SWIMMING

WHAT IS SWIMMING?
• Swimming is an activity of propelling oneself through water
using the limbs.

• Swimming is an individual sport but can be a team sport as well.

• Swimming can be used for fun and recreation, relaxation, sports,

and saving lives.

• Swimming is for all ages.

• Swimming can be a fun leisure activity and is a really good low-

impact way of staying in shape.

• Knowing how to Swim could potentially save your life and

others.
HISTORY OF SWIMMING
• Swimming can be dated back to the Stone Age, but did not truly become an
organized sport until the Early 19th century.

• Prehistoric man learned to swim in order to cross rivers and lakes- we know
this because cave paintings from the Stone Age depicting swimmers have been
found in Egypt.

• Swimming was not widely practiced until the early 19th century when the
National Swimming Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions.

• In 1896 swimming became an Olympic sport, beginning with events freestyle

and breaststroke. Backstroke was added in 1904.

• In the 1940s, breaststrokers discovered that they could go faster by bringing

both arms forward over their heads. This practice was immediately forbidden in
breaststroke but gave birth to the butterfly stroke, whose first official
appearance was at the 1956 Olympic games. This style is now one of the four
strokes used in competition.

• Women's swimming became an Olympic sport in 1912.

SWIMMING CIVILISATIONS IN ANCIENT TIMES
• Human civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, and Greek were established beside
waters, along rivers and seas, and this developed close ties with the life-giving water. Ancient thinkers, poets
lawmakers, general offices, and doctors quickly realized the positive effects of swimming, and they applied
them in military tactics and training as well as in education.

• For the ancient Greeks swimming was a measure of culture. “Those uneducated who can neither swim nor
read and write, cannot hold a public position”, said Plato.

• In Mesopotamia we can find swimming and the pictorial or written records hereof in almost every nation’s
culture from the Sumerian to the Assyrian. Swimming was an integral part of the combat training of the
Assyrians as well as young people in Israel received obligatory swimming lessons. Herod the Great (73 B.C.
– 4 A.D.), king of Judea, made swimming compulsory for all male children.

• The Icelandic folklore also reports a number of swimming deeds, which shows that both men and women
were excellent swimmers.

• In Japan, swimming had an important role in the training of the Samurai. It was one of the noble skills.
According to historical records, the first known swimming competition was held in the isolated island
country in 36 B.C., organized by Emperor Su Gui.
SWIMMING CIVILISATIONS IN ANCIENT TIMES
• In remote Indian, ancient records of swimming can also be found. One of the first pools used for swimming is
located here, in Mohenjo-daro, dating back to 2800 B.C. and measuring 30x60 meters. Within the military
caste, it was mandatory to learn how to swim and fight in the water.

• In China, where body culture flourished under the reign of the third dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty (11 th – 3rd C. ),
historians account for swimming across rivers. Of course, here as well swimming was part of the military
training.

• In the battle of Salamis, in 480 B.C., the Persians were heavily defeated by the Greeks. The Persian ships
were sunk by the Greeks, who due to their lack o swimming ability could not escape to the nearby island of
Salamis, and therefore most of them got drowned in the sea.

• The ancient swimming and bathing culture rose to its highest level in Rome. The usefulness of swimming in
entertainment and in public life and its role in politics was quickly realized. Romans excelled in bath building
too. Swimming for the Romans did not only have healthy and “body exercising” function but it was
considered indispensable also in military training. From the 3 rd century B.C., warriors had to swim in attire
and weaponry in order to improve their physical fitness.
CONTRIBUTORS IN SWIMMING
• As the greatest event in the history of swimming, in 1875
Matthew Webb swam across the English Channel between Dover
and Calais in 21 hours and 45 minutes. The distance was 34
kilometers, but he supposedly swam in a zigzag, so he discovered
64 kilometers by the end. Because of the 16-degree cold water, he
slathered his body with grease. According to the records, he
covered the whole distance swimming breaststroke.

• (The first Woman) Gertrude Ederle undertook the same distance

in the English Channel in 1926 and cut Matthew Webb’s time to 14
hours 32 minutes.
CONTRIBUTORS IN SWIMMING
• Captain Boyton was also considered to be a great long-course swimmer.
In 1876, he drew attention to himself when he swam from Linz to Budapest
in a specific way, lying on his back, with oars in his hands and a sail
attached to his feet. He covered the distance in 52 hours. These long-course
swims have primarily increased the popularity of swimming as a sport. For
a long time swimmers were not motivated by the time or the speed, but by
the distance they were able to cover. For a long time the stories of rivers,
lakes, or related to coastal peoples, gulf-crossing swims have been reported.

• Since the Olympic games in 1896 swimming has been included in the
program of the Olympics. At the first Olympic games in Athens, swimmers
competed only in four events: 100, 500, and 1200 meters freestyle, and the
event was organized for the Greek seamen, where everyone could swim in a
style he wanted or as he could. From 1900 backstroke, then from 1904
breaststroke, and finally in 1956 butterfly were also included in the events
of the Olympics program.
SWIMMING
FACILITIES
COMPETITION POOLS
STANDARD POOLS

• World championship pools in long courses must be 50

meters long and 25 meters wide, with ten lanes labeled
zero to nine (one to in some pools)

• The Competition Pool is a state-of-the-art, 10-lane-by-

16-lane pool with the ability to change from meters to
yards by use of a movable bulkhead, set according to
activity. The Competition Pool accommodates varsity
teams, masters swimmers, lap swimmers, classes, and
competing groups.
COMPETITION POOLS
STANDARD POOLS

• Other pools which host events under FINA (Fédération

Internationale de Natation) regulations are required to
meet but not all of these requirements.

• Many of these pools have eight, or even six, instead of

often lanes and some will be 25 meters long, making
them short courses.
COMPETITION POOLS
DEPTH

• For pools with starting blocks, the minimum depth is

1.35 m, extending to at least 6.0m. A minimum depth of
1.0 meters is required for pools without starting blocks.

• The depth and length of the swimming pool should be 5

feet and 25 feet if you want to have swim laps in it. Most
people are satisfied with the standard depths of 3-5 feet
in a pool with multiple depths but it cannot be the right
decision if your and your spouse's height are not suitable
to those pool depths
COMPETITION POOLS
WALLS
• The end walls are at right angles to the swimming course
and the surface of the water. They are made of solid
material, with a non

• slip surface extending 0.8m below the water surface, to

allow competitors to touch and push off in turning
without hazard. Rest ledges along the pool walls are
permitted. They are located at least 1.2 m below the
water surface and are up to 0.15m wide. Both internal
and external ledges are acceptable, however, internal
ledges are preferred. Gutters are placed on all four walls
of the pool. If end wall gutters are installed, they must
allow for the attachment of touch panels to the required
0.3 meters above the water surface. They are covered
with a suitable grill or screen.
COMPETITION POOLS
WATER TEMPERATURE
• The water temperature is between 250 and 28°celsuis. During the competition, the water is kept at a constant
level, with very little movement. Inflow and outflow are allowed as long as no appreciable current or
turbulence is created.
LANES
• According to FINA rules, the World Championships require 8 lanes and Olympic Games require 10 lanes.
The lanes are a minimum of 2.5m wide, with two spaces of at least 2.5m wide outside of the first and last
lanes.

LANE ROPES
• In an 8-lane pool, lane ropes extend the full length of the course and are secured at each end
wall to anchor brackets recessed into the end walls. The anchors are positioned so that the
floats at each end wall of the pool are on the surface of the water. Each lane rope will consist
of floats placed end to end. The floats have a minimum diameter of 0.10m-0.15 meter.
COMPETITION POOLS
LANE ROPES

In a swimming pool the color of the lane ropes are as

follows:

• Two green ropes for lanes 1 and 8.

• Four blue ropes for lanes 2, 3, 6 ,and 7.
• Three yellow ropes for lanes 4 and 5.

The floats that extend for a distance of 5m from each end of

the pool are red. At the 15m mark from each end wall of the
pool, the floats are distinct. In 50-meter pools, the floats are
distinct at 25m. There is only one firmly stretched lane rope
between each lane.
COMPETITION POOLS
STARTING PLATFORMS

• Starting platforms are from 0.5m-0.75m high above the

water surface. The surface area is at least 1.5m square
and covered with a non-slip material. The maximum
slope is 10 degrees. The platforms are firm and without a
springing effect.
COMPETITION POOLS
LANE MARKINGS

• The lane markings on the floor of the pool are a dark

color and marked in the center of each lane. The width of
the marking is 0.2m-0.3m for all pools. The length for
50m pools is 46m and 21m for 25m pools. Each lane line
ends 2m from the end wall of the pool with a distinctive
cross line 1m long and of the same width as the lane line.
Target lines are marked on the end walls or on the touch
panels in the center of each lane and are the same width
as the lane lines.
COMPETITION POOLS
LEISURE POOLS

• A number of pool facilities include leisure water features

that are designed for recreational swimmers, lap
swimming, and specific areas for toddlers and children.
These may include:
 Varying water depths, with extensive shallow
or beach areas.
 Wave pools and surfing pools.
 Water slides and flumes.
 Fast-flowing river rides & rapids.
 Water jets and water cannons.
 Water features grain showers.
 Spa facilities, including varying temperatures
SWIMMING EQUIPMENT
● Swimsuit ● Pull buoys
● Goggles ● Gloves
● Bathing Caps ● Water dumbbells
● Kickboards ● Ankle Bands
● Fins ● Tempo Trainer
● Noodles ● Drag Suit
● Hand Paddles ● Snorkel
● Aqua joggers
SWIMSUIT
• Competitive swimwear seeks to improve upon bare skin for a speed
advantage and coverage.
• In 2009, FINA rules and regulations banned suits that go above the
navel or below the knee for men and suits which extend past the
shoulders or cover the neck for women.

GOOGLES
• It keeps the water and chlorine out of the swimmer’s eyes.
• Goggles may be tinted to counteract glare at outdoor pools.

BATHING CAPS
• A swim cap keeps the swimmer’s hair out of the way to reduce drag.
• Caps may be made of latex, silicone, spandex, or lycra.
KICKBOARDS

• A kickboard is a foamboard that swimmers use to support the weight of

the upper body while they focus on kicking.

FINS
• Rubber fins are used to help kick faster and build strength and
technique, but are illegal in a race.

Noodles
• A noodle is a flexible, tube-shaped flotation device that you can wrap
under your arms or around your waist to keep you buoyant so that you
can keep moving in the water (kids love to play with them). The
advantage of being able to keep moving is that you can work on your
stroke without fatigue and increase your strength and endurance.
 HAND PADDLES
• Swimmers use these plastic devices to build arm and shoulders
strength while refining and-pulling techniques.

AQUA JOGGERS
• Aqua jogger is a flotation device that you wear like a belt. Like
noodles, it permits you to keep on moving without fatigue so that you
can work on your stroke as well as your strength and aerobic fitness,
but it’s more heavy-duty than a noodle and will accommodate heavier
people and create more resistance.

PULL BUOYS
• Often used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support
swimmers’ legs (and prevent them from kicking) while they focus on
pulling.
• It is made of foam so they float in the water and swimmers hold them
in between the thighs.
 GLOVES
• Gloves, like hand paddles, also add resistance for your arms,
although they are smaller than paddles and the resistance is lighter.
These might be a better choice than paddles if you're just starting out
with resistance exercises in the water.

WATER DUMBBELLS
• They add resistance like paddles or gloves, but you can release them
quickly after a set and then grab them again when you're ready. Water
creates lots of resistance, and so water dumbbells will make you
stronger if you use them consistently

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
correct the kick.
TEMPO TRAINER
• A beeping clock attached to a swimmer’s cap or goggles helps
maintain a certain arm or speed.
• As each beep is heard, the next stroke, or cycles of strokes should be
taken.

DRAG SUIT
• Swimmers use drag suits in training to increase resistance, drag suits
are not used in competitive races

SNORKEL
• A snorkel is a plastic device that helps swimmers breathe while
swimming.
• This piece of equipment helps the swimmers practice keeping their
heads in one position, along with training them for the proper
breathing technique of breathing through the mouth and out of the
nose.
 REFERENCES:
● https://www.coursehero.com/u/file/89519275/Swimming-PPT-1pdf/?justUnlocked=
1
● https://www.scribd.com/embeds/500765580/content?start_page=1&view_mode=
scroll&acc&fbclid=IwAR0J41FBwFSjHvmWYtKFSc5yRbDG1imAeWztM7uS5WafJKJD6R
R64Ftuj1E
● https://www.scribd.com/embeds/438229405/content?start_page=1&view_mode=
scroll&acc&fbclid=IwAR0J41FBwFSjHvmWYtKFSc5yRbDG1imAeWztM7uS5WafJKJD6R
R64Ftuj1E
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0xOyWXDTxI&t=11s
● https://www.arena.com.sg/
● https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/g26560104/best-swimming-goggles/
● https://www.livestrong.com/article/368654-which-is-a-better-swimming-workout
-with-fins-or-without/
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_paddle
● https://www.primebellingham.com/blog/aqua-jogger
● https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/870461434202254456/