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RIVERA, JERICO G.

DURANA, JOHN PAUL P.


VILLAMOR, CINDY H.
PANGANIBAN, JEROME P.

A Written Report in Swimming

Swimming
• Is an individual or team sport that requires the use of one’s arms and legs to move the
body through water.
• The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or a lake).
• One of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied distance events in butterfly,
backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle, and individual medley.
• In addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or
medley relay.
• Swimming each stroke requires a set of specific techniques, and in competition, there are
distinct regulations concerning the acceptable form for each individual stroke.

History of Swimming
• In 2000 BC, some of the earliest references of swimming are the Iliad, the Odyssey, the
Bible, Beowulf, the Quran and others.
• In 1538, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first book about
swimming, The Swimmer or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming.
• In 1828, the first indoor swimming pool, St. George’s Baths was opened to the public.
• In 1830s, swimming emerged as a competitive recreational activity in England.
• By 1837, the National Swimming Society was holding regular swimming competitions in
six artificial swimming pools, built around London.
• The recreational activity grew in popularity and by 1880, when the first national governing
body, the Amateur Swimming Association was formed, there were already over 300
regional clubs in operation across the country.
• In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the English Channel (between
England and France).
• In 1896 in Athens, men’s swimming became part of the first modern Olympic Games.
• In 1902, the Australian Richmond Caviil introduced freestyle to the Western World.
• In 1908, the world swimming association, Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA),
was formed.
• In 1912, women’s swimming was introduced into the Olympics.
• In 1930s, butterfly was developed and was at first variant of breast stroke but accepted as
a separate style in 1952.

Swimming Equipment
The Pool
• Long course racing pool – 50 meters.
• Short course racing pool – 25 meters.
• Competitive pool has a minimum of 8 racing lanes. Each lane must be 7-9 feet wide.
• At least 4 feet deep.
• Water temperature must be between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The front of the starting block must be 30 inches above the surface the water.
Swimsuit
• Seeks to improve upon bare skin for a speed advantage and coverage.
Swim cap
• Keeps the swimmer’s hair out of the way to reduce drag. Caps may be made of latex,
silicone, spandex or lycra.
Goggles
• Keep water and chlorine out of swimmer’s eyes. They may be tinted to counteract glare
at outdoor pools.

Organizations in Swimming Competition


• FINA – also known as Federation Internationale de Natation, founded on July 19 in the
Manchester Hotel of London. It oversees the organization of competitions in five aquatic
sports: swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and open water swimming.
Its current president is Dr. Julio C. Maglione (Uruguay).
• LEN – also known as European Swimming Association was established in 1927. It
organizes its competitions and tournaments every two years: the long-course European
Championship of swimming, the water polo European Championship, the Masters
Swimming Championship, the Junior European Championship of swimming, and the open
water European Championship. Its current president is Paolo Barelli (Italy), its former Vice-
President (2008-2012) and its current treasurer is the Hungarian Tamás Gyárfás.
Terminologies
• Back Glide – moving through the water in a supine position.
• Bobbing – submerging and returning to the surface
• Buoyancy – upward force a fluid exerts on bodies in it.
• Drag – resistance of water on a body moving through it.
• Drowning – death by suffocation when submerged underwater.
• Flip turn – fast and efficient turn done in a tuck position.
• Freestyle – event which any stoke is allowed.
• Glide – stage of a stroke after the power phase when the body keeps moving without any
effort.
• Power Phase – stage when the arm or leg stroke is moving the body in the desired
position.
• Recovery – stage of the stroke when the arms and/or legs relax and return to the starting
position.
• Resting stroke – when swimmer is tired or when swimming long distances. Utilizes glide
to increase efficiency.
• Rhythmic breathing – technique of inhaling air through the mouth and exhaling through
the mouth and nose while turning the head to the side.
• Rotary kick – used for treading water, also known as the egg-beater kick.
• Sculling – moving through the water or staying horizontal using only the arms and hands.
• Streamlined – body position with hands interlocked, arms straight stretch overhead. Head
centered between arms, legs, body straight and toes pointed.

The Competition
• 14 individual events
• 3 relays
• Olympics - there are only 13 individual events and 3 relays.
• Men do not swim 800-meter freestyle in the Olympics and women do not swim 1500-meter
freestyle.

Swimming Techniques
Backstroke
• Swimmers must stay on their backs (except during turns).
• Alternating arms with a flutter kick.
• “Continuous turning action”
• Backstroke races are swum in 100 and 200 meter distances.
Breast stroke
• Simultaneous movements of the arms and legs on the same horizontal plane.
• Hands are pushed forward from the breast and brought backward in the propulsive stage
of the stoke.
• The kick is like a ‘frog’ kick.
• Swimmers must touch the wall with both hands before doing their turn.
• Breast stroke races are swum in 100 and 200 meter distances.
Butterfly
• Simultaneous overhead stroke of the arms with a combined dolphin kick.
• Dolphin kick-both legs moving up and down together.
• Swimmers must touch the wall with two hands before their turn.
• Butterfly races are swum in 100 and 200 meter distances.
Freestyle events
• In freestyle, the swimmer may swim any stoke he/she wishes.
• The usual stoke swum is the Front Crawl (front crawl – alternate overhand motion of the
arms and a flutter kick).
• Races swum 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meter distances.
Individual Medley (IM)
• All four competitive strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke and freestyle).
• Individual medley races are swum in 200 and 400 meter distances.

Basic Skills of Swimming


• Coordination – ability to move different parts of the body together well or easily.
• Breathing – to inhale and exhale.
• Gliding – to move in a smooth way.
• Diving – to jump into water with your arms and head going in first.
Pool Safety
• Doors must be locked.
• Keep pool phone accessible.
• Pool deck should be clear of equipment.
• Shower before entering pool
• Long hair should be pulled back into a ponytail.
• No food allowed on pool area.
• Street shoes are not permitted.
• Students are only to wear their bathing suits. Non-swimmers must stay away from the
deep end.
• No horseplay.
• No running on deck, shower or locker rooms.

Famous Swimmers
• Mark Spitz - the biggest swimmer in the history of swimming with 11 Olympic medals.
• Matthew Nicholas Biondi - another great swimmer in the swimming history winning 11
Olympic medals including 8 golden medals.
• Johnny Weissmuller - another talented swimmer in the swimming history.
• Ian James Thorpe is one of the most popular swimmers with 9 medals including 5 golden.
• Michael Fred Phelps holds 4 world records now. His best events are freestyle and
individual medley.
• Kristin Otto is the famous swimmer, who won 6 golden medals at her first participation in
the 1988 Olympic games.
• Jennifer Elisabeth Thompson is a great swimmer in world swimming. She has won 12
medals participating in 4 Olympic games.

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