h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Swimming Strokes - A62228018
Author: Vip - U188069

I'm currently working on an update to swimming, but it's getting far too long so I'm splitting it into two - one on the strokes and the other on swimming in general (which I'm still working on).

I'm swimming's equivalent to the fireguard so I can't comment on the content; here instead are some typos for you:

<> varients--> variants
<> thust --> thrust
<> stright --> straight
<> as it is followed by a list, the semi-colon should be a colon
<> I didn't understand this sentence. The first *arms* seems wrong.
<>

Vip You really choose difficult things to write about in text without diagrams or videos! Riding round roundabouts on a cycle was hard enough, but now swimming

What will you choose next?


Anyway, it seems fairly clear so far.
I wonder why you start with Butterfly as this is about the hardest stroke to learn, requiring the most stamina and so on. Maybe it should come later on in the entry?

There are a couple of things I would suggest, from the days when I had to teach swimming classes at Primary school level.

I think in Freestyle, that you should aim to breathe *out* whilst your face is still in the water. There isn't time between strokes to do the exhale and inhale ( sort of under your armpit )

We used to tell the children to think of the way a frog kicks his legs when describing breast stroke leg movements. And the thing most people find difficult about breast stroke is to get the stretch forward with the arms synchronised with the stretch backwards of the legs. Oh, and you can do it on land if you stand on one leg to practice. Just use one leg for the stroke( obviously )

In backstroke, it is recommended to learn to move your legs first, without using your arms at all. Grasp one of those foam blocks close to your chest to give you more buoyancy and just practice the kicks. You *must* keep your legs as straight as possible, ( a lot of people bend their knees, and look as if they are pedalling a bike and this lessens the propulsion) Your stomach should be on the surface of the water too ( ie your spine should be straight ) Imagine a line along your body, keeping a flat shape along the surface. Also, your head should be laying back in the water, your ears should be submersed. Too many people try to bend their head up and out of the water which prevents the stroke being effective.


Oh, I could say a lot more about the orientation of your hands as well. Would you like more?

Good luck with this - I've tried to find some not for profit guidance out there, especially with a few diagrams, but not found any good ones.

- Butterfly - I've put that at the end

- Front crawl - I'd mentioned breathing out, but it obviously wasn't clear enough. I've reworded it.

Other things to be changed when I get a little more time.

Thanks!

h5 - Done.

Lanza - There's so much that could be added to this it's hard to know where to stop. If you think hand positions are important (I've just tried to give rough positions rather than lots of detail) I'll go back and add them. At the moment I'm trying to give as little as I can get away with, as otherwise this will get very long indeed.

I've put a little sentence at the top to try and explain this.

Oh, and you should have seen me trying to do my bellringing Entry a few years ago - I was cursing h2g2's lack of diagrams then!

"If you are wearing goggles, which is recommended for all strokes, by the way,"

You mention that at the beginning. I'm not sure you need to say it twice, especially since this is so close after the introduction.

There seems to be a bit of a focus on competition swimming - I wonder if that is slightly misplaced, given that it's not how most people will be swimming. For example - "Backstroke is the one stroke that doesn’t start from a dive. Instead, grasp the edge of the pool (or diving blocks if you’re lucky enough to have them) and tuck your legs into your belly, toes against the wall as high as you can get them. To start, throw your arms behind you and push against the wall with your toes, gaining as much spring as you can. Aim to get your whole body underwater with only a bit of little splash. With your arms outstretched and hands clasped together, kick until you reach the surface1, and then start your arms."

It's not necessary to start like this if you're just having a swim at the local pool, and most people wouldn't. Maybe you could qualify it by explaining that it's a competition start?

"Unlike Butterfly, there is only one leg kick per arm stroke." Given that you've moved butterfly to the end, I think this should be backstroke.

Front crawl - shouldn't both words be capitalised?

"What makes it hard is the timing between arms and legs; it has to be correct, otherwise you end up swallowing water and floundering like a fish out of water." Can you reword that a little so it doesn't say water twice?

I think we are supposed to be using headers rather than subheaders where possible - something to do with how it displays on mobiles.

Good stuff.

Cheers, Elentari. I agree with and have addressed your comments. Well, apart from the bit about Headers with is correct but I wish wasn't so.

Thanks, guys!

Looks like a good entry here Vip, i look it over in more detail, looking forward to the other part of the Update on swimming.

Is this being classed then as a seperate entry, with the other part being made an Update?

That's my intent, Nbb.

To practice your legs, float on your back with your arms {outstretched in the direction you want to go}.





your arms should be straight down by your side. (try it next time you swim and see what I mean )


Do you swim often Vip? I really should start going again

I've always found it easier on my neck if they are outstretched rather than by my sides but either method can work. I'll add yours too.

I swam three times a week for a swimming club between the ages of 9 and 18 but since I left home I've never got into the groove. I go through phases but, by and large, not more than a couple of times a year. I need to find a club and go regularly, but it's a matter of getting there and fitting it in with all the other things I do. Same old excuses, I guess.

Perhaps I am writing it more from the perspective of a swimming teacher - many unconfident swimmers would find themselves sinking if they hadn't mastered staying afloat and didn't have a powerful kick to propel themselves backwards. I've seen a lot of kids panic like this.

Are you writing this for strong swimmers? I'm perhaps a bit ocnfused** as to who your intended audience might be? There is a lot written about why swimming is often harder than it should be - ie bad habits and poor understanding of the correct strokes make it a difficult thing to do. That's why I mentioned the hand positions, as a small adjustment to the way your palms face can make the hugest difference to a weak swimmer.

Please don't think I'm critical, I just love swimming - it's the only sport I really ever do these days.


**I'll let that spelling mistake stay in as it says a lot!

Audience, eh. Yeah, toughie. I guess I am aiming for the non-swimmer, but at the same time not over-burdening them with information. It's so much easier to show than it is to describe (and yet I still pick it as a topic - again! ).

Does having your hands by your sides actually help you float then? I didn't know that.

Criticism is just fine - that's how Entries get better!

I think it helps weaker/less confident swimmers to get a sense of their position in the water. The best way to teach them to float is to get their heads lying back in the water, often a learner will crane their neck upwards, which decreases buoyancy and makes their 'bottom' sink.

Something you could mention - ' a great way to improve your front crawl, would be if you spent some time practising your leg strokes, and the easiest way to do this is on your back. No need to worry about your arms, or breathing. If you can do a strong kick on your back and then turn over, you will really notice a difference in your ability to do a good front crawl'

There's a whole entry on The Butterfly Stroke to link to

A14138147

Woah. Now *that's* an Entry.

Hum. *thinks*

...

...



You know what I think the best thing to do is? Write a series of companion Entries to A14138147 on each of the remaining strokes, then link to them from the updated Swimming Entry.

What do others think? I'll take this out of PR if you guys agree.

It may be - but I think you could also write a simpler explanation of all four strokes - just emphasising the basics.

Sometimes people may not want to read a very long explanation, but just pick up some manageable pointers?

I like the length of this entry btw

Hmm, so a guide to all of them, with links off to the full Entries. That could work.

Actually, I could go back to my original idea, which was to contain them within the main Swimming Entry. Then they got too big, so I split up the Entry.
I could go back to the Swimming one, do the small introductions and then link out to the more in depth ones. I think that could work.

Yes, that sounds an even better way to do it. Good luck!

Sounds good!