Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/173



AVING taught swimming for the last three years, I may be considered competent to give a few instructions on paper. Very many people say "Oh, I'll never learn to swim, I'm too old," or "too stout," or "too thin," or "too weak," as the case might be, and so they never try. As a matter of fact everyone can learn to swim, old or young, strong or weak, stout or thin. It merely means a little more, or a little less time, according to the nerve and nature of the swimmer. During the three or four seasons I have been teaching swimming there have been very nearly 500 pupils under my tuition, and I may say that out of that number there have not been more than ten who did not eventually learn, and become expert in the water, in fact many of my pupils have become very much better swimmers than myself. Nervousness is never against a pupil in the beginning, for my best swimmers have often been the most timid and the hardest to teach at first. For my own part I would far rather teach a nervous child than one who is over confident, and I would rather take a pupil who knows nothing at all, than one who tells me she knows something about it, or she can swim a little. In the latter case one generally has to break off a bad style or bad action before beginning to teach the right. The best age to learn is from eight to twelve years of age, though I have had very apt pupils at five and six years. Any one can teach him or herself to swim, they only want confidence, perseverance and patience, but it is best to have some assistance from another person even though they be quite ignorant of the art themselves. There is really no reason why two girls should not teach each other to swim if they follow the directions set down here.

—The breast stroke is the most natural way to swim, and certainly the most graceful for a woman. It is the stroke the frogs use, and any one about to learn should catch a frog, put him into a tub, and study his actions when swimming, for that is the action every swimmer has to imitate. The action with the arms is so simple that it really needs no teaching. My practice is always to show the pupil this arm stroke before taking her into the water at all, dividing it into three positions, first, second, and third. First, the arms close to the sides, hands extended, with fingers close together, and the palms turned slightly out; second, the arms extended to the front, palms turned out; and third, the arms swept round in the stroke. Having taught her the positions, make her do the three in one motion, about 17 to the minute. Once she can do this take her into the water. Opinions