It is exceptionally difficult to wean an athlete from his pipe when once he has become addicted to its use ; but the swimmer should steadfastly set his face against smoking whilst in train ing. If the temptation be too great to be resisted altogether, the habit must be gradually overcome ; but if the pipe be thrown aside for two or three days, the craving for it will soon cease. Smoking tends to shorten the wind, and this in itself ought to be sufficient incentive to an athlete to manfully resist the desire for indulgence and give up the habit whilst in training. Smoking in moderation may not do much harm, if moderation be really observed.
The swimmer, immediately after rising, should have some dumb-bell or club practice, and then, after slight refreshment, stroll gently to the bath or bathing place, if it be handy ; if not, a sponge or cold bath and a good rub down should pre cede the dumb-bell exercise. The swim in the morning should not be long—say a couple of hundred yards ; the body must be dried quickly, and well towelled. A sharp walk home and a good breakfast will set the swimmer up for the day. As much walking or running practice as can be obtained, if not taken too soon after meals, a good dinner, and a light tea, with a gentle stroll to the bath, should make the swimmer fairly fit for a good evening's work. A two or three hundred yards' spin for endurance, then a rest, during which the body is well rubbed all over, and a fifty yards' sprint for speed after, may complete the water practice until improvement is noticeable, the test being the watch, the most trustworthy critic of all. The man in training should enlist the services of a really com petent friend, and get him to watch for faults in style. If there be any, the swimmer must then proceed slowly until they are eradicated, or else, after persisting in them for a period, he will find it far more difficult to alter his style than to increase his speed to a certain limit. Many young swimmers get out of patience if continually checked, but they should remember that the advice tendered to them is the result of years of experience and careful training, and is, therefore, probably more correct than their own newly-fledged ideas.
At this early stage of training, the methods of racing in baths and open water should be carefully studied. In a race the swimmer should go as straight as a die for the winning-post, and in all practice an effort should be made to cultivate quick and rapid judgment of distance, so as to be able to get sight lines to steer by. In a bath the sight-line is the side of the water space, or, if that be irregular, the dressing-boxes. With a little care at the start, the swimmer will soon be able to steer a straight course. It is important that a man should be able to do this, because if he wander all over the bath during the progress of a race he not only jeopardises his own chance, but that of the other competitors whose path he traverses. In open water the steering is a far more difficult matter than in a bath, and many good swimmers, quite capable of annihilating their opponents in a bath race, have in open water been hopelessly left in the rear, or far out of the course, through their lack of judgment and inability to steer properly. The best method,
before starting for a swim in open water, is to look up the side of the course on which the face will be glancing during the swim, and pick out some prominent object as a guide, such as a tower, a tree, or the mast of a ship. If a return journey to the starting-point has to be made, a guide should also be selected on the opposite side before plunging in. Various considerations as to the set of the tide or stream have also to be studied, and it is therefore expedient to cultivate a practical acquaintance with the course. In the open sea it is often best to go apparently right out of the course, so as to avoid the action, or gain the advantage of, a particular current; and before swimming it is a good plan to watch the relative speed-rates of half-a-dozen corks thrown in from various points on the starting-board.
In bath swimming the ability to turn well is of exceptional advantage, particularly in a short race ; and very often the mere possession of this ability is sufficient to allow a swimmer to beat another who, in a straight-away race, would have the best of it by a yard or two. Not only must the turn be made smartly, but the push off' must be vigorous. The best method of practising turning is to swim across the bath slowly and so judge the stroke, then, when close to the side, the under arm can be pushed outward instead of downward. The other arm should be at the same time swung forward, and the knees drawn up. The body will then turn completely round, the over arm touching the side as the turn is made. Then both feet should be placed against the side, the hands shot rapidly forward, and a vigorous push off' taken. These movements should be performed so quickly that there is no halt between them, and with a little practice the turn may be performed neatly and mechanically. An inhalation should be taken when the under arm is being pulled outward, as the head sinks below the water during the turn. There are other ways of turning, but this method will be found the best for racing purposes. When the bath is tiled the feet very often slip unless a careful turn be made, and the impetus which would otherwise be gained from the 'push off' is lost. Practice in pushing off' can be obtained in the following manner : Place the feet against the side, putting both hands behind, so that the rail may be clutched, and- then crouch up the body. The head will then be face downward, close to the water, the hands holding the rail, and the body drawn into the side, with the soles of the feet touching the wall. When ready, the head should be sunk, the arms brought rapidly to the front until they are in advance of the head, as in plunging, and then- a tremendous push forward be made. There are many swimmers who can 'push off' a considerable distance. Fifty feet has very often been traversed in this manner, the swimmer sculling till his feet are in position, and then straightening his body immediately by a great muscular effort. When turning in open water care should be exercised, especially when the race is taking place in the sea. Piers and the sides of old hulks are often used in competitions as turning-points, and these are generally covered with barnacles, which cut the feet in terrible fashion.