Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success [Paperback]

David Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Steps to Success | Publication Date: November 18, 1991

Help your students refine basic swimming strokes, master competitive strokes, and discover the art of "watermanship" with Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success.

This second-level swimming book, by master teacher David Thomas, continues the progression started in Swimming: Steps to Success--part of the Steps to Success Activity Series, the most extensively researched and carefully developed set of sport skill instruction books ever published.

Offer swimmers 18 proven steps for mastering advanced skills.

In Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success, swimmers climb 18 additional steps to advanced swimming success. This unique skill progression reviews and improves the crawl and breast strokes, introduces the new competitive back and butterfly strokes, and helps swimmers learn competitive strokes and turns. Each step:

- explains why the concept or skill is important,
- identifies the keys to proper technique,
- helps swimmers correct common errors,
- explains how to practice each skill in realistic ways,
- lists specific performance goals for each drill,
- gives swimmers a summary checklist for evaluating proper technique, and
- lets swimmers proceed at their own pace.

In addition, this advanced book takes swimmers through the evolution of the breaststroke, the sidestroke, the less commonly known overhand sidestroke, and the series of trudgen strokes.

See all the titles available in the Steps to Success Series.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"If you're a recreational swimmer and would like to become more proficient, or a runner turned triathlete and you'd like to improve your swimming, Advanced Swimming can help. . . . This is a very 'concentrated' book. There are no surplus words or sentences. It sticks to the point all the time, and there is plenty of explanation to justify the author's advice. The style is clear and easy to read. If you are anxious to improve the efficienty of your swimming, or to improve your times in competition, this book and some hours of practice may be just what you're looking for. You'd better keep it in a plastic bag, because you'll want it right beside you at the water's edge!"

Running and Fitness News

"Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success provides an in-depth structured resource for the advanced swimmer."

Jane Katz, EdD Professor of Physical Education and author of FitnessWorks!TM

". . . Dave Thomas' text can lead to more than raising the level of proficiency in general watermanship. He brings the swimmer into an experience which yields personal satisfaction, delight, excitement, exhilaration, enjoyment, and pleasure from the aquatic world."

Edward J. Shea Professor Emeritus Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

About the Author

David G. Thomas has been a swimming teacher and coach since 1948, when he became a water safety field representative for the American National Red Cross. In 1955 he became swimming coach and director of aquatics at Berea High School, Berea, OH. Eight years later he moved to the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he was director of aquatics and swimming coach until retiring as professor emeritus in 1985.

Thomas gained nationwide prominence in 1972 by producing a textbook, a teaching guide, exams, and visual aids for training swimming pool operators. The Swimming Pool Operators Handbook and the other materials were published by the National Swimming Pool Foundation as the basis for their Certified Pool Operators program.

Thomas has published many articles on aquatic subjects and is a contributing author to several books on swimming pool design and operation. He has written extensively since retirement, including the Leisure Press books Swimming: Steps to Success, Teaching Swimming: Steps to Success, Professional Aquatic Management (coauthored with Robert Clayton), and Competitive Swimming Management. Self-employed as a consultant in aquatics and pool design and operation, Thomas lives with his wife, Virginia, in Anderson, SC, where he enjoys swimming for fitness and boating.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics (November 18, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880113898
• ISBN-13: 978-0880113892
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,592,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly illustrated. Not very helpful., April 1, 2000

By 

Ned Ryerson (California, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success (Paperback)

I bought this book to improve my crawl stroke and to learn butterfly. This book does not help me.

The book, 8.5x11, 159 pages, has 18 chapters ("steps"). Just to give an example, the butterfly stroke occupies 4 chapters (the dolphin kick, the arm pull, the coordination, and the turn). In all these chapters there isn't a single series of complete illustration. All the figures only show this or that segment of the whole process.

What's more, the drawings in the butterfly section don't even match the cover photo. The same poor quality illustration is all over the book.

If you need a book to tell you how to swim like a professional, I would recommend one with actual photos (instead of drawings) of both frontal and side view. "Competitive Swimming" (from Sports Illustrated) is a better book in this sense. If you are already a pro, the final chaptor "whatermanship" may interest you. It shows how do do a few fun water games, like, forming a multiperson centipede...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good diagramatic approach book, August 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success (Paperback)

A good book if this is you are looking for a simple to understand basic book. Frankly like many other sports, you cannot just swim by looking at the pictures. I wish the book has more step-by-step pictures.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good efficient program,improved my speed and stamina., November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success (Paperback)

Good pictures, good directions, good systems of instructions. It corrected my bad habits. IT IS WORTH IT.