Scouting, Volume 31, Number 5, May 1943 Page: 19
32 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Five Steps For
Teaching Swimming
Teaching the Beginner
In the first lesson, assemble your
pupils on the beach, a few feet
back from the water's edge. Try to
make them feel at home in the
water. Have an older Scout demon-
strate the face down, and face up
floating positions. Emphasize the
ease of keeping afloat. Have the
pupils sit down in the water, so it
comes up over their chests. Show
them that as they stretch their feet
out in front, with their hands on
the bottom, and as they lower their
heads, their feet will tend to come
to the top. Have them try this sev-
eral times; then have them go into
water waist deep, and jump up,
coming down with their knees bent.
Confine this first lesson to play.
Finish it with a water battle. Line
up the pupils in two rows, backs to
each other, three feet apart, and
let them paw water at the other
line. This is useful later, as an aid
in teaching the arm stroke. A crawl-
ing race in shallow water, hands
on the bottom, and feet straight
back is also good.
In the second lesson teach them
to hold their noses and duck their
heads for a count of fifteen. After
several tries, have them place their
hands on their knees, go down un-
der water, exhaling through the
nose, and coming up at the count
of 10, then inhale through the
mouth. Tell them to keep their eyes
open under water, and to count
their fingers on the left hand, with
the index finger of the right, watch-
ing as they do so. When they are
ready, have them take a deep
breath, go under the water, grasp
both knees in their arms, and raise
their feet from the bottom. They
will float and this will teach bouy-
ance. Next teach breathing for
swimming. Show them how to take
a deep breath through the mouth,
and exhale through the nose under
water.
Demonstrate plunging and the
balance of the body. Place the
hands forward, and the head be-
tween the arms, push off from the
bottom and plunge toward the
shore. Finish this lesson by having
them sit down on the beach in
water a foot deep, and kick their
feet alternately as in the crawl
stroke.
To start the third lesson, take the
class into the water, deep enough
to enable them to place their hands
on the bottom, and lying in prone
position with feet extended back-
ward, teach them how to kick.
After they can kick smoothly, with
the proper rhythm, take them to
the spot where you taught them to
plunge. Now tell them to plunge,
and start the foot action, kicking
slowly. Finish the third lesson, by
more practice in breathing. Have
them stand in water waist deep,
with their hands on their knees,
and their faces in the water. Tell
them to turn their heads sideways
to breathe in through the mouth,
then turn with the head in the
water, and exhale through the nose.
1 SUN IMON ITUES
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JEFFERSON]
DAVIS b.1808
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FLAG
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FATHER'S
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Start of21
SUMMER
DAN BEARD
born 1850
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JUNE
In the fourth lesson, teach the
arm stroke. Line up your pupils
in the water, waist deep, facing
shore. Have them extend the right
hand directly in front of the right
shoulder; bring the hand down to
the hip; then turning the palm out-
ward, raise the elbow upward and
carry hand straight forward to the
first position. When they have per-
fected this, try the left hand. Then
use both hands alternately. Finally,
have them pull themselves toward
shore with the hands. Then, have
them plunge, and work into the
arm stroke.
The last lesson will start with a
review and practice of the arm
stroke, without the feet. Have the
pupils start with the kick and when
the legs are in action, start the arm
stroke. *They should continue this
through the lesson, and if they pro-
gress rapidly enough, show them
how to coordinate the breathing.
At this point you will find that you
have two groups of swimmers.
Work with the slow group, and the
more advanced group separately.
But before you let them swim
alone, convince yourself that they
MAY, 1943 19
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 31, Number 5, May 1943, periodical, May 1943; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313093/m1/21/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.