Phillip Whitten - The Complete Book of Swimming

Copyright 1994 by Dr. Phillip Whitten

Illustrations copyright 1994 by Ethan Berry

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Whitten, Phillip.
The complete book of swimming / Phillip Whitten.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-80849-3
1. Swimming. I. Title.
GV834.W55 1994
797.21dc20 92-56805

Book layout by Barbara Marks

v3.1

To my son, Russell,

an inspiration since the day he was born,
a source of immense happiness
and pride

with love and appreciation

I VE BEEN SWIMMING ever since I was a little boy, and swimming for fitness, health, and competition since I was fifteen. So this could be like an Academy Awards ceremony, with me thanking everyone in the last half century who encouraged both my swimming and my writing. But there is neither time nor space for such a project.

There are, however, a number of people without whose support this book literally would not have been possible. And there are others whose advice greatly enhanced the quality of this work.

First of all I am deeply indebted to my mother, Sylvia, who first taught me to swim; and to my father, Clifton, who was my most enthusiastic fan when I was in high school and who spent countless weekends at age-group meets serving tirelessly as a swimming official.

I also want to express my appreciation to the many coachesDon Couch, George Haines, Mr. A., Tom ONeill, Peter Farragher, and otherswho taught and coached me over the years, especially those who put up with me when I was a teenager.

Those of us who love the sport owe a great debt of gratitude to Ransom Arthur, M.D., former dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Oregon. It was his vision and persistence that led to the creation of Masters swimming and to the concept of swimming as a lifelong means of maintaining optimal fitness and health.

Specifically, I would like to express my gratitude to the following individuals, who not only provided in-depth critiques of each of the stroke chapters but also provided specific suggestions for improving the book: Judy Bonning, 1990 U.S. Masters Swimming Coach of the Year and head coach at Billabong Aquatics in Coral Gables, Florida; Skip Kenney, U.S. Olympic coach and head mens coach at Stanford University; Gerry Rodrigues, 1992 U.S. Masters Swimming Coach of the Year (along with Clay Evans) and former coach at Southern California Aquatics Masters Swim Club (SCAQ); and Dr. Manuel Sanguily, former Olympian, one of the worlds greatest Masters swimmers and a friend for over thirty years.

Others who provided insight and assistance include Dick Deal, publisher of SWIM and Swimming World magazines; Dr. David Hunter, my friend and colleague; Bob Ingram, senior editor of Swimming World; Bill Mulliken, 1960 Olympic champion, friend, and rival; and Dr. Barry Sears, a leading figure in the field of dietary endocrinology, who patiently helped me understand the hormonal component of how foods affect athletic performance, the building of lean body mass, and resistance to illness and disease.

Above all, Id like to thank all my swimming companions and competitors over the years for their indispensable assistance. Usually without knowing it, they offered ideas, inspiration, and themselves as role models, helping to make this book a reality.

I also want to acknowledge with great appreciation: Jill Kneerim, my agent and managing director of the Palmer & Dodge Agency in Boston, who first saw the potential of this book and helped keep it moving at several critical junctures; my editor at Random House, who had a vision of the importance of this book and offered encouragement and editorial guidance; Lawrence LaRose, who was always helpful and efficient; Ethan Berry, my illustrator, about whose work I have more to say in the introduction; and the sports medicine researchers, cardiologists, gerontologists, psychologists, sociologists, sex researchers, nutritionists, swim coaches, and pioneers in the scientific study of swimming, whose research and writings provide the scientific basis for our understanding of the profound benefits conferred by swimming.

Several individuals and publications generously allowed me to reprint their work in this book: SWIM magazine; Gerry Rodrigues, Clay Evans, and the rest of the coaching staff at Southern California Aquatics Masters (SCAQ); Coach Mike Collins of the Davis (California) .

I would also like to thank the editorial staff at Random House, and in particular my copy editor, Susan Brown, who helped me say what I wanted to say better; Bernie Klein, the design director, and Jo Metsch and Barbara Marks for their work on the design of the book; Susan Shapiro, who designed the cover and listened patiently to my seemingly endless suggestions; Benjamin Dreyer, the production editor; Joel Lipton, who shot and reshot the cover of the book, and who was inspired by the book to start swimming himself; and Alex Middaugh and Chris Hall, both Masters swimmers with Southern California Aquatics Masters, who generously agreed to serve as the cover models for the book.

Finally, Id like to express my profound gratitude to my son, Russell, and my wife, Donna, who were with me all the way on this project. Their countless suggestions, always offered with love, proved incalculable in improving the book. In addition, they provided emotional support and a much-needed sense of humor in the dark days when it seemed the book might never be finished.

S INCE THE EARLY 1970s, as a by-product of the booming concern with self-improvement and personal growth and development, America has rediscovered physical fitness. One consequence has been that Americanslong dismissed as pampered and spoiled by more vigorous peopleshave become the leaders of a worldwide fitness revolution. In the process, there has been a marked improvement in our national health: for the first time in this century, death rates from heart disease and stroke have declined, while the incidence of lung cancer among men has leveled off and begun to decline.

Another result is that new industries related to health and physical fitness have been born, while existing industries have expanded and prospered:

Health and natural foods have become Big Business.

Sports apparel and equipment companies produce thousands of successful products to help us become more effective in our athletic endeavorsand look stylish while doing so.

Multifaceted health and fitness clubswith swimming pools, aerobics classes, Nautilus and Universal weight equipment, Nordic-Track, and racquetball courtshave mushroomed in communities around the country, as well as in thousands of corporations and resorts.

Medical specialists in athletic injuries have set up shop in every city and town in the United States.

Experts dispense training and fitness advice on radio spots and television shows, while celebrities produce best-selling exercise videocassettes.

Dozens of sports and recreation expositions are held in major cities each year.

Scores of new sports and fitness magazines have appeared and prospered while existing health and fitness magazines have undergone rapid increases in circulation.