PHYSICAL EDUCATION

S W
MINGI M

Objectives

At the end of the discussion learners will be able to ...

1. understand the history of swimming.
2. identify the different stroke techniques and equipments uses in swimming.
3. appreciate the health benefits of swimming.
4. perform the different stroke techniques creatively.

Motivatio n

WIKA-RAMBULAN
1. FREEZE IS TILE
2. SUE WE MING
3. BAT THERE FLY
4. BACK STRAW COKE
5. ALL LIMB PICKS

Unlocking of D i f fi c u l t i e s

To get a better understanding of the lesson, you need to know the words you may encounter during the
discussion.

Words Definitions

Swimming an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move
through water.

Swimming stroke method of moving the arms and legs to push against the water and propel the swimmer
forward.
Olympic pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for competition

D i s c u s si o n

What is swimming?
Swimming as an exercise is popular as an all-around body developer and is particularly useful in therapy
and as exercise for physically handicapped persons. It is also taught for lifesaving purposes.

History of swimming
Archaeological and other evidence shows swimming to have been practiced as early as 2500 BCE in
Egypt and thereafter in Assyrian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. In Greece and Rome swimming was a part of
martial training and was, with the alphabet, also part of elementary education for males. By the 17th century an
imperial edict had made the teaching of swimming compulsory in the schools.
Among the ancient Greeks there is note of occasional races, and a famous boxer swam as part of his
training. The Romans built swimming pools, distinct from their baths. In the 1st century BCE, the Roman Gaius
Maecenas is said to have built the first heated swimming pool.

The lack of swimming in Europe during the Middle Ages is explained by some authorities as having
been caused by a fear that swimming spread infection and caused epidemics. There is some evidence of
swimming at seashore resorts of Great Britain in the late 17th century, evidently in conjunction with water
therapy.
The first swimming championship was a 440-yard (400-metre) race, held in Australia in 1846 and
annually thereafter. The Metropolitan Swimming Clubs of London, founded in 1869, ultimately became
the Amateur Swimming Association, the governing body of British amateur swimming. National swimming
federations were formed in several European countries from 1882 to 1889. In the United States swimming was
first nationally organized as a sport by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) on its founding in 1888.

● TERMINOLOGIES IN SWIMMING

a. Competitive Skills- all components of racing (starts, turns, streamlining, start and finish speeds)
b. Consideration Time- a time for an event set by the meet organizer that swimmers must be faster
than in order to enter.
c. Converted Time- a time calculated using tables to compensate for a change of pool length. ( a
time swum in a 25m pool can be converted into an equivalent time for a 50m pool and vice
versa.)
d. Disqualification (DQ)- indicates the swimmer has broken a swimming rule.
e. Event- race or series in a given stroke and distance.
f. FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) was founded in London July 19, 1908 during the
Olympic Games in London (GBR). The world governing body of swimming.
g. Final- any single race that determines final places and times in an event.
h. Lane numbers- lanes are numbered from right to left as the swimmer stands facing the course.
i. Leg- the part of a relay that is swim by a single team member.
j. Long course- means in 50m pool
k. Short course- is in 25m pool
l. Marshalling Area- the area where the swimmers meet ahead of their race.
m. Medley relay- is an event where all four competitive strokes are swum in one event with four
swimmers swimming in turns.
 n. Officials- volunteers who help to ensure that the rules of swimming are adhered to in swimming
events and time trials. (official usually wear white)
o. Open competition- a competition in which any affiliated club, organization or individual may
enter.
p. Starting block- a raised platform from which competitors dive at the start of freestyle, butterfly,
breaststroke and individual medley races.
q. Swim off- additional race used to determine the finalists in the event of a tie in the heats.

● DIFFERENT STROKE TECHNIQUES

1. Freestyle Stroke Technique

- Known as the front crawl. When swimming this stroke, your body will be in a prone position on your
stomach and face toward the water. Both your arms and legs will pull you through the water, while your torso
remains stable. Your arms will move in an alternating fashion. One arm will arc up out of the water while the
other is on the downswing, close to your torso in the water. Each arm will reenter the water at an angle, fingers
held straight and together, to minimize resistance.
You will use the flutter kick to complete the freestyle stroke technique. The flutter kick is achieved by
constantly moving your legs in a tight, scissor-like movement beneath the water.

Freestyle often looks intimidating to inexperienced swimmers because it requires you to put your face in
the water. Once you get used to putting your face in the water, adding breathing to the freestyle cycles is
relatively easy. As one arm swings up and out of the water, you simply turn your face to the side and take a
breath. As the arm comes down, lower your face back into the water. Some swimmer’s alternate sides when it
comes to breathing while others stick to one side.

2. Breaststroke Technique
- Involves separate movements for your arms and legs. Your body is in the same horizontal position as it
is during freestyle, but you will use different motions to propel yourself through the water. Your arms will
together at the same time in a half-circular motion underneath the water. Your arms, bent at the elbow, will
sweep apart and then together again toward your chest, remaining underwater the entire time you swim this
stroke.

As your arms move in this rhythm, your legs will be busily pushing you forward with a technique
known as the whip kick or the frog kick. When executing this kick, your legs should be behind you
approximately hip-distance apart. With your knees bent and your feet flexed, kick your legs apart and then
sweep them together again to form one smooth line. Repeat this motion in concert with the arm movement. The
optimal rhythm allows your arms to rest while you kick and vice versa.

3.
Backstroke Technique
- You can think of backstroke as almost the mirror image of freestyle. Instead of facing downward, you
will face upward in the water. You will remain in this horizontal position, looking upward, as you move your
arms and legs. Your arms will propel you forward with a windmill-like motion. One arm will come up out of
the water and go overhead, while the other sweeps forward beneath you in the water. You will move by
alternating this motion — one arm comes up and the other goes down. Keep your arms close to your ears as
they come back down into the water. Additionally, you will want to keep your arms as straight as possible and
your fingers close together to minimize resistance. Try to keep your hips from dropping into the water. Too
much sag in your hips will slow your forward momentum.

4. Sidestroke Technique
- Just like the name suggests, you will swim this stroke on your side. Begin by positioning your body on
one side in the water. Stretch the arm beneath that side of your body forward in the water. The arm on top will
rest on top of your horizontally positioned body. Rest your head on the arm stretched out straight in front of
you. Your head will not move from this position the entire time you swim sidestroke. Since your face does not
enter the water, you will not have to worry about your breathing technique.

During sidestroke, most of your forward momentum will come from your legs. You will move your legs
using a scissor kick, which means your legs move back and forth beneath the water in an alternating motion. As
you kick, your arms will move toward one another and then back to a straight position.

5. Butterfly Stroke Technique

-The butterfly is named for the way a swimmer's arms move while swimming this stroke. Your arms
arch up and out of the water together, looking like a pair of wings. Your body is in the same horizontal position
as required by freestyle and breaststroke. You begin by placing your arms out in front of you, your thumbs
facing down toward the water. Sweep your arms down and out with your elbows slightly bent. Your arms
should form a Y-shape in front of your body. Pull your arms back through the water, parallel to your body.
Next, you will pull them back up out of the water and begin the cycle again.

●
SWIMMING EQUIPMENT

A. Swimsuit
- Fabrics are designed for minimal resistance through the water, they tend to last a long
time, and they resist fading even when used repeatedly in chlorinated pools.

B. Goggles
-Goggles protect your eyes from chlorine (and anything else that may be in the water), and
they help you keep your eyes open while you swim so that you can see where you're going
C. Bathing caps
-Bathing caps can serve several purposes. Some pool managers will require individuals
with long hair to wear caps to keep hair from getting into the pool, and some people just like to
protect their hair from the chlorine in the water. 

● FLOTATION DEVICES AND OTHER EQUIPMENT

D. Kickboards
-The main purpose is for you to hold on and stay afloat while your legs do all the work.

E. Pull buoys
-Like kickboards, pull buoys are flotation devices that come in a variety of
shapes and sizes, but unlike a kickboard, which gives the upper body a rest, pull buoys
are placed between the legs to keep the legs afloat without kicking so that you can work
your upper body. 

E. Fins
-Fins fit on your feet and add propulsion to your kicks (think of a duck's webfoot).

F. Hand paddles
-Hand paddles attach to your hands and add propulsion to your arm stroke
because they move more water.

G. Olympic pool
-Olympic-size swimming pool are approximately 50 m or 164 feet in length,
25 m or 82 feet in width, and 2 m or 6 feet in depth. The pool has 660,253.09 gallons
of water or 88,263 cubic feet.

● RACES
In competition there are freestyle races at distances of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,500 metres;
backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly races at 100 metres and 200 metres; individual medley races at
200 metres and 400 metres; the freestyle relays, 4 × 100 metres and 4 × 200 metres; and the medley
relay, 4 × 100 metres.
WRITTEN WORK 1

Directions: Give 5 good reasons why it is important for people to learn to swim.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

PERFORMANCE TASK 1
Assume that you are an owner of a swimming school. You are going to CREATE AN ADVERTISEMENT
which aims to invite people to enroll for swimming lesson. You can simply create a poster (printed or soft copy)
or a video. It must contain the definition of the 7 basic skills in swimming. (1. Water Familiarization; 2.
Breathing; 3. Bubbling; 4. Floating; 5. Gliding through water; 6. Flutter kick; 7. Water treading).
RUBRICS 10 8 6

CREATIVITY Ad was very Ad was somewhat Ad was

effective/persuasive effective/persuasive ineffective/not
and actors/audience and actors/audience persuasive, and
were especially were enthusiastic. The actors/audience were
enthusiastic; and the purpose of the unenthusiastic; the
purpose of the commercial was purpose for the
presentation was mainly achieved. commercial was not
achieved. achieved.
CONTENT All information is There is 1-2 There are 3 or more
accurate; the activities inaccurate inaccurate
proposed are all information; 1 activity information; 2 or
aligned with the is not aligned with the more activity is not
ASSIGNED SKILLS. ASSIGNED SKILLS. aligned with the
ASSIGNED SKILLS.

PERFORMANCE TASK 2

Be creative in performing the different STROKE TECHNIQUES IN SWIMMING without being in the water. It
can be done through dancing, poses and other ways that you can.
RUBRICS 10 8 6

CREATIVITY Displays exceptional Displays originality Displays little to no

originality and and creativity in both originality and
X2 creativity in both the the topic idea and its creativity in both the
topic idea and its presentation. topic idea and its
presentation. presentation.
CONTENT All information is There is 1-2 There are 3 or more
accurate; the activities inaccurate inaccurate
proposed are all information; 1 activity information; 2 or
aligned with the is not aligned with the more activity is not
STROKES STROKES aligned with the
TECHNIQUE TECHNIQUE STROKES
TECHNIQUE