches the water and is brought down, the elbow is fairly stiff, palms turned slightly outward, fingers together; when arm is straight alongside the body, then the elbow is bent and the arm carried forward above the water to the first position; as the upper arm finishes, the under arm executes the same stroke as the upper arm; the body is rolled.

The whole stroke should be practised together, so that it is smoothly and accurately done. First, the upper arm catches the water, the body is slightly rolled, head twisted so that breath may be inhaled during the pull, the legs are opened at start of pull and closed at the end of pull. Then under arm catches the water, the body is rolled so that the face is in the water, and during the pull the breath is exhaled slowly under the water. Then, as under arm finishes the pull, the upper arm enters the water, etc.

The Crawl.—The crawl is the racing stroke. The best-way to begin is first to perfect the movement of the arms. The body is flat in the water, face down, arms slightly bent at the elbow, stretched over head so that wrists are a little beyond the head; the hands cut and are driven through the water, elbows still bent, until the hands reach the hip, then they are carried out the water and forward, elbows in air. The arms alternate, so that while one arm is traveling back under the water, the other is traveling forward in the air to resume the stroke.

The breathing in this stroke is hard to master. As the face is in the water, the breath is taken only every two or three strokes by turning the head quickly as the upper arm is being brought down; the exhaling is done under water, while the under arm goes forward. This is for racing; a breath may be taken at each stroke when the stroke is slower.

In the kick, the legs are stiff from the hip, knees close together, then they are moved up and down alternately with the feet close together. It is difficult at first to maintain the leg drive, to make the whole stroke smooth, and to breathe easily, but these difficulties may be conquered by practice.

Plain Back Stroke.—The body is flat on the back in the water, the arms are straight over the head, the palms of hands upward; the palms are turned outward, then the arms, stiff at the elbow, are circled down close to the surface and parallel to it; after the arms are straight by the body, they are carried to the first position, perfectly straight, and clear of the water; the legs are straight, then as the arms clear the water for the recovery, they are bent as in the breast stroke kick, kicked out straight, then the heels are brought together.

This stroke is almost the same as the breast stroke.

Another stroke is the same positions for the arms as the plain back stroke combined with the leg drive of the crawl.

Still another is the same, except that the arms move alternately as in trudgeon stroke.

Floating.—In order to float on the back, the balance of the body must be determined; hence it is often necessary if the feet sink to throw the head back and raise the arms over the head. In some cases, if the legs are bent, it helps the balance. After practice, the swimmer soon learns to float. Short breaths, keeping the lungs as full of air as possible, are better than long ones.

Plunge for Distance.—In reality this is floating with the face flat down in the water. The first part of the plunge is the dive, which gives the impetus. The dive taken is the shallow dive. As the breath is held from the minute the head enters the water until the plunge is finished, it is necessary that the lungs be well filled. After the body is in the water, the muscles should be relaxed, and the swimmer should keep the air in the lower part of the lungs. The plunge should be as straight as possible; the direction may be changed by moving the arms (which are stretched straight out in front) or the head in the direction desired. This motion should be slight, as the least friction impedes progress, and distance is the desired result.

Diving

As diving is a very large subject, it is impossible to give in detail all the varied dives. There are three important dives everyone should know—the front, back, and shallow or racing dive. The beauty of diving is in the form.

The Front Dive.—The diver stands erect at the end of the spring board, falls forward, then as the body passes the balance point, the arms are raised straight over the head, knees bent; then spring out so that the body is parallel to water, arms above head; the body is curved downward and enters the water, arms, head, body, and legs forming a straight line.

In springing, jump out parallel to the water. The running dive is very similar.

Back Dive.—The diver turns with back to the water, heels over the edge of board into space; the arms are over head, body is curved backward; as the balance point is reached, spring out, turning body as it enters the water.

The position of the head is important. Ducking the head or throwing it too far back, added to stiffness of the body, makes the dive awkward. The legs should never be apart, but together; toes pointed, so that feet are not flat; the fingers should be together.

The shallow dive, known as the racing dive, is important for those interested in speed swimming, as is the racing turn.

The Racing Dive.—The swimmer stands with the body bent forward, arms back; then, as body falls forward, the knees are bent and the spring out is taken; the body strikes the water arms over head, the whole body in a straight line with the arms and legs. Do not dive so that you sink into the water, but try to strike it at the right angle, so that you will sink only a few inches. The arms start the stroke as soon as they reach the surface, then the legs commence as the arms are recovering.

The Racing Turn.—The wall is touched by the arm that the turn is to be made on. The previous strokes must be timed so that the arm may touch the wall stretched straight out in front. The hand touches the wall (above the water line) palm against the wall, fingers pointing the way the body is to turn.

The body is swung along the wall so that bottoms of the feet touch the wall (a little below the water); then with a backward stroke of the arms, which have been brought to the hip, palms pointing in front, fingers down, the body is brought right against the wall, nearly touching; then the arms are forward, the legs straightened, thus gaining impetus; the arms start the stroke, then the legs commence as the arms start the recovery.

For racing, constant practice of the start, stroke and turn is necessary. First the swimmer should perfect her form of stroke, then the speed may be increased by practice swims of a short distance at first, which may be increased slowly. A swimmer should always be in good condition. Never swim so much as to get stale; never over-exert. It doesn’t pay in the end.

Choose the event you are the most proficient in and stick to that one until you are perfect in it.

Treading Water.

It is necessary for the water polo player to know how to tread water, that is, to remain stationary in the water with the least effort. The body is upright in the water, as in a standing position. The legs are moved up and down, the arms are spread out, bent at the elbow, and moved up and down gently. The whole movement should be as slight as possible, so that the greatest possible amount of rest may be obtained.

Swimming Meets.

For swimming meets there should be a set program of events. The contestants should be entered ahead of time. Handicaps may be granted if the swimmers are unevenly matched.

There should be a referee to conduct the meet; a clerk of the course, who sees that the participants are notified of the events; a scorer, who keeps an official score; three judges, who watch for fouls; three timers, a starter, and an announcer.

Score.—The score is, as a rule, 5 for first place, 3 for second, 1 for third. Relay races are often counted in different ways: 5 points, 6 points, or 8 points are the most common for the first place.

The signal for the start should be: 1. “Get- on your marks.” 2. “Get set.” 3. “Go.” (Pistol shot.) There should be no stepping over or back from starting line.

Three false starts disqualify a competitor.

Each swimmer should keep in her own course. If she crosses into the course of another swimmer and touches her she is liable to disqualification.

In turning the swimmer should touch the end of the pool with one or both hands.

The swimmer must touch the finish line with a hand out of the water.

If the stroke is judged for form the competitor must dive into the water, swim a given distance, turn, all in perfect form.

In the plunge for distance the dive should be made from a firm take-off. The body must be kept motionless, face down, no longer than sixty seconds, however. The distance is measured from a line parallel to the diving base, at right angles to base, to the farthest point reached by any part of the body.

A certain number of plunges, usually two or three, is allowed to each competitor.

In diving there are usually a list of required and voluntary dives. The judges consider the form with which the dive was executed. (Form is treated under diving.) The scale of points usually is:

Unsuccessful attempt, 0; Poor dive, 3; Fair dive, 6; Good dive, 8; Excellent dive, 10.

Swimming Test.

The all-around swimming test as practised at Bryn Mawr College in a 68-foot pool, the details of which have been contributed by Mr. Philip Bishop, Athletic Director of the Haverford School and Advisory Swimming Coach at Bryn Mawr College, is given herewith.

All-Around Swimming Test for Women
By Philip Bishop.

This test is taken in three sections: diving, plunge and object dive in one section; form and speed in another; endurance and underwater swim in the third.

Section 1.—Speed test, two lengths to be done in 44 seconds; form swimming, breast stroke, back stroke and trudgeon, or crawl stroke.

Section 2.—Endurance test, 150 yards in 3 minutes; underwater swim, 50 feet.

Section 3.—Diving, standing straight dive, running straight dive, standing high dive; fancy diving, four dives, which include jackknife, back dive and somersaults; plunge, 30 feet; object dive, must pick up 6 rings in 3 attempts.

The successful competitor must score 85 per cent to qualify as a first-class swimmer.

This test is by no means a hard one, but it requires practice. The object is to make all-around swimmers and to teach the correct method of diving and making the strokes employed.