1. Introduction.
Drownproofing is a water survival technique that was invented by Fred Lanoue, swimming coach at Georgia Institute of Technology from 1936 to 1964. Coach Lanoue believed that everyone should be able to survive in water and developed a simple technique that was easy to learn and did not depend on physical strength or intensive training.
During his time at the Tech, Fred personally taught his method to 20,000 students.
In 1963 he published a book "Drownproofing, a New Technique for Water Safety" that introduced the technique to countless others.
Dan Apostolu recalled his memories of Fred Lanoue's Drownproofing course for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.
Read it NOW.
Jim Chambers just missed out on being taught by Fred, but still qualified to become the proud possessor of a
"Drownproofed by Fred Lanoue" card.
Read Jim's Story.
Back to Top.
2. The Theory.
Most people have a small amount of positive buoyancy that will enable them to float, but not enough to keep all
of the head out of water. By floating in an upright attitude, with the face submerged and only lifting the mouth and nose above the surface when it is necessary to take a breath, it is possible to survive indefinitely, with minimal expenditure of energy.
Back to Top.
3. Basic Technique.
If you can already swim a bit, you can probably do this right away. If you are not a swimmer, don't try without competent supervision.
Fill your lungs with a good breath of air and float vertically with the back of your head just breaking the surface of the water. Try and adopt the attitude of a kitten being carried by a cat - just hang there and let the water support you. Let your arms float slowly towards the surface, with elbows bent, until your hands are in front of your shoulders. With a steady movement, press downwards and back with your hands until your mouth clears the water. As you come up, breath out and inhale as soon as your mouth is above the surface. Repeat every 10 to 12 seconds.
You could use a scissors kick with the legs if you prefer, or arms and legs together if you find it helps to maintain a balanced position. Choose the method that you find the most comfortable.
The trick is to get the head just far enough out of the water to get a breath. If the stroke is too energetic, you will come further out of the water than is necessary and go down too far as you drop back. Try and achieve a gentle, easy action. The less effort you make, the better.
Getting the breathing right is very important. When your head emerges it should be tilted slightly forward so that the water falls away from your face. Open your mouth wide when you inhale, so as to get as much air as possible. Remember, your lungs are built-in buoyancy tanks! When full, they hold around 4 litres of air. That means 4 kilograms (nearly 9 pounds) of additional buoyancy. On land, you breathe in and out regularly without even noticing. For Drownproofing and for swimming it is important to consciously change the way you breathe. Keep your lungs full of air as much of the time as possible. When you take a breath, exhale and inhale as quickly as possible through your mouth.
Practise on land to get the feel of it - exhale, inhale, hold..... exhale, inhale, hold..... exhale, inhale, hold.....
(You may need to breathe more frequently while you are learning, or if you have been swimming and want to take a rest. That's alright, the important thing is to feel comfortable.)
Back to Top.
4. How good is Drownproofing?
Drownproofing is incredibly liberating. Anyone can learn and be able to survive indefinitely as soon as the technique is mastered. For the average person, swimming a couple of lengths is about all they can manage, but for the "drownproofer" the limiting factor is that the time comes when the pool staff want to lock up and go home! It is particularly useful for disabled people who might have difficulty in learning conventional swimming strokes.
Drownproofing is easy to learn. A couple of sessions in the pool is usually all the training that is needed.
Having mastered the basic technique, it is easy to learn to move about and make steady, effortless progress through the water.
Back to Top.
5. Is Everyone a Natural Floater?
No, a small proportion of people have negative buoyancy. As a general rule, women are more buoyant than men and we all tend to become more buoyant as we get older. Fred Lanoue did a lot of measurements, but lifestyle changes over the last 50 years could well mean that his figures no longer apply. At that time, he found that almost all white people have some positive buoyancy but, in a sample of young African American males, 30% had negative boyancy.
Fred's tests were done in a fresh water pool. It is almost certain that everyone can float in sea water.
If you are not a natural floater, you can still learn Drownproofing, but the technique is slightly more complex and you will need an experienced teacher.
If you are a bodybuilder and diet to reduce body fat and improve muscle definition, you will very likely have negative buoyancy.
Back to Top.
6.If Drownproofing is so good, why isn't it taught at every local pool?
That is one of the world's great mysteries, but here are some possible explanations.
Fred Lanoue invented his technique when television was in its infancy and the Internet hadn't been thought of. He wrote a book, but didn't have modern methods for gaining widespread publicity.
Drownproofing doesn't fit with the conventional lifesaving and swimming establishment. It isn't altruistic - you can only save yourself and it isn't a sport that can win medals.
It is difficult to convince people that staying afloat is so easy until they have seen a demonstration and tried it for themselves.
Back to Top.
7. Where do I come in?
Teach yourself Drownproofing and teach others. Chances are that you will never be in a situation when you will be directly involved in rescuing someone from drowning, but by passing on the skill you could well be saving lives in the future.
Ask your school or local pool to run drownproofing courses. Insist!
Back to Top.
8. Don't try this at home!
To pass Fred Lanoue's Drownproofing course, students had to float for one hour without touching the bottom or sides of the pool. Then, the final test was to swim two lengths with wrists and ankles tied! An extremely impressive demonstration of the effectiveness of Drownproofing. Naturally, this was done under strict supervision, in a highly controlled environment, with qualified lifesavers standing by.
YOU WOULD BE EXTREMELY FOOLISH TO TRY THIS ON YOUR OWN !
However, you can try crossing your ankles and clasping your hands behind your back to practise this advanced technique. The trick is to bend at the waist, into a semi-jackknife position, then straighten up to bring your head out of the water.
Back to Top.
9. Can you help?
If you are already a teacher, let us know how you teach, what success rate you achieve, what difficulties you have
encountered and how you overcame them.
If you owe your life to drownproofing, tell us your story. No fiction, please!
Did you know Fred Lanoue? Tell us about him.
Back to Top.
The way this site develops will depend upon your response. If you have something to contribute, or want to know more about Drownproofing, e-mail us:
|
