SWIMMING

Swimming is a movement by humans or animals in the water, usually without

artificial assistance. It is an art of self-support or self-movement, using the arms and
legs in or on the water, usually for a sport or recreation. Swimming is an activity that
is useful and recreational for many species. An individual’s ability to swim can be
judged by speed or stamina.

The Five Primary use of Swimming

1. Bathing
2. Cooling
3. Travel
4. Fishing
5. Escape

VALUES OF SWIMMING

1. Competitive Values • Man is naturally competitive. He likes to compete against

others.

2. Therapeutic Values • People who have physical and mental disabilities like
paralytic, victims of Cerebral palsy, the crippled and the injured may find help
swimming as an Outlet and physical exercise they need for their improvement and
recovery.

3. Recreational Value • Swimming has become a popular form of recreation not

only for family members but all kinds of people of all walks of life. Learning to swim
prepares the individual to other aquatic activities such as scuba diving, surfing,
Canoeing, motor boating, water skiing, sailing. Fishing and other water games.

4. Physiological Values • swimming benefits much the cardiovascular system

since it develops endurance aside from strength of body muscles. It also contributes
to the development and proper maintenance of the viral organs of the human body.

5. Safety Values • Sea Tragedies caused by storms and typhoons lose many lives.
The Ability to swim ids a prime importance to safety against.
 HISTORY
Drawings from the Stone Age were found in "the cave of swimmers" near Sura,
dating back to 2000 B.C.

1538 - Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages wrote the first swimming
book named "The Art of Swimming" to reduce the danger of drowning and
breaststroke is mentioned for the first time. It is assumed that the movement used in
the breaststroke as described in the book imitated those of frogs in the water.
1800 - Competitive swimming in Europe started mostly using breaststroke
1869 - the Metropolitan Swimming Clubs Association was formed; this later became
the Amateur Swimming Association. The first national champion was Tom Morris
who won a mile race on the River Thames
1837- Founded the first swimming organization, the National Swimming Society in
London.
1873 - Front crawl, then called the trudgen (now known predominantly as freestyle)
was introduced by John Arthur Trudgen
1891- First synchronized swimming competition in Berlin
1895- Swimming was part of the first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens.
1900- Backstroke was included as an Olympic Event.
1912-Women's swimming events were first included in the Olympic.
1940- The first reports about the “side stroke" came from Great Britain. The legs
executed a scissors kick while the armed moved the water. Later, one arm was
swung forward above the water. 1950s and
1952- Butterfly was first a variant of Breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate
style in the Olympics
2008- Phelps also won in Beijing Olympics he got 8 gold medals. Phelps has twice
tied with a total record of eight gold medals at one Olympics.

FIVE RECOGNIZED STROKES HAVE EVOLVED SINCE THE LATE 19th

CENTURY
1. Crawl (also known as freestyle because it is the stroke of choice in freestyle
competitions)
2. The alternating arm backstroke, first used in the 1912 Olympic Games by the
American swimmer Harry Hebner.
3. Breaststroke, the oldest style of swimming (known since the 17th century)
4. Butterfly, developed in the 1930s by Henry Myers and the American swimmers
and recognized in the 1950s a separate kind of stroke.
5. Sidestroke, which was the basic stroke in the early years of competition but is
not used only in non-competitive.

COMPETITIVE
Competitive swimming was first introduced in the early 1800's in Britain by the
National Swimming Society. At that time, there were man-made indoor pools in
 London and the National Swimming Society of England used them for swimming
competitions, these events became popular in England and led to the formation of
the Amateur Swimming Association in 1880. The goal of competitive swimming is to
be the fastest to swim at a given distance and drop time.

COMPETITIVE SWIMMING STROKES

Swimming Stroke #1 – THE CRAWL or FREESTYLE

Amongst all the swimming strokes the crawl is the most popular and beginners find it
the easiest to team. The technique involved in this swimming stroke is pretty simple.
You float on your belly in the water and propel yourself by rotating your arms in a
windmill motion and kick your legs in a fluttering motion.

The Crawl Swimming Technique the Arm Strokes

• The arms should be moved alternately, in

rotating windmill type of motion.

• In order to swim in straight line, each

arm should be extended to full reach and
pulled with equal forced through the water.

• When under the water, the arms should

be moved to form "S" pattern.

• During recovery, while the hands should

be cupped, the hand and the wrist should
be relaxed.
The Leg Movement
• The legs are kicked alternatively in fluttering motion.
• The knees should be bent slightly.
• The ankles and feet should be relaxed.
• For maximum propulsion, the downward kicking motion should be emphasized.

Swimming Stroke #2 – THE BACKSTROKE

The backstroke is a kin to the crawl, except that you float on your back in the water.
The arms are moved in a similar alternate windmill motion and the legs a kicked in a
similarly fluttering motion. The two basic techniques of a correct backstroke is: One,
that the arms are moved with a equal force or else you will find yourself swimming off
 towards one side, Two, that the body should be rolled from one side to the other so
that the arms extend to their utmost reach to propel you by catching enough water.

The Backstroke Swimming Technique the Arm Stroke

• The arms should be moved alternately, in a windmill pattern

of movement. As they are rotated.
• The hands should be cupped, and when it comes out of the
water, the thumb should come out first.
• When under the water, the arms should be moved to form an
“S” pattern.

The Leg Movement

• Like in the crawl, the legs are kicked in fluttering motion, alternately.
• The knees are bent slightly.
• The ankles and feet should be relaxed.
• However, unlike the crawl, for maximum propulsion, the upward kicking motion
should be emphasized.

Swimming Stroke #3 – THE BREASTSTROKE

Intricate timing is involved in breaststroke. As a matter of fact, missing even a single

stroke can disqualify you in a swimming competition. The swimming technique
involves a pattern wherein the body bobs upwards and downwards as you propel
yourself forward in the water. The breaststroke is a difficult swim. Basically this
swimming stroke involves pulling your arms through the water, as you bob up and
breathe and then kicking with your legs as you bob down and glide forward. The arm
pulling and the leg kicking are done alternatively.

The Breaststroke Swimming Technique

The Arm Stroke

• The arms should be kept overhead when you

start the stroke.
• Then, the arms should be brought towards the
chest, pulling on the water.
• The hands should be kept cupped.
• Take the arms back to the starting position.
The Leg Movement
• The knees should be brought up to the chest.
• Then the legs should be thrust straight and backwards
• The legs should be snapped together in order to push the water as well as
propelling you forward, kin to a frog kick.

How to Breathe
• A breath should be taken each time an arm-stroke is made.

Swimming Stroke #4 – THE BUTTERFLY STROKE

Similar to the breaststroke, the butterfly is also a difficult swimming technique and
not advocated for beginning learners since it involves a fair amount of strength as
well as precise timing. While performing this stroke, the legs should be moved
together akin to the movements of a dolphin's tail the arms should also be moved
together, pushing tie water downwards and then backwards, while the torso moves
forward in an undulating manner.

The Arm Stroke

• The arms should be moved together,
pulling through the water, while the hands
are kept cupped.
• The palms should be faced outwards and
pressed in a downward as well as outward
movement.
• The stroke is completed by swinging the
arms forward in a sweeping movement
while they are above the water.

The Leg Movement

• The knees should be kept together and
slightly bent.
• Then the knees should be straightened,
making a downward thrusting movement,
while the feet are whipped downwards.
• For each arm stroke two kicking
movements should be performed