PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH (1ST QUARTER)
WEEK 1 (September 06, 2022)
BASIC SWIMMING
Introduction to Basic Swimming
WHY DO WE NEED TO ACQUIRE AT
LEAST BASIC KNOWLEDGE IN
SWIMMING?
 For survival purpose
 Fun and recreation
 Relaxation
 Sports
 Saving lives
Remember:
 swimming is for all ages
 swimming is almost for all bodies
of water
 swimming is for everyone
WHAT IS SWIMMMING?
 the sport or activity of propelling
oneself through water using the
limbs.
HISTORY/EVOLUTION OF SWIMMING
PREHISTORIC
 cave paintings in stone age
were found in “Cave of
Swimmer” located in Gulf Kebir
plateau of the Sahara in Egypt’s
western desert
 The Nagods Base – relief
showing swimmers dating back
from 300 BC.
 The Indian Palace of Mohenjo
Daro – contained a swimming
pool sized 30m by 60m as early
as 280 BC.
 An Indian tomb showing a
variant front crawl which dates
back to 200 BC.
 Swimming was not included in
the ancient Olympic Games in
Greece, but being unable to
swim is a great insult.
 In ancient Rome, swimming
was considered as a healthy
practice. Julius Caesar was
known to be a good swimmer
 In Japan, swimming was one of
the noble skills of Samurai.
Emperor Sugui organized
swimming competition.
 German folklore described
swimming as a skill in war
MIDDLE AGES TO 1800
- swimming was initially one of the
seven agilities of the Knights during
the Middle Ages.
 1539 – Nicolas Wynman, a
German professor of languages
wrote the first swimming book
entitles “Colymbetes”.
 1587 – Everard Digby, an
English man and a senior fellow
at St. John’s College, Cambridge
University wrote a book
claiming that humans swim
better than fishes.
 1603- The first national
swimming organization was
established in Japan. Emperor
 PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH (1ST QUARTER)
Go-yozei declared that school
children should swim.
 1969 – French author
Melechisidech Thevenot wrote
“The Art of Swimming”
 1978 – first known lifesaving
group, “Chiangkiang
Association for the Saving of
Live” was established in China.
 1716 – Benjamin Franklin was
credited for inventing the
swimming fins at the age of 10,
after reading Thevenot’s “The
Art of Swimming”
 1739 – GutsMuths (Johann
Christoph Friedrich
GutsMuths) from
Schenepfenthal, Germany
wrote “Gymnastik fü r die
Jugend” (Exercise/Gymnastics
for Youth)
 1794 – Kanokinus Oronzio de
Bernardi of Italy wrote a two-
piece volume book about
swimming including floating
practice
 GutsMuths wrote another book
“Kleines Lehrbuch der
Schwimmkunst zum
Selbstunterrichte” (means:
small study book of the art of
swimming for self-study)
 GutsMuths’ 3 steps approach to
learn swimming
1. have the students get used to the
water
2. practice the swimming
movement out of the water
3. practice the swimming
movement in water
PRE-OLYMPIC ERA TO 1896
 1804 – W.H. Mallison invented
the lifebelt, “Seaman’s Friend”
 1837 – the first German
swimming club was founded
 1882 - The first European
amateur swimming
competition was done in
Vienna
 1879 – King Ludwig II built a
swimming pool in the castle of
Liderh
 Late 19th century –
synchronized swimming or
water ballet started
 1891 – first synchronized
swimming competition was
held in Berlin
 1844 – a swimming
competition was conducted in
London by British and some
Native Americans.
 1862 – First indoor swimming
pool was built in England
 1880 - an amateur swimming
association of Great Britain was
organized with more than 300
members.
MODERN OLYMPIC ERA
 1896, an all-male competition
was done during the Olympic
Games in Athens; first gold
medal in 100m freestyle was
won by Alfred Hajos of
Hungary.
 1897 – Capt. Henry Sheffield
designed a rescue can or
cylinder which is popularly
 PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH (1ST QUARTER)

known today as the lifesaving  1912 – the Filipinos participated

device in Baywalsh in the 2nd Championship Meet of
 1900 – second Olympic Games the 42 individual entries;
in Swimming was done in Conrado Benitez emerged as
Paris; it included the following the Most Outstanding Filipino
events Swimmer.
 Freestyle (200m, 1000m,
*From then on, swimming has
4000m)
occupied a significant space in our
 Backstroke (200m)
sports world and our swimmers
 Team Race (200m)
continued to gather more and
 Additional: obstacle
more honors for our country.
swimming course in the
Deine River (swimming
with the current)
 Additional: Underwater
swimming race
*The Breaststroke style was
introduced during the Olympic
Games the same with Water Polo

SWIMMING IN THE PHILIPPINES

 Though ancient writings of the
Filipinos were lost during the
colonization of Spain, some writings
of Fr. Chirino, a Spanish-priest
historian in the book “Relació n de las
Islas Filipinas” showed that Filipino
men and women swam like fishes.
 1907 – the first swimming pool
in the country was constructed
at Fort McKinley YMCA
 1910 – the first dual swimming
meet between Manila YMCA and
Fort McKinley YMCA marked the
formal conception of swimming
as a competitive sport