Swimming for Total Fitness: A Complete Program for Swimming Stronger, Faster, and Better

454 Pages·1993·4.36 MB·English

by  Jane Katz

The advice and exercises in this book are intended to be used only in conjunction with the advice
of your own personal physician. Because of the differences in physical conditioning from
individual to individual, your doctor should make sure that these exercises are safe for you.
Consult your physician before performing this or any other exercise program.
Previous editions of this book were published in 1981 and 1993 by Doubleday. This edition
reprinted by special arrangement with Doubleday.
Swimming for Total Fitness. Copyright © 1981, 1993 by Jane Katz and Nancy P. Bruning. All
rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information,
address: Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, NY
10036.
BROADWAY BOOKS and its logo, a letter B bisected on the diagonal, are trademarks of Broadway
Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Visit our website at www.broadwaybooks.com
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has cataloged the previous edition as:
Katz, Jane.
Swimming for total fitness : a progressive aerobic program / by
Jane Katz with Nancy P. Bruning; illustrations by Phillip Jones.—
Updated.
p. cm.
“Main Street Books.”
1. Swimming. 2. Physical fitness. I. Bruning, Nancy P.
II. Title.
GV837.K355 1992
797.2’1—dc20
92-31877
eISBN: 978-0-30778611-1
eISBN: 978-0-30778611-1
v3.1
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
TO ALL SWIMMERS —
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
MAY YOUR JOIE DE L’EAU
ALWAYS BE PART
OF YOUR JOIE DE VIVRE!
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Since I’ve been swimming all my life, acknowledging everyone who has
contributed in some way to the information found between the covers
of this book seems a more formidable task than writing the book itself!
But here goes. I’d like to thank:
My parents, Leon and Dorothea, who introduced me to the
wonders of the water at a very early age.
My sisters, Elaine and June, who have always been supportive
of my swimming endeavors, and have shared their expertise as
well.
Particularly my brother Paul—former All-American and
international swimming champion at Yale University, who, in
his coaching career, has brought the La Salle College swimming
team to its first conference championship since 1966—for
sharing his theories and techniques with me.
My nephews, Stephen, Jason, Justin, and Austen, who
continually share their fun in water.
Nancy P. Bruning, whose writing expertise and love of
swimming have helped in large part to make this book possible;
Lindy Hess; Gerry Helferich, my initial editor (a.k.a. “that
swimming maniac”); to Phillip Jones, whose illustrations help
prove that one picture is worth a thousand swimming lessons.
Michele Martin, Theresa Horner, and Katharine Chang for
initiating and carrying out this updated state-of-the-art version
of our book, to Kacy Tebbel for copy editing, Marysarah Quinn
and Patrice Fodero for book design, Peter Kruzan for cover
design, and to Liz Kurnetz.
Lisa Harbatkin and Stuart Kampel, for their assistance in the
initial stages of the book.
Linda Ayache for her help in typing the manuscript.
All the doctors and consultants who were generous enough to
contribute their time and expertise in answering our questions.
To Dr. Willibald Nagler, for his timely comments in the
Foreword.
To Gil Rogin and John Butterfield for their quotable quotes.
… and finally all my swimming and dry-land buddies who have given
me their support and feedback over the years: the various staff members
and officials of the U.S. Masters Swimming Committee, Inc., including
June Krauser, Ted Haartz, Enid Uhrich, John Spannuth, Suzanne Rague,
and Dorothy Donnelly; the past and current presidents of the
International Swimming Hall of Fame—Buck Dawson, the late John B.
Kelly, Jr., and Dr. Sam Freas; the members of the CCNY (my alma
mater!) swim team and its staff, Jim Sinocchi, Greg Kincheloe, and
particularly Elaine Fincham and coach Marcello Rodriguez; the
swimmers of the Empire Swim Club and its inaugural president, Jim
Forbes; fitness and competitive swimmers around the world; also Phil
Moriarity, former coach at Yale University; Dr. Herbert L. Erlanger; Pat
Earle; Dr. Michael Ross; Bob Fine; Louise Dembeck-Neiman; Dr. Paul
Hutinger; Margaret A. Johnson; Fran Hare; Patti Robison; Roz Heitner;
Elizabeth Nichol; Leslie Porte; and finally all my students and
professional colleagues with whom I’ve had the pleasure to teach and
work.
C
ONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword
by Willibald Nagler, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Introduction
Part One: The Fundamentals of Swimming
Lesson One
Breathing, flutter kicking, bobbing
Lesson Two
Controlled breathing, prone float and recovery to a stand, prone glide and
flutter kicking with assistance
Lesson Three
Crawl-stroke arm motion, prone glide with flutter kicking (unassisted)
Lesson Four
Crawl stroke with rhythmic breathing
Lesson Five
Buoyancy check, deep-water tour, treading
Lesson Six
Supine float with flutter kicking and recovery to a stand, deep-water
treading
Lesson Seven
Supine sculling with flutter kicking, shallow surface entry
Lesson Eight
Elementary backstroke with flutter kick, sitting dive entry
Lesson Nine
Supine float with whip kick, elementary backstroke with whip kick
Lesson Ten
Windmill backstroke
Part Two: The Techniques of Swimming
Stroke Components
Freestyle
Backstroke
Breaststroke
Butterfly Stroke
Sidestroke
Part Three: Starts, Dives, and Turns
Starts
Crawl or freestyle in-the-water start, breaststroke in-the-water start,
butterfly in-the-water start, sidestroke in-the-water start, backstroke start
Dives
Kneeling, semi-standing, standing, wind-up, grab-start dives
Turns
Crawl-stroke/freestyle open turn, crawl-stroke/freestyle closed turn,
backstroke open turn, breaststroke open turn, butterfly open turn,
sidestroke open turn, freestyle flip turn, backstroke spin turn, backstroke
flip turn, transitional turns
Part Four: Swimming-for-Fitness Progressive Workout Program
Phase I: Beginners’ Workouts
Phase II: Intermediate Workouts
Phase III: Advanced Workouts
Phase IV: Super Workouts
Swimming to Win
Early season, mid-season, and taper and peak workouts
Part Five: Equipment
Pools
Swim Suits
Goggles
Bathing Caps
Kickboards
Swim Fins
Pull-Buoys
Hand Paddles
Other Resistance Devices
Clocks and Other Timing Devices
Supplier/Manufacturers
Swimming Magazines
Organizations
Part Six: Dr. J’s Q’s & A’s
Chlorine, Skin, and Hair