History of Swimming
History of Swimming
History of Swimming
Swimming can be dated back to the Stone Age, but did not truly
become an organised sport until the early 19th century. Prehistoric man
learn to swim in order to cross rivers and lakes –because cave paintings
from the Stone Age depicting swimmers have been found in Egypt.
Swimming was also referred to in Greek mythology. Swimming was not
widely practised until the early 19th century, when the National Swimming
Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions. Most early swimmers
used the breaststroke.
Health Benefits
o Swimming is a good all-round activity because it.
o Keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off
your body.
o Builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness.
o Swimming has many other benefits including:
o being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise
o alleviating stress
o improving coordination, balance and posture
o improving flexibility
FINA
French (Links to an external site.): Fédération internationale de
natation,
English (Links to an external site.): International Swimming
Federation
German (Links to an external site.): Internationaler
Schwimmverband,
Spanish (Links to an external site.): Federación Internacional de
Natación)
5 continental associations
Swimming Strokes
Freestyle - The front crawl has three parts: the flutter kick, the rotating arm
stroke, and rhythmic breathing. It is the fastest swimming stroke.
The front crawl is swum in a horizontal position on the chest. The body
rolls from side to side, always turning to the side of the arm that is
currently pulling in the water. The head remains in a neutral position; face
down, except when breathing.
The arms move continuously and alternately. While one arm pulls
underwater from an extended forward position down to the hip, the other
arm recovers above the water, from the hip to the extended forward
position.
The legs perform fast, compact movements, alternating up and down
with outstretched feet (flutter kick).
Breathing - breathe, the swimmer turns his head to the side during the arm
recovery until the mouth is above the water surface. The swimmer breathes in
quickly, and then turns his head back down.
The exhalation begins as soon as the mouth is under the water surface
again and continues until the next breathing arm recovery.
Leg Movement
The legs execute a symmetrical whip kick. First, the legs are fully
extended at the end of the glide phase.
The feet then move toward the buttocks during the leg recovery.
Finally, during the propulsive phase of the kick, the feet move outward
and backward from the buttocks, then inward and backward, to return to
the fully extended leg position.
Breaststroke is the slowest of the competitive swimming strokes.
Breaststroke is often the first stroke taught to beginners because you
can swim breaststroke while keeping your head above water.
This allows beginners to learn to swim without having to use swim
goggles or deal with breathing problems.
Butterfly Stroke
The butterfly stroke is the second-fastest swimming stroke and is quite
exhausting.
Backstroke
The backstroke is the only one of the four competitive strokes that is
swum on the back.
The backstroke is swum on the back in a horizontal position. The body
rolls from side to side, always turning to the side of the arm that is
currently pulling in the water. The head remains in a neutral position, face-
up.
Arm Movement
Leg Movement
The legs do a flutter kick, kicking up and down alternately with fast,
compact movements and with stretched feet.
Since the face is directed upward and remains above the water’s
surface, breathing is not restricted. However, most backstroke swimmers
synchronize their breathing with their arm movements.
A common variation is to inhale during the arm recovery on one side
and to exhale during the arm recovery on the other side.
In competition, the backstroke is the third-fastest swimming stroke,
being faster than the breaststroke but slower than the butterfly.
Recreational and fitness swimmers should consider doing a little
backstroke with every training as it uses different muscles than the front
crawl and contributes to a more balanced musculature.
Similarly, in open water competitions, it can be useful to switch from
front crawl to backstroke from time to time to catch your breath and
recover a little.
Doctors often advise patients with back problems to swim the
backstroke because it helps to relax and strengthen the back muscles.
What techniques are used in swimming so that the leg will remain
upward?
- When floating, use small kicking movements to keep your legs up on the
surface of the water if you feel like sinking.
- Flutter kicks keep the legs upward when swimming, especially when using
strokes such as freestyle and backstroke.