Examples of potential secure places to hold on include the gutter (overflow trough), pool ladder, piling, or in the pictures below, a starting block.Do not let go of the secure object or swim out into the water. You achieve instant success. The use of the shepherd’s crook ends up being, in effect, a kind of martial art. Pull the victim to safety.Fremont High School instructor Aaron Eeg extends a hand to Homestead High’s Lisa Nakamatsu and Cupertino High School coach Sarah Hovland reaches a bit farther by extending her leg to Homestead High coach Harry Coryell.Do not attempt any rescue skill that you do not feel confident using. Be prepared for a sharp tug on the crook when they find it. If someone near the pool edge has a cramp, and is not struggling, you can talk to them or gesture to them that you are trying to help them. In these times of sophisticated livestock management – from portable pens and chutes, to pillory-like stanchions, to electric fences, and all the other assorted control devices for sheep – it’s strange to think that one of the best tools ever created for a shepherd was a long stick with a hook on the end of it. Larger hooks, crafted from horn, could be used to grab a sheep by the neck. Let’s use the example of someone who can’t swim who is pushed into the pool by a friend playing with them who does not know that they are a nonswimmer. In illustrations of rural life from the Middle Ages, the shepherd was nearly always defined by his curved staff. No historians were present when one thoughtful shepherd picked up a long stick, and began poking his sheep to get them moving in a particular direction. You won’t be able to see exactly where the crook goes, and it’s okay to rescue them by the waist or even the buttocks if it works. Information about lifeguard training is at The shepherd’s crook is very flexible and can feel awkward the first time you use it, move carefully. Keep your body low, and lean back to avoid being pulled into the water.By grabbing wrists you get better hold on each other. If you pull too quickly you might jerk the crook from their hands or hurt them. *** The shepherd’s crook has proven its usefulness almost as long as man has been civilized. The Shepherd’s Crook. These unique handmade sticks make wonderful gift ideas, especially for life's big occasions - such as retirement, key birthdays etc. by Nick Evangelista of Missouri. If you try to rescue a victim struggling in this manner, you will have to aim the crook carefully.If they can not grab the crook, or do not see or feel it, which frequently happens, dip the crook deeper in the water and swing it around behind the victim to pull them in. The obvious answer is that it takes a certain skill to use it, a skill that doesn’t necessarily develop over night. The shepherd uses the staff to more strongly exert his authority and to gently, but firmly, pull the sheep back to the fold and keep the sheep moving in the right direction.

In these times of sophisticated livestock management – from portable pens and chutes, to pillory-like stanchions, to electric fences, and all the other assorted control devices for sheep – it’s strange to think that one of the best tools ever created for a shepherd was a long stick with a hook on the end of it.The origin of this highly useful tool is, as one might expect, lost in the dim shadows of man’s early attempts to domesticate animals he deemed useful. People reading this online might want to practice as well, before they need to use the skill. You should put the crook IN the water as you move it towards the victim. . They will come up and go under as they instinctively push with their arms.

You should place the curve of the crook around the back of their chest below the armpits. Warn others on the deck to stay clear from the back end of the crook, and be careful as you use it that you don’t poke anyone behind you. City folks have to pay health clubs or gyms huge sums of cash for that kind of muscle stimulation.In the end, the shepherd’s crook – simple in design, efficient in its basic application, and inexpensive to use – will serve to remind us that the simple ways of farming are sometimes the best, that once upon a time, a shepherd stood on a hillside with a stick in his hand, and that was all he needed to successfully guide his flock.We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. And there’s no need to develop a special skill.On the other hand, when you consider the skyrocketing prices of livestock confining materials these days, perhaps buying a shepherd’s crook or two and developing the ability to use them isn’t such a bad idea (especially for a shepherd just starting out who doesn’t have a lot of money to drop into extras).And, best of all, just think of all that wonderful, free exercise you’ll be getting when you start dragging recalcitrant sheep around by the neck or leg. That’s why the staff, with a crook at the end, is needed. Crooks with small iron hooks were made to specifically hold a sheep’s leg. If there is no shepherd’s crook, you might use other reaching equipment, such as poles, oars, paddles, tree branches, shirts, belts or towels. A potential rescuer must understand that only trained lifeguards should try to swim out to a drowning victim, and even trained guards are often at risk when they do so. You might even gently try to get the victim to notice it by pushing the crook at their waist, but certainly move carefully and slowly enough that you do not hit them in the face. If you wanted to help someone struggling as described, you should first start yelling for help (even a lifeguard will notify others when s/he does a rescue). Notice the victim in the pictures below going up and down in the water as he pushes and tries to get air. Yell to them to “grab my wrist” as you try to grab their wrist or upper arm and then carefully pull them in. A student wrote about this assignment in their swim class journal: “I find the reading more fascinating than grueling of a task to do .