HOW TO SWIM AND DIVE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 10

HOW TO SWIM AND DIVE.

lII.—BREAST STROKE AND

TRUDGEON.

By Millie Hudson, Holder of the British Diving Championship.

(Special for the Otago Witness.) Although it is advisable to master the modern free-style strokes first, there are several good reasons why the breast stroke should be learned, the most important being that it is invaluable in life-saving. In competitions and international championships too, the breast stroke invariably is included. It is pleasant and graceful and has the asset of allowing the swimmer to look round while moving. Many people are seen trying the breaststroke, but few understand its modernised form. The arm and leg drives are not performed together, but alternately—to prevent stopping and jerking the glide through the water —and the arms are not brought back to shoulder line, but about half way with a slightly downward pull to facilitate breathing. The arm and leg movements should be practised first on land, separately and together, then in the water, holding the bar while operating the legs. • To begin, the arms are extended in i front, palms. down and hands nearly | touching. Do not. stiffen the muscles or separate the fingers and thumbs. For the pull, the palms, very slightly curved, should be turned away from one another, with the movement outward and slightly downward, till they form roughly a right angle. EASY INHALING. This brings the’ face up so that you can inhale easily, but it must be sharply done through the mouth. In recovery, the muscles are relaxed and elbows bent in bringing the hands to the chest, palms down. They are then shot forward ready for the next drive. The legs should be brought up into position for their kick as the arms finish their pull, by bending and parting the knees, (with relaxed muscles) but keeping the heels together with soles facing the surface just below the water. The kick is made outward with ankles bent so that the legs almost form a

right angle. They are then closed sharply, with a rounded swinging movement, and

a simultaneous straightening of the ankles. This leg drive—the rounded movement of straightening then bringing together—is performed sharply and vigorously as the arms shoot forward on recovery, and you new glide motionless through the water with the body in a straight line, resting comfortably with the face submerged, slowly exhaling. This now brings you to the position to commence the next stroke, but a beginner must avoid hurrying. Some swimmers find their heels just break the surface after the kick. Be careful not to introduce a scissor kick, as this will disqualify you in a breast-stroke competition. From the breast stroke, the position for the single over-arm stroke can be obtained by rolling over on the side with one shoulder up and the other down, with the face turned up out of the water. The leg movement is rather similar to that in the breast-stroke, but you bend the lower knee more than the upper one, allowing them to cross while the latter remains near the surface. This forms the wide scissor kick. The recovery movement must be very slow to offer the minimum resistance to the water. ARM MOVEMENTS. For the arm movement the under arm is as much like the breast-stroke as the sideways position will allow, only the arm is worked under you instead of from the chest, while the upper one pulls alternately, keeping near the surface as does the upper leg. • The under arm is shot straight forward ■ beneath the head, brought back palm I down with a strong sweep till close to the body, then relaxed and bent up again ready for the next stroke. The upper arm is used as for other over-arm strokes, simultaneously propelling as the legs kick, while the other arm shoots forward in recovery. The ifpper arm then recovers as the other drives. When experienced with this stroke, the top arm may be brought out of the water neatly while recovering. This single over-arm, or side stroke is seldom used now, but it is restful, and should be tried by swimmers who can only do the breast stroke, before learning trudgeon. ' In the double over-arm stroke, each arm is brought out o,f the water alternately, as for all modern free-style strokes, with one wide scissor kick to each double arm movement, given at the end of the left arm pull. Before the crawl was introduced, this was used by the majority of swimmers for sprinting and distances, and many still use it for pleasure and long swims. It is easy and comfortable, and the face may be kept out of the water, this making the breathing easy, but, of course, it is not so fast as the crawl or trudgeon-crawl strokes.