Module 1.

Introduction to
Swimming
Module Overview

This module introduces the general information about swimming.

Topics included in this module are the following:
 The Nature of Swimming
 Definition of Terminologies Used in Swimming
 Historical Background of Swimming, and
 Swimming Facilities and Equipment.

Desired Learning Outcomes

In this module, you shall be able to accomplish the following specific learning objectives:
 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding on the nature of swimming.
 Define the different terms used in swimming.
 Trace the historical background of swimming.
 Identify the different swimming facilities.

Pre – Test

LET’S TEST YOUR CREATIVITY!

Were you able to maximize your vacation by spending time at the beach? Good thing if you’re
able to, but if not, this module will help! In this activity, you need to draw or illustrate something about
swimming or any outdoor adventures. It could be your previous experiences from the past summer
vacation or maybe your future plans (plans that were abruptly changed or postponed due to the
pandemic).
Module Map

Let's Learn! Knowing the Nature of Familiarization with

Swimming Swimming
Terminologies

Enumerate and Define

Facilities and Trace the History of
Equipment needed in Swimming
Swimming

Definition of Terms

 Equipment – refers to the things/supplies for swimming activity.

 Facilities – building or any structural place where swimming activities can take place.
 Float – an ability to stay in or on the surface of the water.
 Kick – a swimming skill to move your leg/s underwater.
 Stroke - complete cycle of the arms and legs in a coordinated manner to propel your
body through water. (Sometimes this term refers only to the arms action of the total
movement.)
 Swimming – a sport or activity of moving through water by moving your arms and
legs.

Introduction

Quarantining during this pandemic

must be good like Ariana Grande and Justin
Bieber because right now, they are stuck with
their loved ones but if you’re quarantined away
from your loved ones, that’s okay, PE 3 got
your back!
It is quiet fascinating to learn swimming
during vacation where most of the time, you’re
spending your free time for recreational
activities especially, at this time of pandemic Figure 1. Source: www.etonline.com
where people are restricted to go out of their
houses. In this module, you will still learn on
how to swim by the help of the content of this
module! You can apply it once the authority or
higher officials allowed your community to go out for recreational activities such as visiting the beach.

• Nature of Swimming

Swimming is one of the oldest sports of all times. In our country, it is a popular pastime since
we, Filipinos love water activities and we celebrate simple celebrations or picnics on beaches or any
type of nature surrounded by bodies of water. As both sport and recreation, swimming is good for
everyone’s health – it is one of the best exercises for us to maintain a physically fit body, as this is
vital today in times of pandemic.
Swimming is as old as Humanity. In fact, there’s no exact documented date when swimming
has started. But ancient cave paintings clearly testify that our forefathers also tried a variety of floating
and swimming styles way back thousand years ago.
It is interesting to look back to the past and keep track of how the ancient bath life developed
from the sacred immersion in water, how the medieval legend of sea monsters made swimming
fearful and how the current versions of competitive water sports appeared in the 19th century. Men
during the ancient times always discover new swimming styles and has been improving techniques up
to the present day.
The present book presents the origins and the latest history of swimming, the stages of its
development into a competitive sport and highlights its outstanding figures. We will analyze the
different styles and the related technique of the starts and turns as well as the rules. We will present
the specificities of this sport, its biomechanics and its impacts on the human body.
Swimming is moving your body through water (a moderately viscous fluid) that’s either still (as
in a swimming pool), turbulent (as in the ocean), or somewhere in between. If you’re swimming
completely under the surface (for example scuba diving), you’re moving through relatively still water;
other times, you’re going to be moving along at the more turbulent interface between air and water,
with your legs, arms, head, and body moving from one element to the other and back again, speeding
up or slowing down as they cross the border.

• Definition of Terminologies Used in Swimming

These are the words used in this course:

 Approach and hurdle – the walking steps (approach) and the jump (hurdle) to the end of the
springboard in diving. Competitively, the approach must contain at least four steps which
includes the hurdle. The hurdle consists of lifting one leg up until the thigh is parallel to the
board and the lower leg is perpendicular to the board, jumping off of the supporting foot and
landing on both feet.
 Aqua – aerobics – the performance of aerobic exercise activities in waist – or chest – deep
water to the advantage of water resistance and buoyancy, and to prevent damage to the
joints in the lower extremities.
 Aquatics – pertaining to water or to activities performed in water.
 Buoyancy – the upward force of water on a submersed object. See Archimedes’ principle.
 Butterfly – a relatively new stroke used in competition and considered the second fastest
stroke. The arms work in a crawl action, but both hit the water and pull at the same time. The
kick is a dolphin kick similar to the flutter, but both feet kick up and down together at the same
time.
 Cardiopulmonary resuscitation – CPR – a means of external heart massage that may be
used to revive persons experiencing heart failure.
 Finning – an action of the arms like the fins of a fish, resulting mostly from the movement of
the elbow and the wrist in and out from the body, in a press and recovery action.
 Float – to be suspended in the water.
 Tuck Float – to float with your hips and knees flexed and with your hands holding your shins,
with your head down in the water, and your rounded back bobbing above the surface.
 Prone Float – to float face down with arms and legs extended.
 Supine Float – to float face up. Position of arms and legs, and the degree of horizontal and
vertical positioning is determined by the density of the floaters body.
 Glide - a period in which the body is moving in an extended position as a result of prior
propulsion through the water. The resting phase of the breast, elementary back, the
 sidestrokes. The body is floating and gliding through the water as a result of the last kick or
pull of the arms.
 Gutter – the edge of the pool at water level. Water from the surface splashes over the gutter
and drained away. This helps keep the water surface clean and less agitated.
 Kick – to propel the body through the water with legs.
 Dolphin kick - both legs moving up and down together.
 Flutter kick– both legs moving up and down alternately.
 Scissors kick – a bending of knees and extension of legs forward and backward in relation to
the body, then the hard squeeze to a stretch position. Probably the most powerful but not the
fastest kick. While lying on the side in the water, if the top legs extends forward it is called the
regular scissors kick, but if the back leg extends backward it is called the inverted scissors
kick. The inverted kick is used for saving lifesaving techniques.
 Whip – a recovery or power kick in which the knees are bent as the ankles are flexed, and
the toes are rotated outward on the recovery, then the feet and legs press out and down into
extension on the power phase.
 Mouth – to – mouth resuscitation – a form of artificial respiration that may be used to revive
a person who has stopped breathing.
 Natatorium – a building where swimming
and other water activities take place.
 Pike – a body position with the knees
straight, the hips bent, and the back
rounded. The arms may be touching the
legs or extended out to the side.
 Pull – an action of the arms imparting force
on the water toward the body to propel a
person through the water.
 Push – an action of the arms or legs that Image of The Graham S. Little
propels a person through the water by Natatorium (known as Olney Indoor
imparting force on the water away from the Swim Center) located in Olney,
body. Maryland.
 Recovery phase – that part of a stroke in Figure 2. Source:
which the arms or legs have thrust the body https://en.m.wikipedia.org
through the water and are now returning to
the position for another thrust.
 Resistance or drag – the greater the surface area that is presented to the water, the greater
the resulting resistance or “drag” on the body.
 Sculling – a means of propelling oneself through the water with the hands and forearms
executing a figure – eight action. Constant pressure is exerted on both of the “in and out”
phases of the arms action.
 Snorkeling – to explore and dive in water using a face mask, a snorkel tube, and swim fins.
 Stretch – to extend the body into a straight line with arms and legs extended, toes pointed,
and back straight.
 Surfing – to swim or glide with the waters at the beach and let them carry you the shore.
Board surfing consists of standing, kneeling, or sitting on a long board and riding the waves to
the shore. Body surfing uses only the body and no board.
 Synchronized swimming – a form of swimming in which competitors perform various
strokes and water gymnastic figures to music. Many of the figures are extremely difficult to
accomplish. Competitors in this sport are judged on their form, execution, style, originality and
the difficulty of the figures.
  Tuck – a body position with the knees bent, the hips bent, and the chest on the knees. The
hands usually holding on to the shinbones. The head may be titled forward or backward.

• Historical Background of Swimming

The word “swimming” is derived from the Old English term “swimmin.” Although the origin of
swimming is not really known, people probably learned how to swim from watching animals.
Records show that the competitive swimming began about 1837 in London. Early English
swimmers used the breaststroke and the sidestroke.
In 1844 North American Indians entered swimming meet in London. Flying Gull defeated
Tobacco by swimming the length of a 130-foot pool in thirty seconds. The style of swimming used by
the Indians was similar to a windmill action. Each arm thrashed the water violently in a circular motion
while the feet beat the water in an up and down action. This type of action was a form of crawl stroke.
Swimming is an ancient activity that has taken place since both water and humans were on
the earth. Prehistoric drawings from the southwestern part of Egypt show original documentation of
people swimming. The images seem to show the dog paddle or breaststroke, but these may have
been more ritualistic than anything. Of course, anciently, swimming was done because it was
necessary for survival. Whether people needed to cross a river to safety on the other side or simply
know how to tread water to prevent drowning, swimming has certainly come a long way since its
ancient days. Here is the history of swimming in a competitive sense as it is known today.

England is recognized as the first country to

How did people recognize participate in swimming as a recreation and competitive
Swimming? sport. In 1837, competitions were held in man-made
pools in London. The National Swimming Society in
England organized the competitions which grew quickly
in popularity. The very first indoor pool in the history of swimming was constructed in 1862 in England.
Soon, more pools were built and another swimming organization was established in 1880. It was
known as the Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain, an organization with more than 300
member clubs. The main swimming styles utilized in competitions were the breaststroke and the
recently-developed sidestroke.
In 1873, Arthur Trudgen introduces an overhand stroke using the scissors kick which was to
become known as the “Trudgen crawl”. J. H Derbyshire uses the “Trudgen crawl” and swam 100
yards in sixty seconds for the world record. This stroke has recently been restored to competitive
swimming, and some modern distance swimmers have set new records using it.
In year 1878, Frederick Cavill, an Englishman, went to Australia. After observing that the
native flutter kick leg action resulted in exceptional speed, he combined it with the double overhand
stroke, and this stroke is known as the “Australian Crawl.” He set a new world record of 58.4 seconds
for 100 yards in the 1902 world championships using this stroke. About 1905, Charles M. Daniels, a
swimmer for the New York Athletic Club, Introduced the “American Crawl” and used it to set a world
record of 54.8 seconds in the 100 yard swim in 1910. The difference of “Australian and American
Crawl” was that in the American Crawl the kick was timed to the stroking of the arms – six beats of the
legs for every revolution of the arms.

• Swimming History in the

Philippines

The American introduced swimming as a

sport to the Philippines in the year 1900, and by 1912,
a number of local swimmers had emerged from
different parts of the country who competed against
each other in championships organized by the
Americans.
In the year 1928, saw the greatest
achievement of a Filipino in the sport. Teofilo E.

Teofilo E. Yldefonso, the first Filipino

and Southeast Asian to win an
Olympic medal, and the only Filipino
to win multiple medals. Figure 3.
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org
Yldefonso also known as “Ilocano Shark”, won the Philippines its first Olympic medal by winning
bronze in the 200 m breaststroke event at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
He repeated this feat in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, when he won his
second bronze medal, becoming the first Filipino to win multiple medals in the Olympics. However, his
performance declined in the next games. He died fighting for the country during World War II.
The war brought a pause to swimming competitions but when it ended. The Filipinos started
another wave in its showcase of swimming excellence.
Artemio Salamat and Jacinto Cayco had won gold medals for the 200m and 100m
breaststroke events in the first Asian Games that was held in New Delhi, India in 1951.
In 1954, the emergence of outstanding Filipina swimmers were remarkable, Haydee Coloso
and Jocelyn Von Giese both winning gold medals. The programs that provided opportunities for Pinoy
swimmers to develop and enhance their skills were organized and promoted.
Unfortunately, the performance of Filipino swimmers before, particularly in the 1950’s, has
been unmatched since. In fact, since the 2002 Asian Games, not a representative has taken home
any medal for the sport.

• Swimming Facilities and Equipment

Earplugs and Nose Clips

Some swimmers use earplugs to block water from entering the ear canal while they are
swimming. Excess water entering the ear can cause discomfort for several hours after swimming and
can also increase your chances of developing and outer ear infection, known as “swimmers ear”.
Some swimmers also use nose clips to prevent water from entering their nose while they are
swimming.
Swim Goggles for Eye Protection
Goggles allows you to see while your head is immersed in the water, without having to worry
about chlorine irritation.
Tools for Training and Technique
Numerous pieces of swimming equipment are designed to help in strength training and
technique while swimming. For example, pull buoy forces swimmers to rely less on their legs to push
through the water and more on the arms. Swim paddles develop arm strength by increasing
resistance in the water, and they also help develop proper stroke mechanics. Kickboards switch the
majority of work on the legs when swimming to strengthen the legs as well as help develop proper
kicking technique.
 Swim Caps
It reduces drag to increase speed in the water.
Swim caps also keep hair out of the face, help reduce
the effects of chlorine on the hair and help swimmers
retain body heat when they are swimming in colder
water.
Recreational Swimming Equipment.
Some swimming equipment falls in the
recreational category, including devices such as
snorkeling masks and swimming fins, which allow
swimmers to navigate natural aquatic environments
such as lakes and seas.
Swimming caps are worn in the head to
reduce friction underwater during
swimming competition.
Figure 4. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org

Activity

ACTIVITY 1: Why is it important to learn Swimming in the curriculum? (Write your answer
comprehensively.)

ACTIVITY 2: Trace the history of swimming by using the graphic organizer below. (Include
important details only.)
Swimming, in recreation and sports, the propulsion of the body through water by combined
arm and leg motions and the natural flotation of the body. Swimming as an exercise is popular as an
all-around body developer and is particularly useful in therapy and as exercise for physically
handicapped persons. It is also taught for lifesaving purposes

Write imporant
Year/Period
details here
 Write imporant
Year/Period
details here

• Synthesis

It is still important to know the history of swimming because it helps us to go back to

our ancestors for us to give praise to them, especially to those who hadWrite
their imporant
names shining
on history’s record. Year/Period
details here
Swimming, in recreation and sports, the propulsion of the body through water by
combined arm and leg motions and the natural flotation of the body. Swimming as an exercise
is popular as an all-around body developer and is particularly useful in therapy and as
exercise for physically handicapped persons. It is also taught for lifesaving purposes.
Even the smallest details about facilities and equipment are also important for us to
be familiarize about each of their functions and how important they are for a swimming
athlete.
*for more readings and further information, check this link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeUZV7Zq2uA&feature=share
Post - Test

TRUE OR FALSE: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.
___________________1. Haydee Coloso and Jocelyn Von Giese are the outstanding
Filipina Swimmers in 1954.
___________________2. Teofilo Yldefonso is also known as “Bicolano Shark”
___________________3. Artemio Salamat and Jacinto Cayco had won gold medals for the
100m breaststroke events in the first Asian Games.
___________________4. The American introduced swimming as a sport to the Philippines
in the year 1910.
___________________5. Charles M. Daniels, a swimmer for the New York Athletic Club,
Introduced the “American Crawl”
IDENTIFICATION: Identify the following terms used.
___________________6. Both legs moving up and down together.
___________________7. Both legs moving up and down alternately.
___________________8. Upward force of water on a submersed object.
___________________9. To float face down with arms and legs extended.
___________________10. A building where swimming and other water activities take
place.
___________________11. To extend the body into a straight line.
___________________12. An artificial respiration used to revive a person who has stopped
breathing.
___________________13. Edge of the pool of the water.
___________________14. A means of an external heart massage that may be used to
revive persons experiencing heart failure.
___________________15. To be suspended in the water.
ENUMERATION: Enumerate the 5 strokes in Swimming.
___________________16.
___________________17.
___________________18.
___________________19.
___________________20.
Assignment

Good job! You’re almost done with the Module One! Before you proceed to Module
Two, have some time to check your assignment below.

In transition to the next module, below is a table about your future sample skin care
plan. You need to fill-out all the things you think that will satisfy your own plan. Consider the
things on how to achieve and maintain healthy skin prior to swimming to avoid skin problems
or worse, skin diseases. Enjoy planning!

MY PERSONAL SKIN CARE PLAN (Swimming-related plan)

Before swimming Do’s Don’ts

*you may include the do’s and don’ts

During swimming Do’s Don’ts

*you may include the do’s and don’ts

Do’s Don’ts
After swimming
*you may include the do’s and don’ts