If a swimmer desires to succeed in his art, regular and healthy habits must be the rule and not the exception. Continued indul gence in late hours, smoking, and the use of stimulants, only accelerate the development of any weak points in the constitu tion, and the opposite effect may be anticipated with almost a certainty if such indulgences be avoided. We do not in any way intend to infer by this that a swimmer should make the best part of his life one monotonous round of practice, without change or enjoyment of any kind. Some of our best swimmers are, for instance, inveterate smokers, but such a practice, as any person will readily admit, is not one calculated to improve the staying powers in any marked degree. The general tone of the body has to be kept up, and to aid this change of scene and rational enjoyment are beneficial, but the enjoyment must not be allowed to more than counterbalance the good effects pro duced from previous exercise.
The training of the majority of swimmers consists simply of a few ordinary practice swims before a race, but here and there are to be found those who religiously train through the season, and generally with marked improvement to their capa bilities. The difficulty is to define where training should begin and where it should cease, and this has to be left entirely to the discretion of the individual immediately concerned ; but a few general hints for improving speed and stamina will be useful.
A vital requirement for a would-be fast swimmer is staying power. That has to be developed before any first-class swim ming can be done. By first-class swimming we do not mean the dashing over a short distance in a given time, but a long continued effort, such as a swimmer would have to make to save his own life 'or that of another. Once staying power has been developed speed will assuredly follow, and by judicious training a man may make himself a good all-round swimmer over distances ranging from one hundred yards to a mile, and even more. The habits must, as we have said, first of all be regular and healthy, and the living plain though good. There is no advantage to be gained by studying any lists of digestible and indigestible foods. Every man should suit his own tastes, but if possible eschew spiced viands and rich comestibles. If the digestion is not very good, there are plenty of simple remedies which, if taken in time, are of far more use than all the quack medicines ever invented, and more likely to be effica cious. Drugs should be avoided like poison, unless prescribed by a medical man. The great thing in all training is to prevent derangement of the stomach, and to correct it as soon as it makes its appearance.
Long-distance walking and cross-country running are two of the best forms of exercise for a swimmer, as the muscles are thereby hardened and staying power developed. If the swimmer
be engaged in business, the journey to and fro—if the hours be not too long—should be made on foot, the man in training of course rising early enough to allow of his having breakfast a decent time before starting. At every available opportunity a distance walk into the country should be taken, and for the/ better enjoyment of this some attention should be given to the details of dress, foot covering, &c. A suit of flannels, jacket, cap, and a well-made pair of walking boots will be found sufficient outfit. Great care should be taken that the boots are well fitting, and are adapted for the work. They should be made to order, and for this purpose it is better to employ a maker of racing shoes than an ordinary bootmaker. See that they are not too tight or too loose, that the soles are stout, the toes built squarely, and the uppers not too heavy. Woollen socks should be worn, and if the feet be liable to blister the socks should be soaped inside before starting. Cross-country runs can be obtained almost anywhere. A stout, unspiked run ning shoe with an ankle-strap, and University running costume, with a sweater over the jersey, is all that is needed. It is wonderful what a recuperative effect an ordinary cross-country run has upon a man jaded by business worries, and to a swimmer it forms a pleasant relief during the off season. Hockey, football, and skating are also advantageous methods of developing the physical powers, but in the swimming season these have to give place to other forms of exercise ; dumb bell practice, Indian clubs, boxing, running, walking, and cycling being the principal changes.
Although a moderate amount of rest is necessary, it is in. advisable, as soon as the swimming season ends, at once to cease active work and lie, as it were, dormant until the advent of spring brings back thoughts of the swimming-bath, the river, or the sea. Exercise in one form or another should be taken, and then a fortnight or so before the opening of the season dumb-bells, Indian clubs, walking, and gymnastics taken up more vigorously than before. By this method the swimmer will be getting himself into good condition long before many of his future opponents will have even thought of training, and in the first two or three months he will reap the benefit. The exercises must be varied, so that the monotony of the work does not become galling. During the racing season the exercises already indicated should be systematically undertaken and not at once dropped, because they are of invaluable assistance to a swimmer in training.