BREAST STROKE.
The beginner, having selected a proper bathing-place, should wade in up to his breast, turn round, face the shore, and take his pre liminary "duck " by plunging head and shoulders under water, thus preventing a rush of blood to the head ; then rising, without hurrying or nervousness, bring the hands together with the palms downwards, thumbs and outer edges of the forefingers close together, and the hands slightly convexed at the back, and brought under the chin on a level with the shoulders, thumbs and forefingers of each hand being in contact ; for in this way only are they a support from the time they start till they come back to the starting position. The elbows should' be bent laterally on a level with the breast (Fig. 1), in order to secure the most effective stroke. The learner should then steadily incline his body forward, at the same time advancing his arms to their fullest extent, keeping the hands close together, just below the surface, neither elevating nor depressing the fingers—they should be kept at their full stretch for at least one second (Fig. 2). This movement will bring his legs to the surface. He should then separate his hands and turn them back to back, still keeping the fingers close sweeping his arms obliquely back wards and downwards towards the body, drawing the legs up at the same time laterally, rather than under the body as in the old method (see Fig. 3). The
elbows thus come back to the body, and the hands are brought quickly together as before to their first position under the chin, the edges only being presented to the water until the hands meet. At the same time the feet are brought together, as shown in Fig. 4. The arms should then be shot forward, and the legs kicked out to their fullest extent, as shown in Fig. 5. The arms still retain their position, and the legs are brought together like a pair of scissors (as shown in Fig. 5a), which action will shoot the body forward like an arrow. Retain this position till the force of the stroke is exhausted. This method will send you ahead two or three yards at least. By paying particular attention to the foregoing directions, the pupil's hands will •always be in advance of a line drawn through his shoulders--a necessary precaution to escape a ducking.
My reasons for advocating this method are the same as those which induced my old comrade, Edward Hanlan (for many years World's Champion Oarsman), to drop the short, jerky, fisherman's stroke, and adopt a long, sweeping stroke, in which every muscle of the body is brought into play, thereby in the most graceful manner equalizing the muscular force necessary to send him to the front. His numer ous victories amply prove the value of the change.