AQUATICS Michael Fred Phelps II - an American retired
competitive swimmer and the most successful and most
History
Painting – Stone Age (10000 years ago)
2000 BC - Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible, Beowulf,
the Quran and others.
Nikolaus Wynmann - a Swiss–German professor of
languages, wrote the earliest known complete book
about swimming,  Colymbetes, sive de arte natandi
dialogus et festivus et iucundus lectu (The Swimmer, or
A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming and Joyful and
Pleasant to Read) in 1538.
1830s - Swimming emerged as a competitive
recreational activity in England.
1828 - First indoor swimming pool (St. George’s Baths)
1837 - National Swimming Society was holding regular
swimming competitions in six artificial swimming pools,
built around London.
1880 - Amateur Swimming Association was formed.
(300 regional clubs)
SWIMMING FEDERATIONS
 Germany in 1882
 France in 1890
 Hungary in 1896.
1889 - First European amateur swimming competitions
in Vienna.
1892 - World's first Women's swimming championship
in Scotland.
1896 - Men's swimming became part of the first
modern Olympic Games in Athens.
1902 - the Australian Richmond Cavill introduced
freestyle to the Western world.
1908 - the world swimming association, Fédération
Internationale de Natation (FINA) was formed.
1912 - Women's swimming was introduced into the
Olympics
1922 - The first international swim meet for women
outside the Olympics (Women's Olympiad)
1930s – Butterfly was developed and it was accepted as
a separate style in 1952.
19th Century- competitive swimming became popular
 Break personal or world records while beating
competitors in any given event.
SWIMMERS
decorated Olympian of all time.
 28 medals
Joseph Isaac Schooling - a Singaporean swimmer.
 gold medalist in the 100m butterfly at the 2016
Olympics
 Singapore's first-ever Olympic medal in
swimming
 Winning time of 50.39 seconds is a National,
Southeast Asian, Asian and Olympic record. 
FILIPINO SWIMMERS
Daniel Zane Coakley -a Filipino-American swimmer
who won two gold medals and a silver medal at the
2007 Southeast Asian Games.
 competed in the 50 m freestyle at the 2008
Olympics
 great-grandson of Olympic medalist in
swimming Teófilo Yldefonso. 
Jasmine Alkhaldi - Filipino swimmer who represented
the Philippines in the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016
Rio.
 holds the Philippine women's record in the
200, 100, 50 metre freestyle and 100 metre
butterfly and 50 metre butterfly events.
 At the club level Alkhaldi swims for the
Ayala Harpoons.
Long course pool (50 meter)
There are 40 officially recognized individual swimming
events in the pool; however the International Olympic
Committee only recognizes 32 of them.
Open Water
 Where the events are swum in a body of open
water (lake or sea), there are also 5 km, 10 km
and 25 km events for men and women.
 only the 10 km event is included in the Olympic
schedule
Tapering - practice of reducing exercise in the days just
before an important competition.
 “Shave and Taper” final stage
SWIM STYLES
Four major styles
o Butterfly
 Butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on
the chest, with both arms moving
symmetrically, accompanied by the
butterfly kick.
o Backstroke
 Backstroke or back crawl is one of the
four swimming styles used in
 competitive events regulated by FINA,
and the only one of these styles swum
on the back. This swimming style has
the advantage of easy breathing, but
the disadvantage of swimmers not
being able to see where they are
going.  not otherwise covered by the rules.
o Breaststroke
 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 being out of the
water a large portion of the time, and
that it can be swum comfortably at slow
speeds.
o Freestyle
 Freestyle is a category of swimming
competition, defined by the rules of the
International Swimming Federation, in
which competitors are subject to few
limited restrictions on their swimming
stroke.
 Olympic competition, this event is swum in two
distances – 200 and 400 meters.
 In competition, only one of these styles may be
used except in the case of the individual
medley, or IM, which consists of all four.
 Short course competitions also include the 100-
yard or 100-meter IM – particularly, for younger
or newer swimmers (typically under 14 years)
involved in club swimming, or masters
swimming (over 18).
Dolphin kick – 1990s
The first successful use of it was by David Berkoff. In
1988 Olympics, he swam most of the 100 m backstroke
race underwater and broke the world record in the
distance during the preliminaries.  accordance with the rules (two hands
Size of Pool
World Championship pools must be 50 metres (160 ft)
(long course) long and 25 metres (82 ft) wide.
 With Ten lanes labeled zero to nine or vise
versa and the lanes must be at least 2.5 metres
(8.2 ft) wide.
 The pool must have a minimum depth of two
metres
 Automatic Officiating Equipment
SEASONS
 autumn and winter season competing in short
course (25 metres or yards) pools
 Spring and summer season competing in long
course (50 metre) pools and in open water.
OFFICIALS
Referee - has full control and authority over all
officials and will enforce all rules and decisions of
FINA and shall have the final answer to all questions
relating to the actual conduct of anything regarding
the meet, as well as the final settlement of which is
Starter - has full control of the swimmers from the
time the referee turns the swimmers over to
him/her until the race commences. “Take your
mark”
Clerk of course - The clerk of course (also called the
"bullpen") assembles swimmers prior to each
event, and is responsible for organizing ("seeding")
swimmers into heats based on their times.
Timekeepers - Each timekeeper takes the time of
the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her
unless video back up is being used.
Inspectors of turns - One inspector of turns is
assigned to one or more lanes at each end of the
pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that
swimmers comply with the relevant rules for
turning, as well as the relevant rules for start and
finish of the race. 
Judges of Stroke - Judges of stroke are located on
each side of the pool. They follow the swimmers
during their swim back and forth across the pool.
They ensure that the rules related to the style of
swimming designated for the event are being
observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to
assist the inspectors of turns.
Finish judges - Finish judges determine the order of
finish and make sure the swimmers finish in
simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on
the back for backstroke, etc.)
SWIMWEAR
 Swimsuit
 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 swimmers'
eyes. Goggles may be tinted to counteract
glare at outdoor pools. Prescription goggles
may be used by swimmers who wear
corrective lenses.
 Swim Fins
- Rubber fins are used to help kick faster and
build strength and technique, but are illegal
in a race. They also improve technique by
keeping the feet in the proper position
while kicking.
 Drag suit
 - Training to increase resistance. This allows a
swimmer to be challenged even more when
practicing and let the swimmer feel less
resistance when racing. Drag suits are not
used in competitive races.
 Hand paddles
- Build arm and shoulder strength while
refining hand-pulling technique. Hand
paddles attach to the hand with rubber
tubing or elastic material. They come in
many different shapes and sizes, depending
on swimmer preference and hand size.
 Kickboard
- Foam board that swimmers use to support
the weight of the upper body while they
focus on kicking. Kicking is the movement of
the legs only which helps to increase leg
muscle for future strength.
 Pull buoy
- Often used at the same time as hand
paddles, pull buoys support swimmers' legs
(and prevent them from kicking) while they
focus on pulling. Pull buoys are made of
foam so they float in the water. Swimmers
hold them in between the thighs. They can
also be used as a kickboard to make kicking
a little harder.
 Ankle bands
- Improving balance will minimize the need
for this kick to provide an upward, instead
of a forward vector, and in some cases
completely corrects the kick. Using an ankle
band will have the immediate effect of
turning off your kick, which then forces you
to make efforts to correct your balance. If
you are successful in discovering these,
then the ankle band has done part of its
job.
 Snorkel
- a plastic device that helps swimmers
breathe while swimming. This piece of
equipment helps the swimmer practice
keeping their head in one position, along
with training them for the proper breathing
technique of breathing in through the
mouth and out the nose. This technique is
the opposite of a common runner's
breathing pattern, which is in the nose and
out the mouth.
 Tempo trainer
-A beeping clock attached to a swimmers cap or
goggles helps maintain a certain arm tempo or
speed. As each beep is heard, the next stroke,
or cycles of strokes, should be taken.
 Zoomers
- A type of rubber swimming fins, zoomers
are cut off fins with the holes in the bottom.
They help make the swimmer kick faster,
but at the cost of working harder.
Common Swimwear
MEN
- Practice swimwear for men
includes briefs and jammers. Males
generally swim barechested.
Beijing Olympic Games (2008) controversy when many
Olympic swimmers broke records an unprecedented
number of times using revolutionary swimsuits that
covered their entire legs.
 70 world records were broken in one year, and
66 Olympic records were broken in one Olympic
Games
 As of January 1, 2010, men are only allowed to
wear suits from the waist to the knees. They are
also only permitted to wear one piece of
swimwear; they cannot wear briefs underneath
jammers. This rule was enacted after the
controversy in the Beijing Olympics and Rome
World Championships.
WOMEN
Women wear one-piece suits with thicker and higher
backs for competition, though two-piece suits can also
be worn during practice. Backs vary mainly in strap
thickness and geometric design. Most common styles
include: racerback, axel back, corset, diamondback, and
butterfly-back/Fly-Back. There are also different style
lengths: three-quarter length (reaches the knees),
regular length (shoulders to hips), and bikini style (two-
piece).
 As of January 1, 2010, in competition, women
must wear suits that do not go past the
shoulders or knees.
Drag suits are used to increase water resistance against
the swimmer to help them train for competitions. Other
forms of drag wear include nylons, old suits, and T-
shirts: articles that increase friction in the water to build
strength during training, and thus increase speed once
drag items are removed for competition. 
RECORDS
FINA currently recognises world records in the following
events for both men and women.
Freestyle: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m
Backstroke: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m
Breaststroke: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m
Butterfly: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m
Individual medley: 100 m (short course
only), 200 m, 400 m
Relays: 4×50 m freestyle relay (short course
only), 4×100 m freestyle, 4×200 m freestyle, 4×50 m
medley relay (short course only), 4×100 m medley
Mixed relays (teams of two men and two
women): 4×50 m mixed freestyle (short course
only), 4×100 m mixed freestyle (long course
only), 4×50 m mixed medley (short course
only), 4×100 m mixed medley (long course only)
HEALTH BENEFITS
Swimming is a healthy activity that can be done by most
people throughout their life. It is a low-impact workout
that has several mental and bodily health benefits all
while being a good recreational activity. Swimming
builds endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular
fitness. Correspondingly, it also improves weight loss
while being a safer alternative of working out for
someone who is injured or for women who are
pregnant. Swimming requires less effort than other
sports, but the athletes will get the results they are
looking for.
COMMON INJURIES
Rotator cuff - Injury to the rotator cuff results from
repeated trauma and overuse.The joints are more
prone to injury when the arm is repetitively used in a
position above the horizontal line of the body.
SWIMMING STROKES
Human swimming typically consists of repeating a
specific body motion or swimming stroke to propel that
body forward. There are many kinds of strokes, each
defining a different swimming style or crawl.
In high school, collegiate, and Olympic swimming, there
are two undulating strokes (breaststroke, and butterfly
stroke,) and two alternating strokes (front crawl and
backstroke).
Most strokes involve rhythmic and coordinated
movements of all major body parts — torso, arms, legs,
hands, feet, and head. Breathing typically must be
synchronized with the strokes, too. It is possible,
however, to swim by moving only legs without arms or
only arms without legs; such strokes may be used for
special purposes, for training or exercise, or
by amputees (paralympians) and paralytics.
Front crawl: the fastest style for swimming on the
surface. Done while face down. The arms alternate
while the legs perform a flutter kick also known as
Freestyle
Dolphin crawl: Similar to front crawl, but with a dolphin
kick. One kick per arm or two kicks per cycle. This style
is often used in training.
 Catch up stroke: A variation of the front
crawl where one arm always rests at
the front while the other arm performs
one cycle. This can also be used as a
drill when training in competitive
swimming.
 Head-high crawl (also known as the
water polo stroke, lifeguard approach
stroke, or Tarzan drill): This stroke is
used for water polo, lifeguards to keep
the victim in sight, or those who simply
want to see where they're going and
breathe with ease. It is similar to front
crawl, but with head above the water.
This can also be used as a drill when
training in competitive swimming.
Trudgen: The trudgen is similar to the front crawl,
except that it is paired with a scissors kick, similar to
that used in the sidestroke.
 Trudgen crawl: Similar to the trudgen, but with
the use of a flutter kick (up and down leg kick)
between the scissor kicks.
 Double trudgen: Similar to the trudgen, but the
sides of the scissors kick alternate.
 Double trudgen crawl: Similar to the double
trudgen, but with a flutter kick between the
scissors kick alternate.
Butterfly stroke: performed face down in the water.
The legs perform a dolphin kick and while the arms
move in a forward circle at the same time.
Slow butterfly (also known as "moth stroke"): Similar to
butterfly, but with an extended gliding phase, Breathing
during the pull/push phase, return head into the water
during recovery. This style uses two kicks per cycle.
Breaststroke: performed face down in the water
without rotating the torso. The arms stay in the water
and move synchronously, while the legs perform a whip
kick. It is possible to keep the head elevated out of the
water throughout the stroke, although the head usually
dips in and out.
Inverted breaststroke: Similar to elementary
backstroke, but with a breaststroke kick and arm
motions.
Backstroke: Done while lying on the back. One arm
reaches behind the head with a fingertip entry while the
other arm is by the side. The legs perform a flutter kick.
 Elementary backstroke: Both arms move
synchronized (They begin out like an airplane,
then go beside the body like a soldier then they
run up the sides and back out to an airplane
position) with whip kick (breaststroke kick).
 Inverted butterfly: Similar to elementary
backstroke, but with a dolphin kick. This is often
used for training.
  Back double trudgen: Similar to the backstroke,
but with a scissors kick to alternating sides.
 Old English Backstroke : Lying on back,
breaststroke legs and butterfly arms
Forward backstroke: Done lying on back and
floating. Arms parallel to the surface, moving in the
opposite direction to backstroke.
 Sidestroke: On the side, pull the water as if
with a rope with arms going out and
stopping in the middle while ensuring that
the strokes are most hydrodynamic when
moving towards the desired location, and
pushing the most water when moving away
from the location. In addition, the legs are
performing a scissors kick, which is like
breaststroke kick, but sideways.
 Lifesaving stroke: Similar to the side stroke,
but only the bottom arm moves while the
top arm tows a swimmer in distress.
 Combat sidestroke: This stroke was
developed and used by the United States
Navy SEALs and is designed to be more
efficient and reduce profile in the water.
Composite stroke is drill stroke within one basic
stroke, ins (for example, Front crawl flutter/scissor
Dolphin/Dolphin flutter) or between two basic
stroke, weens (Over arm 1 Arm Lead Sidestroke to 2
Arms Lead Dolphin). It is great strength and effort
training technique.
Dog paddle: face over water and paddling with
alternate hands, often with the nose and mouth above
the water. This stroke can be used in reverse to propel
the body feet first.
Human stroke: Similar to the dog paddle, but the arms
reach out more and pull farther down.
Survival travel stroke: Alternating underwater arm
stroke, one cycle for propulsion, one for a lift to stay on
the surface. This style is slow but sustainable.
Breast feet first strokes: With legs extended, use the
arms with a pushing, flapping, clapping or uplifting
motion.
Snorkeling: Swimming on the breast using a snorkel,
usually in combination with masks and fins. Any stroke
on the breast can be used, and there is no need to lift or
turn the head for breathing.
Finswimming is the progression of a swimmer using fins
either on the water surface or underwater.
Finswimming is usually done on the breast.
An arm and a leg: is the progression of a swimmer
clasping one leg with the opposite arm, and using
breaststroke movements with the remaining arm and
leg.
Flutter back finning: Symmetrically underwater arm
recovery with flutter kick.
Flicker kick: Concerning human morphology
oscillatory flutter kick is more suitable, hence all
swimming techniques exert vertical oscillation with
upward propelling.
Feet first swimming: A very slow stroke on the back
where a breaststroke movement with the arms propels
the body forward feet first. Also the arms can be lifted
out of the water and pulled backwards together with a
scooping movement.
Eel style: start position of swimmer is backward, hands
to body and legs close floating. Swimmer then starts to
undulate first with hand and shoulders then trespassing
undulation on legs.
Corkscrew swimming: Alternating between front crawl
and backstroke every arm. This leads to a constant
rotation of the swimmer. The stroke is used mainly for
training purposes and is also sometimes known as
Newfie Stroke, referring to Newfoundland. When
rotating every third stroke, this is called waltz crawl.
Gliding: The swimmer is stretched with the arms to the
front, the head between the arms and the feet to the
back. This streamlined shape minimizes resistance and
allows the swimmer to glide, for example after a start, a
push off from a wall, or to rest between strokes.
Sepia bone: Sepia bone could be effective as drifting
technique, in steering and floating in the fast flow, using
only hand to navigate the stream, complementary as
passive to more proactive swimming techniques.
Turtle stroke: On the breast, extend right arm then pull,
after pushing with the left leg (while opposite limbs are
recovering), then opposite limbs repeat this process, i.
e. left arm pulls after right leg pushes. Uses muscles of
the waist. Head can easily be above or below water: this
is a slow but very sustainable stroke, common
in turtles and newts.
Octopus stroke: The swimmer starts from floating
posture backward spreading arms and feet in spread
position, arms raised further up to the maximum
momentum, keeping them parallel to the surface, in the
propulsive phase returning the same way, hands to the
body and legs merging. Legs opening to the 45 degree
returning then returning and closing, arms smoothly
from 90, 120 degrees of leg axis, then cling to the legs.
More economical means of motion involves alternative
movements of leg and arms, first arms then legs
(Dalton, 1918). Effective swimming, however, implies
their parallel movement.
LIFE SAVING STROKES
Lifesaving stroke: Similar to the side stroke, but
only the bottom arm moves while the top arm tows
a swimmer in distress.
Lifesaving approach stroke (also known as head-up
front crawl or Tarzan stroke): Similar to the front
crawl, but with the eyes to the front above the
water level, such as to observe the surroundings as
for example a swimmer in distress or a ball.

Pushing rescue stroke: This stroke helps to assist a

tired swimmer: The tired swimmer lies on the back
and the rescuer swims a breaststroke kick and
pushes against the soles of the tired swimmer (not
taught or recognized by the RLSS body governing
UK lifeguarding).

Pulling rescue stroke: This stroke helps to assist a

swimmer in distress. Both swimmers lie on the
back, and the rescuer grabs the armpits of the
swimmer in distress and performs a breaststroke
kick (on the back) for forwarding motion. The kick
has to be not too shallow as otherwise the victim
will be hit.

Extended Arm Tow (unconscious victim): swimming

sidestroke or breaststroke on their back, the
rescuer holds the head with a straight arm, the
hand cupping underneath the chin, and ensures
that the mouth and nose are out of the water.

Arm Tow: the rescuer swims sidestroke, behind the

casualty holds the upper right arm of a casualty
with their left hand or vice versa, lifting the
casualty out of the water.

Vice Grip Turn and Trawl: used on a victim with a

suspected spinal injury. The lifeguard approaches
slowly to the victim (who is usually face down in
water), places one hand on the victim's chin, with
arm pressed firmly against the victim's chest.

Clothes swimming: The swimmer is wearing clothes

that restrict movement when wet, i.e. almost all
clothes. This is done to practice situations where
the swimmer fell in the water dressed or the
rescuer did not have time to undress.

Rescue tube swimming: The lifeguard pulls a

flotation device, which is pushed forward when
approaching the victim.