Swimming

History of Swimming Competitive swimming is as old as 36 BC Japanese held the first known swimming races Earliest published writing on swimming was in 1538, written by Nicolas Wynman English- considered the first modern society to develop swimming as a sport

History cont. First municipal pool in the U.S. was built in Massachusetts in 1887 Plato considered a man who didn’t know how to swim uneducated Julius Caesar and Charlemagne were known as great swimmers By 1837, regular swimming competitions were being held in London

History cont. Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain was organized in 1880 August 24, 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first man to swim the English Channel

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 be7-9 feet wide The pool must be at least 4 feet deep The water temperature must be between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit The front of the starting block must be 30 inches above the surface of the water

The Meet 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

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

Breaststroke One of the most difficult to master 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 Breastroke races are swum in 100 and 200 meter distances

Butterfly Most physically demanding stroke 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 s(he) 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 A.K.A “I.M” all four competitive strokes Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle Individual Medley races are swum in 200 and 400 meter distances

Pool Safety 1) Doors must be locked 2) Keep pool phone accessible 3) Pool deck should be clear of equipment 4) Shower before entering pool 5) Long hair should be pulled back into a ponytail 6) No food allowed on pool are 7) Street shoes are not permitted 8) Students are only to wear their bathing suits 9) Non-swimmers must stay away from the deep end 10) No horseplay 11) No running on deck, shower or locker rooms

Safety Skills Release cramps Reaching assists Throwing assists Wading assists Currents Life Jacket Huddle position Ring buoy Rescue tube Shepherds crook Unknown water Weeds PFD Help positon

Swimming Terminology 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, a.k.a. 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 stretched overhead. Head centered between arms, legs, body straight and toes pointed