History
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. In the Orient swimming dates back at least
to the 1st century BCE, there being some evidence of swimming races then in Japan.
By the 17th century an imperial edict had made the teaching of swimming compulsory
in the schools. Organized swimming events were held in the 19th century before Japan
was opened to the Western world. Among the preliterate maritime peoples of the
Pacific, swimming was evidently learned by children about the time they walked, or
even before. 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. Not until
the 19th century, however, did the popularity of swimming as both recreation and
sport begin in earnest. When the first swimming organization was formed there in
1837, London had six indoor pools with diving boards. 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. The Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) was founded in
1909.
Freestyle slwim stroke is the fastest of all four basic
swimming strokes. This is due to its streamlined
body position and continuous alternating arm pulls The freestyle stroke, also known as front crawl, is the fastest and
and leg kick. The streamlined body position enables most efficient of the swimming strokes used in
it to move efficiently through the water, and arm competition.Swimming is a unique activity because it requires
action gives it power and propulsion. The leg kick primarily the upper body for the propulsive force, with 90% of the
gives some additional propulsion and balances the driving force provided primarily by the torque generated from the
swimming stroke nicely. shoulder. Freestyle gives a full body workout. It works the muscles
in your arms, legs, core and back. Your legs are an important part
of freestyle however they provide just about 10 percent propulsion
in the bodies of practiced swimmers.
Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is
on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most
popular recreational style due to the swimmer’s head The backstroke is performed with rhythmic arm and leg
being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that movements, switching one arm & leg with another. Arm
it can be swum comfortably at slow speeds. In most movement starts overhead when swimmers catch the water with
swimming classes, beginners learn either the breaststroke their palms by slightly bending the elbow. To maximize power
or the freestyle (front crawl) first. However, at the output during the pull phase, swimmers rotate their hips &
competitive level, swimming breaststroke at speed shoulders as one arm pulls the water back. Similar to the front
requires endurance and strength comparable to other crawl, a backstroke requires a strong flutter kick to ensure a good
strokes. Some people refer to breaststroke as the “frog” range of motion & body position during an arm stroke.
The butterfly (shortened to fly) is a swimming stroke
Unlike other strokes, the backstroke swum on the chest, with both arms moving
swimming technique is fairly easy to learn symmetrically, accompanied by the butterfly kick
for beginners, and for one good reason – (also known as the “dolphin kick”) along with the
it’s the only stroke that gives you unlimited movement of the hips and chest.It is the newest
access to oxygen. Easy breathing technique swimming style swum in competition, first swum in
made backstroke one of the most versatile the early 1930s and originating out of the
strokes, frequently used for both breaststroke.
conditioning and recovery swimming.
