The legs remain together throughout and the movement flows through the hips, resembling a dolphin swimming along. Gliding with the knees released, a butterfly swimmer presses down with the upper body as the hips rise, then presses down with the legs, causing the upper body to be pushed to the surface.
This first lesson takes you through a series of practices in order to develop an effective dolphin action and master the art of undulation. A significant proportion of the overall propulsion is generated by the combined actions of the legs and the torso. It is important to be patient, as the wave-like motion is probably unlike anything you have done before. It may take a while before you can perform it with ease.
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Breaststroke has existed since prehistoric times. Stone Age paintings featuring a similar stroke were found in the ‘cave of swimmers’ near Wadi Sora in Egypt. It was the only stroke permitted during the great plague in the Middle Ages, because swimmers could keep their faces out of the water and therefore would not, it was believed, spread the epidemic.
Breaststroke was also the preferred stroke in Victorian Britain, where an overarm action was deemed inelegant and unsuitable for ladies and gentlemen. It was the original competitive stroke and was popularized by Captain Webb who, in 1875, became the first man to swim the English Channel.
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In the breaststroke, exhalation takes place as you release into the glide. Extending the arms forward exerts pressure on the diaphragm, naturally encouraging the expulsion of air from the lungs. Similarly, raising the body up and bringing the arms round encourages the opening up of the chest and lungs, thus promoting an unforced inhalation. Assuming that sufficient air has been expelled during the glide, air will flow in to the lungs without extra effort.
Standing up, bring your arms up to shoulder height and open them wide to either side. Think of the movement as starting from the back and shoulders and then traveling into the arms and hands. Notice how, as your arms open, there is a natural inclination to inhale. Now close your arms, bringing your hands together, and notice how it feels more comfortable to exhale as you do so.
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Try the following set of maneuvers for recovering your footing in the shallow end of a pool. This procedure is particularly important for beginners and those who lack confidence in recovering an upright position in shallow water after a glide.
Breathing presents a challenge to maintaining good orientation in the water. If we were able, like seals or dolphins, to submerge ourselves for extended periods without breathing, it might be- easier to maintain a balanced head-neck-back relationship. But we need to inhale through our nose or mouth more regularly. Because this means our face must surface above the water, learning to incorporate it into our stroke without interfering with good orientation is an important aspect of the art of swimming. Attempts are often made to side-step this problem.
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Because a sense of ease in the water is so essential to the art of swimming, equipment that helps to promote this is a worthwhile investment. Adults who have difficulty putting their face in the water for any length of time can find good-quality swimming accessories invaluable. As the majority of swimming-pools use chlorine as a disinfectant (and even lakes and oceans may contain eye irritants), the eyes are likely to sting if they stay open underwater for long periods. To help prevent this, there’s no substitute for a pair of good, well-fitting goggles. Without them, many swimmers will prefer to close their eyes the majority of the time. This not only increases the risk of bumping into things such as walls, lane ropes and other swimmers, but more importantly it contributes to a feeling of nervousness and of being in an alien environment. This is particularly true for swimmers who have poor eyesight to begin with. Straining one’s eyes to see the end of a pool or to avoid obstacles is not conducive to feeling at home in the water.
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There is a Law of Reversed Effort. The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed. Proficiency and the results of proficiency come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing. Aldus Huxley
A common feature of the case histories is the emphasis on trying to achieve, the sort of end-gaining that invariably accompanies the unthinking pursuit of fitness. We must be careful not to apply the same sort of trying to the task of learning a new approach, thus replacing one form of end-gaining with another. Alexander found that when pupils try to do the ‘right thing’ they are inclined to apply the wrong sort of effort to the task, which actually prevents them from performing it efficiently. In his Notes of Instruction we read: ‘I don’t want you to give a damn if you’re right or not. Directly you don’t care if you’re right or not the impeding obstacle is gone.’ Swimmers who try to ‘do it the right way’ create tensions which serve only to restrict their movements in the water. The anxiety aroused by trying to do the right thing is itself detrimental to awareness. The Alexander Technique shifts the emphasis away from trying to do the right thing to learning to prevent the wrong.
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