Product Description
Despite the large, growing and diverse swimming population, rules have not previously been set fort to organize and regulate this activity. Thousands of accidents happen annually in lap swimming, ranging from minor cuts, black eyes and lost teeth, to fractures and concussions. This book will delineate lap swimming rules, and etiquette andsafety standards, as well as provide guidelines for preventing accidents, injuries, and disruption. ... Read more

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SWIMMING PRENTICE-HALL BOOKS ON HEALTH AND SPORTS EDITED BY ELMER D. MITCHELL SWIMMING FUNDAMENTALS by MATT . MANN II Coach of the University of Michigan Swimming Tfam, Former Mem her of the Olympic Swimming Committee of the United States and CHARLES C. FRIES Projessor of English, University of Michigan New York PRENTICE-HALL, INC. J APPRECIATE the honor of being asked to write a fore word to this new book on Swimming. Matt Mann and I have been in friendly association for many years and have had a mu tual interest in this sport. It is a pleasure to have him at last put down in writing his ideas on swimming. The book reflects the personality of a master coach as inter preted by the collaborator, Professor Fries, who can boast of a swimming family Himself a finished swimmer, he has three sons Chucky, age 16, who won swimming laurels in Germany last year, Robby, who started swimming at 18 months, and Peter, the youngest, who was swimming when only 8 months old. There is a distinct mark of originality in this book. It rep resents one mans pattern, tried and proven through successful teaching of thousands of beginners. The book is simple, direct, and omits all non-essentials. The authors go directly to their job, which is that of teaching the fundamentals. The illustra tions are from actual situations and bring out clearly the es sential body movements in. the swimming strokes that are explained. Swimming is one sport about which many books have been written, but there is a definite place for this modern and timely book by Coach Mann and Dr. Fries. It represents a contribu tion to the literature on swimming. EDWARD T. KENNEDY Coach o Swimming, Columbia University. Editor, National Collegiate Athletic Associa tion Swimming Guide, 1932-1939. Matt Alastst Coach VER SINCE Matt Mann first took a team to the National Collegiate Swimming Championships in 1927, his teams from the University of Michigan have consistently been winners. His team had the highest score in the following years 1939, 1938, 1937, 1936, 1935, 1934, 1932, 1931, 1928, 1927. In each of the three years in which his team did not have the highest score it had the second-highest score 1929, 1930, 1933. Dur ing this same period Matt Manns team also won ten of the annual Swimming Championships of the Big Ten Universities of the Middle West. As one reads the record of the swimming championships he finds an ever-increasing number of the names of men who have been taught by Matt Mann. And coaches and teachers throughout the country have wanted to know the secret of his magic. That secret is not a single matter it is a complex of many factors, but all of them understandable in themselves. Matt Manns whole life has been identified with swimming. He began appearing as a contestant in swimming matches when he was only eight years of age. At nine he won the boys cham pionship of England. From nine until he was seventeen he swam for the Leeds Swimming Club. After that, in London, he swam for the Ravensbourne Club and was on that team when they won the City of London Championship in 1903-04. He not only has been, but, at fifty, he still a swimmer. He uses all the strokes and himself tries out the new ideas that are viii MATT MANJV TEACHER AND COACH constantly being proposed for the increasing of speed and effi ciency. Adventurous in spirit, strongly believing in the possi bility of continued improvement, he welcomes every new suggestion and experiments with all those that seem in any way promising. Matt Mann has great genius as a teacher. He has an uncanny ability in analyzing the practice of his pupils whether they be beginners or varsity stars and in putting his finger on the exact point that needs attention. He seems to feel very sensi tively every motion of the swimmer and not only to see the re sult against a pattern of an ideal stroke but to sense in detail the relation of each motion to some feature of the stroke. As a result there is nothing rigid about his teaching... ... Read more

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A dictionary of terms used in three water sports, each identified by a symbol: swimming by a figure in the crawl stroke position, diving by a figure bent into diving position, and surfing by a crested wave. ... Read more

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Shares water games for infants and toddlers, tells how to make children feel ease in the water, and offers advice on teaching the four most common strokes. ... Read more

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One of 17 in the "Sports and Fitness" series, this text aims to give students an appreciation of swimming, and encourages them to develop their skills while actively participating in the sport. Tactics are presented as applied examples throughout. ... Read more

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Get Fit:Swimming is the essential practical handbook that no new swimmer should be without. Whether you want to swim for pleasure or simply to get fir and lose weight, swimming offers you a great way to improve your level of health and well-being. Whatever your motivation, this handy pocket-sized book offers all the practical advice you need to get started, including: advice on buying the right kit; safety; developing your strokes; training programmes for all levels of fitness; nutrition and meal planner advice. Get Fit: Swimming provides you with a complete fitness and weight loss programme, suitable for beginners as well as anyone looking for an easy-to-follow exercise programme. ... Read more

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A paperback edition of a title from the FLYING START series, which was first published in 1991. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs and diagrams an exploration of the basics of swimming and diving. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Soul Cleansing
Nine Ways is among the most beautifully writing to come along in years.That alone is reason to jump in and swim along with Akiko Busch.But there's more to this elegant and lyrical and watery reflection.Here is a viscous restorative that, whenever you dip in or out, is sure to salve your soul. ... Read more

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This book an EXACT reproduction of the original book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR?d book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Part of a series that looks at some of the more unusual sports, this text provides an introduction to windsurfing and presents information on: equipment; simple skills; safety; keeping fit for the sport; governing bodies; competition details; and international windsurfing stars. ... Read more

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Part of a series that looks at some of the more unusual sports, this text provides an introduction to canoeing and presents information on: equipment needed; simple skills; safety; keeping fit for the sport; governing bodies; competition details; and international canoeing stars. ... Read more

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This manual provides swimming instructors the basics for teaching student-centred, character development-oriented aquatics classes at any age level. As the initial course text for all YMCA swimming instructors, it covers how as well as what to teach. The text outlines the responsibilities of instructors, and provides the basic knowledge needed to teach aquatics. It helps instructors understand how children learn, then gives step-by-step instructions to help put this knowledge to use. Analyses, illustrations and stroke observation sheets for each basic is provided. Readers will learn the normal progression of movement for children in learning strokes as they grow up. The book also covers 11 basic principles that apply to stroke development and gives sample lessons that explain these principles to students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

teaching swimming
I'm actually teaching swim classes at the Y right now, and this book has been a great reference tool.I was pretty much thrown into the class as a floater the first couple of weeks and instructed to teach.The good thing about this book is that it breaks down the fundamentals and actually provides the Y's specific methods.I also purchased the Parent/Child Y instruction book which has been even more helpful.

Swimming Instruction
I was not happy with this book.I had hoped to get a book to help me teach my children to swim.This book was mainly philosophy about the YMCA with VERY little information on steps to teach a child to swim.It was not helpful at all.

A Book Designed for a Swim Class
I was teaching a child how to swim and bought this book as a guide for what to teach.I did not find this book helpful though, as most of the games and activities are geared for a YMCA swim course with many students.The book teaches the reader how to be an instructor for the YMCA.The material in the last two chapters, which explained swim strokes, was the only information that I found somewhat useful.

how to....
I bought this book from eHow.com and using the combined efforts of the book, and eHow, I managed to teach my three girls all to swim on their own.I really recommend it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

So inspiring and emotional.A must read for all athletes.
This book brought me to tears while reading her thoughts and feelings on her fiancé's death.Sylvie is such a strong-willed person.She makes you wish that you had her amazing strength and courage.

A French Canadian synchronized swimmer's gold medalquest
I found the story of Sylvie Frechette's childhood and young adult years in Quebec to be of some interest, but was greatly disappointed (as a former synchronized swimmer myself) that she dealt so little with the technical and training aspects of her sport. ... Read more

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"An affectionate, acutely observed life of Webb that brings his achievement into sharp focus after more than a century of neglect." (Sunday Times, London)

Swimming the English Channel was once thought to be a feat as impossible as reaching the summit of Everest, flying through the air in a plane, or walking on the moon. But in August 1875, an obscure ship captain named Matthew Webb became a world hero. He was the first to accomplish what fewer than six hundred people have done since-swim the twenty-one miles of ice-cold, jellyfish-infested water from Dover to Calais.

The Crossing is the richly detailed story of Webb's swim. Fueled by infusions of cod-liver oil, beer, coffee, and brandy, Webb competed for the honor of being first with a swimmer who sported the latest Victorian invention: a thirty-five-pound rubber "survival suit" containing ten days' worth of food and water, a headlamp for night paddling, an axe for killing swordfish, and books to ward off boredom. Even more intriguing is what happened to Webb after he made history. Addicted to fame, he hired himself out for ever more desperate swimming feats in pursuit of the money and applause he craved-and died tragically in a crazed attempt to traverse the boiling rapids and quarter-mile whirlpool of the Niagara River.

From Harry Houdini to Evel Knievel to David Blaine, we have long been fascinated by risk-takers. In a fast-moving history of triumph and folly, The Crossing takes us inside the mind of the daredevil.Amazon.com Review
The Crossing tells the colorful story of Matthew Webb, the first person to swim across the English Channel. Webb was born in 1848, learned to swim as a boy in the River Severn, and joined the merchant marine, where he received a medal for bravery for diving after a seaman who had fallen into the Atlantic. A natural showman, he gained sponsors for what was considered an impossible feat, to swim from Dover to Calais. The author, editor of Women's Realm magazine, skillfully recreates the physical agony of Webb's crossing and his triumphant return as he sailed into Dover to the wild applause of crowds jammed on the pier. His exploit made Webb famous and gave the new sport of swimming an enormous boost. Newspapers described him as "probably the best-known and most popular man in the world" and his achievement "a matter of national importance." As his fame faded, however, Webb tried to keep himself in the public eye with a series of dubious public appearances, such as spending 60 hours in a glass tank at the Royal Westminster Aquarium, exploits that gradually ruined his health. Finally, for $10,000 he attempted to swim across the Niagara rapids and was crushed in the whirlpool below the falls. The author sympathetically places Webb's descent from national hero to desperate promoter in the context of the Victorian quest for novelty and the bizarre. Besides being the well-written biography of an eccentric daredevil, The Crossing is a fascinating piece of social history. --John Stevenson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Rise and the Fall
This is a very entertaining, but tragic, story of Victorian times. This little gem is about Capt. Mathew Webb, the first man to successfully swim the English Channel. It relates his rise to renown and his equally swift decent that finally results in his untimely death while attempting a suicidal swim down the Niagara river, below the waterfalls. Capt. Webb was a merchant ship captain of respect and then a renowned long distance swimmer. After the crossing he slowly downgraded from sportsman to performer to freak show exhibitionist. He loses touch with reality and yearns for his glory days to return.

This book gives us a glimpse into the Victorian period and also the beginning of the modern sport of swimming. At the time swimming was not an organized sport as we know today but rather something between a sport and an exhibition of prowess. Swimming made Capt. Webb but also destroyed him.

excellent reading
This is a good reading if you are planning to attempt any challenging swim or if you simply want to be inspired.

A good read
A little book with a big story.It tells the story of the first man to swim the English Channel.Its a solid story, with all the drama of a Tour de France drug scandal.

A glimpse of celebrity in the Victorian era
As an open-water swimmer myself, I was attracted to this book about the famous first crossing by Capt. Webb I've heard about for years.The author clearly shows that she did her research on failed swims of the past and on how present-day Channel swimmers conquered the Channel between England and France.

To Watson's credit, the actual channel crossing is only a minor part of the entire book.The author looks at Capt. Webb as something more than the first man to swim across the English Channel; she examines him as the Victorian age's first mega-celebrity...think Mickey Mantle meets Michael Jordan at the turn of the century.

She meticulously pieces together newspaper reports of the day regarding Webb's exploits after the famous Channel swim, actually building sympathy for Capt. Webb and the hucksters who set him up for swim after swim (and even more ridiculous feats of endurance).

I only wish that this book had a biography so I could explore more stories about Capt. Webb and open-water swimming.However, you don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy this book - Watson clearly markets it to the casual reader, and it's small size makes it perfect for summertime reading.

'Boy's Own Paper' stuff!
Time was when every schoolboy in Britain knew about Capt.Webb; matchboxes carried his name and image; he figured high on the list of heroes and tales of derring-do - I'm not sure if the same holds true nowadays, so this book is an attempt to set the record straight (even so, we are surprised to discover that someone had beaten Webb to it ... but not by swimming),

Written in an accessible, flowing conversational style, it goes beyond 'the Crossing' to trace the life and exploits of this remarkable man. Incidentally, Ms.Watson (no relation) aspires to be a channel swimmer - this lends a certain authority and credence to the rest of the book; not that it needs it, the research into Webb's life is meticulous.

At the time, swimming the channel was as daunting as climbing Everest; many authorities stating categorically that it was an impossible feat. However, Webb seems to have suffered from no such fears - totally confident, he persuades backers with his no-nonsense charm, incidentally laying the basis of the British love-affair with swimming.

After the success of the crossing, we see more of Webb's bravado and determination ... but directed into increasingly desperate money-making schemes, culminating in the one that would end his life.
One feels for the man, driven as he was by some inner need, but reduced to exhibitionism instead of taking an easier option on life.

A very enjoyable read. ***** ... Read more