PHYSICAL LAWS APPLIED TO BODY MOVEMENTS IN THE WATER

 
Effective instructors of swimming and related aquatic skills must have an
understanding of the human body, the physical laws or mechanical principles that
affects motion, and the forces that produce or retard motion of the human body through
the water. Understanding the effects of physical laws on the performance of swimming
strokes and other aquatics skills enables instructors to gain insight into the cause of
ineffective movements. This understanding also enables them to provide instructional
techniques that contribute to effective performances by their students.
With few expectations, humans must inhale and hold their breath in order to float
in the water. The majority of people are able to float and most of them float motionless
with the body at an angle to the surface (diagonal position) or in a near vertical
position. That people are able to float is explained by Archimedes’ principle- a
body is buoyed by a force equal to the weight of the water that the body displaces. The
body will sink if the weight of the immersed body is greater than the weight of the
displaced water. Conversely, the body will float if the weight of the immersed body is
less than the weight of the displaced water. The amount of buoyancy of an individual is
governed by the amount of air that is inhaled and held by the composition of the body.
 
BODY COMPOSITION
            The differences in the buoyancy of individuals will vary considerably depending
on the relationship between the amount of heavier bone and muscle tissue and the
amount of lighter adipose (fatty) tissue. Adipose tissue has a specific gravity of less than
1.0 which is the specific gravity of water. Anything having a specific gravity less than 1.0
will float in the surface. Bone and muscle tissue have a specific gravity greater than 1.0
and will tend to sink. Individuals, usually men, who are heavily muscled, who have
heavier bone structure, or who have little body fat, have a larger proportion of lean body
mass and a smaller percentage of adipose tissue and will have more difficulty floating.
Most women have a greater percentage of adipose tissue relative to lean body mass
than men are likely to float more easily.
                        An easy test called the “jellyfish float” can be used to determine the
degree of buoyancy of a swimmer. While in chest-deep water, the swimmer submerges
to the neck, takes a deep breath of air, bends forward from the waist, places the head in
the water, and bends the knees enough to get the feet off the bottom. The person holds
the breath and relaxes as much as possible. If the person sinks, the swimmer’s weight
is greater than the buoyant force of water. If a portion of the head or the back remains
above the surface, the person can learn to float in the back with the face out of the
water.
`           Individuals with marginal buoyancy will have to use explosive while floating on
their backs to keep their faces from submerging while getting an exchange of air.
Explosive breathing means a rapid exhalation followed immediately by a
rapid inhalation.
                        Little can be done to affect the weight of the individual. However, by
inhaling more deeply, the area of the chest is expanded to a greater degree, which
increases its volume without any significant change in weight. The results is that
segment of the body is spread over large surface area of the water, resulting in less
weight per square inch and thus increase in buoyancy.
            The slight difference in the specific gravity of fresh water and salt water affect
one’s buoyancy in the water. Since salt water is slightly denser than fresh water, it can
support more weight. An individual who floats in fresh water will float slightly higher in
salt water or will tend to float in a more horizontal.
 
CENTER OF GRAVITY AND CENTER OF BOUYANCY
                        The position in which a swimmer floats is determined not only by the
overall composition of the body but also by the relative positions of the center of gravity
and the center of buoyancy within each individual while trying to float. On land or in the
air, the person turns or rotates around a point at the center of weight called the center of
gravity. In the water, however, the person rotates around a point in the chest region
called the center of buoyancy.
            The center of gravity of a person lying horizontally on the surface of the water
with the arms at the sides of the body is at the center of all weight and is located
somewhere in the pelvis. Since the body segments are of different weights, the distance
of each segment from the center of gravity of the body plays a role in determining the
exact location of the gravity.
 
LAW OF INERTIA
The law of inertia states that a body remains at rest or in uniform motion unless
acted upon by some external force. External forces that offer resistance and impede
forward momentum cannot always be eliminated but they can and should be minimized
for most effective stroking. These resistance forces are classified as frontal.
The implications of the law of inertia are clear in swimming. There is always a trade-off
involved between the duration of rest in the glide potion of a stroke and the amount of
propulsive effort necessary to overcome the body slowing down because of the
resistance forces of water.
 
LAW OF ACCELERATION
The law of acceleration states that the velocity of a body is proportional to
the force applied and occurs in the direction in which that force acts. Simply stated, the
harder the swimmer presses backward against the water, the faster the swimmer will
move forward. An increase in the velocity of the swimmer in the desired direction is also
dependent upon the swimmer maintaining a good position and smooth, well-
coordinated, and efficient movements of the arms and the legs.
 
LEVERAGE
In stroking, the entire arm and the hand act as a third-class lever. Force is applied
between the fulcrum (shoulder joint) and the resistance of water to the surface of the
arms and the hand. The law of levers states that the product of the force times the
length of the force arm is equal to the product of resistance times the length of the
resistance arm.
 
RELAXATION AND BREATHING
In addition to physical laws that govern body movements in the water, two other factors-
relaxation and breathing-also affect swimming performance.
 
RELAXATION
Swimmers attempting to propel themselves are never completely relaxed. The aim of
skilled swimmers is to relax those muscles that are not contributing to a desired
movement. Activating muscles that need not to use during a stroke can actually inhibit
the desired movement as well as hasten fatigue. The actions and movements of
beginners in the water are usually awkward, tense and tiring, since they use many more
muscle groups than necessary.
BREATHING
            The importance of proper breath control while swimming cannot be
overemphasized. Persons who do not get a regular, sufficient supply of oxygen will
soon tire. Rhythmic for facedown strokes can be learned and perfected when practiced
constantly.
In all strokes, inhalation and exhalation must be done in a manner that will result in
minimum interference with stroking rhythm and that will minimize any change in correct
body position.
Proper breathing techniques are also important for health reasons, especially for
strokes in the facedown position. Water that enters the sinus cavities or the inner ear
canals through the nasal passages can lead to infection. While exhaling under water,
some air should be exhaled through the nose, at a pressure equal to or greater than the
pressure of the water inward, in order to prevent water from entering nasal passages.