NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY,INC

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

Module 2: INRODUCTION TO SWIMMING

“I Only Fear Not Trying.”
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

This module will let you to understand the historical background of swimming and
development of swimming, nature, value and purposes. swimming is the movement of the
body through water using arms and legs. Most of the time equipment is not used. People
swim for exercise, for fun, and as a sport. People can swim in the sea, swimming pools, rivers
and lakes. Swimming is a good all-round activity because: it keeps your heart rate up but
takes some of the impact stress off your body. It Builds endurance, muscle strength, and
cardiovascular fitness. Provides an all-over body work-out , as nearly all of your muscles are
used during swimming.

Content Standard: The learners should be able to understand and demonstrate of,
1. History of swimming from origin to modern
2. Definition of swimming
3. Importance and health benefits of swimming
4. Other related activities in swimming

Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding on the nature of swimming.

2. define the different terms used in swimming.
3. trace the historical background of swimming.
4. identify the different swimming facilities.

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Introduction:
Swimming is a good form of exercise as it burns a lot of calories. It does not strain
joints and connective tissue as much as many other form of exercises. It also builds muscular
strength, endurance and supports your body weight and improves cardio vascular fitness.

Swimming is the movement of the body through water using arms and legs. Most of
the time equipment is not used. People swim for exercise, for fun, and as a sport. People can
swim in the sea, swimming pools, rivers and lakes. Swimming is a good all-round activity
because: it keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body.
Provides an all-over body work-out, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming

Nature of Swimming
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.
For activities that involve swimming, diving, lifesaving, surfing, synchronized
swimming, underwater diving, and water polo.
The present book presents the origins and the latest history of swimming, the stages of
its development into a competitive sports and highlights its outstanding figures. We will
analyze the different styles and the different 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 an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire
body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water.
Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied
distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. In
addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or
medley relay. A medley relay consists of four swimmers who will each swim a different
stroke, ordered as backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

History of swimming
The word “swimming” is derived from the Old English term “swimming.” Although
the origin of swimming is not really known, people probably learn how to swim from

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watching animals. In the year 2000 BC Pompeii show men navigating water under their own
power, and a bas relief in a tomb. It shows a swimmer doing what appears to be a crawl
stroke.
Record shows that the competitive swimming began about1837 in London. Early English
swimmers used the breastroke and the side stroke.
In 1844 North America 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 a crawl.
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 Corse, anciently,
swimming was done because it was necessary for survival. Whether people needed across 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 competitive sense as it is known today.

Recognizing Swimming
England is recognized as the first country to participate in swimming s a recreation
and competitive 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’s clubs. The main swimming styles utilized in competitions were
the breast stroke and the recently-developed sidestroke.
In 1872, 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 crawls, and
swam 100 yards in 60 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 1878, Frederick Cavill, an Englishman, went to Australia. After observing the
natives 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 of the New York Athletic Club, Introduced the

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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.

Historical Background of Swimming in the Philippines

Human beings have been swimming for thousands of years. It is believed that man learned to
swim by observing animals. It is also believed that the initial stroke that was observed and
used was that of the dogs thrusting itself through the water. Thus dog paddle was imitated
and used. One of the earliest representations of swimming showing carvings on the walls
dating back to 9000 BC, showed pictures of swimmers. Swimming is a part of the training of
Greek, Roman warriors during the middle ages. The Greeks, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and
Scandinavians classical heroes dealt with the greatest feast of swimming prowess. Other
depictions of swimming is found in ancient Egyptian wall relief that shows soldiers of
Pharaoh Rameses II (reigned 1290-1224) pursuing their enemies by swimming across the
Orontes River between ancient Egypt and Asia Minor.
The crawl stroke was most likely developed independently in various areas of the world
several hundred years ago. Swimmers in South Pacific used crawl like strokes long before
they were used in Europe, Native Americans also used over arm crawl strokes,
In 1844, two members of the native American Ojibwa Tribe named the flying Gull and
Tobacco travelled to England to compete and won and become Natinal celebrities.
Competitive swimming began in England. It conducted a swimming meet in London in 1862.
In 1866 swimming for man was included in the First Modern Olympic Games in Athens.
Women started to compete in Olympic Swimming in 1912 held in Stockholm. J Arthur
Trudgen, also an Englishman, refined the crawl stroke in 1880. In 1906, Charles Daniels
developed the American crawl which was molded after the Australian crawl.
Swimming techniques evolved constantly as swimmers search for ways to improve their
performances. During the late 1980s American swimmers David Berkoff perfected a
technique called underwater dolphin, eventually backstroke and butterfly swimmer adapted
the technique.
International events featured several new formats during 1990s Goodwill Games used highly
success dual meets formats in which teams competed against each other in a round robin
tournament.
In open water swimming, Aurtralia’s Susie Maroney performed several fets previously
thought impossible. In 1997 she became the first person to swim the 169-km (105-mi)
straight between Havana and Cuba and Key West, Florida. The following year she completed
a 206=km (128-mi) swim from isla Mueres, Mexico to Las tumbas beach n Cuba. In 1999

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Maroney swam the 196-km (100-mi) distance from Jamaica to Cuba. Captain Matthew Webb
of England swam across the England Channel on August 24 and 25, 1875 using breastroke,
paving the way to open water swimming.
The American military men introduced swimming as a comparative sport in the country.
Through the pioneering efforts of YMCA leaders working among the American Military
forces, the spots impressed upon the Filipinos who saw in 1907 the construction of the first
swimming pool in the country of Fort Mckinley YMCA.
The holding of the first dual swimming meet between Manila YMCA and the Fort Mckinley
YMCA in 1910 marked the formal inception in the Philippines of swimming as acompetitive
sports. This initial competition among members of the defunct Philippines scouts of the US
Army in the Philippines.
In 1911, Filipinos watched avidly from the sidelines as the first swimming championship
meet was held at the American Columbian Club swimming pool with competing American
teams from the manila YMCA, American Columbian Club, and the USS Saratoga. The
following year (1912), Filipinos participated in the second championahip meet. Of the 42
individual entries, the late Conrado Benitez emerged as the most outstanding Filipino
swimmer.
During the far eastern games held at Manila in 1913, the Philippine team composed of
Conrado Benitez, J. del Pan, C. Aiville and L. Cristobal won the championship against China
and Japan. In the following decade educational institutions, the first of which was the
University of the Philippines, followed later on by the Philippines Women’s University,
trained swimmers.
In 1924, Teofilo Yldefonso, a Philippine scout soldier of the US Army won recognition as the
greatest Filipino swimmer for his feats in national championship meets, the Far East and
Olympic Games. Muslims, Filipinos from Sulo also made names in national championship
competition. Great Muslim swimmers before world War II were Jikirum Adjalludin, Arasad
Alpad, Tuburan, Angkang Nakaria and Asdi Tahil.
The succeeding years up to 1951 saw the staging of the sixth Formosa- Philippines Biennal
Swimming Championship meets, the 9th and 10th Far Eastern Games and the series of Manila-
Hongkong Interport Swimming meets wherein Filipino men and women swimmers showed
outstanding performance they were Sotero Alcantara, Rene Amabuyok, Edilbrto Bonus,
Jaacinto Cayco, Nulsali Maddin, Mahamad Mala, Eugenio Palileo, Artemio Salamat, Serafin
Villanueva, Artemio Villavieja,Lourdes Alba, Angela Fermin, Norma Gurero, Andres
Ofilada, Ana Labayan, Encarnacion Partilo and Erudito Vito.
Women swimmers competed in the 1931 National Women’s Swimming Championship meet
at the Rizal Memorial Pool where the Universityof the Philippines won. The PWU women’s
team won the championship in 1934. Women’s participation in swimming competitions were
held yearly since then.

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Swimming competitions were suspended during the Japanese occupation. It was only in 1948
when swimming competitions were resumed. The first Asian Games held in New Delhi in
1951. Gave the Filipino swimmers the opportunity to participate once again in international
competition. Among the swimmers were Artemio Salamat, Jacinto Cayco, and Nurhatab
Rajab.
The second Asian games were held in Manila in 1954. Our swimmers who earned honors for
our country were Parson Nabiula, Amado Jimenez, Robert Cullins, Haydee Coloso and
Jacinto Cayco. The participants to the third Asian Games in Tokyo in 1958 brought honors to
the country. They were Bana Sailani, Walter Brown, Rodolfo Agustin, Lorenzo Cortez,
Haydee Coloso and Joselyn Von Geise.
The forth Asian Games at Jakarta, Indonesia in 1962 marked another significant victory for
the Filipino swimmers. They placed second. The standouts were Haydee Espino, Gertudes
Lozada, Sampang Hassan and Rolando Landrito.
Participation of Filipino swimmer continued. In 1962, the Federation System under republic
Act 3135 was inaugurated.
PASA launched a relatively-well-rounded and systematic program of development for the
purpose of reinforcing the Philippine against the challenges from other countries. The first
age group overseas program was the Philippines-Hongkong YMCA which started in 1968.
From then on, Hongkong and Philippines is hosting alternately this annual swim Meet. This
program continued until 1978.
In 1970, the first Asian age group was hosted by Singapore. This is the first age group
swimming team sent by the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association. Powerhouse Japan
and China were included in this yearly swim event. There were 16 age groupers that
represented the country. Philippines came in second behind host Singapore which had more
swimmers than any of the participating teams. The mere fact that we beat Japan and China at
the time was an enormous feat for the team. The Asian age group went until 1976. In 1977
the Southeast Asian (SEA) age group was born, hosted by Singapore, and later on, the
ASEAN.
With the leadership od Eduardo Ledesma and former national standouts like, Ral Rosario and
Eric Buhain, PASA attained remarkable progress in the development of swimming. Such
projects as Regular Age Group Competitions, Coach to Coach Program, Annual Summer
Development Program, Olympic Development Swimming Program, Community Pools
Construction Program, Milo Learn to Swim Program and National Swimming Grand Prix
were launched.
Today, a fresh start in Philippine swimming is now unfolding with the creation of Aquatics
Sports Association of the Philippines (ASAP) ASAP is a non-stock, non-profit organization
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As stated in its article of
incorporation, ASAP aims “to promote swimming and other aquatic sports throughout the

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country; and to recruit, train and develop world-class athletes to represent our country in
various international competitions.” ASAP is headed by Atty. Luz Arzaga-Mendoza as
president, with Atty. Jane Ong a vice president; Susan Papa, secretary; Beth Mascardo of
synchronized swimming, treasure; Augusto Bonilla and Cesar Espino, trustees.
The swimming association is also strengthening its membership base and renewing its
campaign for both individuals and group to unite under the ASAP banner. It is now working
on the education and certification of all local swim coaches and instructors with the end in
view of upgrading the quality of coaching in the Philippines. This will involve a series of
level of certification for those concerned in the different aspect of coaching.
At present, the ASAP leadership is committed to a policy of good governance and will be
transparent in all its affairs, hiding nothing and simply working towards the betterment of
swimming in the country.

SWIMMING ATTIRE AND ACCESSORIES

A swimmer could wear regular swimsuits which are designed for their aesthetic
appearances. While competitive swimming on the other hand is fixed competitive swim wear
designed specifically for competing,

a. Goggles – are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose to protect the area
surrounding the eye in order to prevent particularly, water or chemicals striking the eyes.

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b. Swim Caps – is a silicone, latex or lycra cap worn on the head by recreational and
competitive swimmers.

TRAINING GEAR

Students use various training gears and equipment’s to improve and develop their
swimming skills:

a. Kick board – are buoyant boards that students can rest their arms on; this keeps their
upper bodies afloat and elbows them to concentrate on kicking correctly.

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b. Pull buoy – is a figure eight shaped piece of closed-cell foam used in swim work
outs. Swimmers place the buoy between the legs, thighs or ankles to provide support
to body without kicking the legs, this allows the swimmer to focus on training only
and developing both endurance and upper body strength.

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c. Hand paddles – is a colored plastics device that is worn on the swimmers hands
during swimming practices to enhance muscle build up or speed. Paddles are often
used with pull buoys to build up arm strength.

d. Snorkel – a shaped tube use for a practice of swimming on or through on body of

water while equipped with a diving mask.

e. Training fins- are worn on the foot and made from fin like rubber or plastic to aid
movement through the water sport activities.

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