SWIMMING

Group 1 P.E Report

BRIEF HISTORY OF SWIMMING (Ancient to Modern Times)

AN ANCIENT DISCIPLINE

Swimming activity has been around for thousands of years. Prehistoric man learnt 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 which shows 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. Swimming was also referred to in Greek mythology from 2000 B.C when
there were written references including Gilgamesh, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Beowulf, and
other sagas, although the style is never described. In ancient Greece, swimming has become a
prerequisite for becoming a soldier so that they can improve their fitness. It was a part of martial
training and was, with the alphabet, also part of elementary education for males. One common
insult in Greece was to say about somebody that he/she neither knew how to run nor swim. Over
the years, several cultures have given some relevance to swimming activity, but none have made
it very popular. In the seventeenth century, the Japanese began to take swimming lessons at
school compulsory.

DAWN OF A SPORT

Swimming was not widely practised until the early 19th century, when the National
Swimming Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions. Most early swimmers used the
breaststroke, or a form of it. England is recognized as the first country to participate in
swimming as 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 clubs. The main swimming styles utilized in
competitions were the breaststroke and the recently-developed sidestroke.

DISCOVERING THE CRAWL

Based on a stroke used by native South Americans, the first version of the crawl featured
a scissor kick. In the late 1880s, an Englishman named Frederick Cavill travelled to the South
Seas, where he saw the natives performing a crawl with a flutter kick. Cavill settled in Australia,
where he taught the stroke that was to become the famous Australian crawl.

OLYMPIC HISTORY

Swimming joined the Olympics in 1896 as a men’s sport. They competed in the
categories of 100-meter and 1500-meter Freestyle. These were held in open water. The very first
Olympic events were freestyle (crawl) or breaststroke. Backstroke was added in 1904. More
Olympic events were added during the history of swimming, including breaststroke, backstroke,
butterfly, and individual medley. The first few Olympic Games that featured swimming did not
include women. Women’s swimming became Olympic in 1912 at the Stockholm Games. Since
then, it has been part of every edition of the Games. The men’s and women’s programmes are
almost identical, as they contain the same number of events, with only one difference: the
freestyle distance is 800 metres for women and 1,500 metres for men. There are now 16 races
held for men and women, totaling 32 altogether, in each Summer Olympic Games. The Special
Olympics also has 22 swimming categories for men and women, totaling 44 altogether.

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 butterfly, whose first official appearance was at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. This style is
now one of the four strokes used in competition.

MODIFYING FOR SPEED

Modifications in swimming techniques occurred through this point in the history of

swimming as different counties changed the way they accomplished the backstroke and
breaststroke. This occurred between 1935 and 1945 and into the 1950s, creating controversy at
the Olympics. Around this same time, war shortages demanded a reduction in fabric for making
swimming suits. Thus, the first two-piece swimming suits were invented in 1943. Techniques for
winning Olympic gold medals changed at this time as swimmers spent more time under water to
gain an advantage of speed. It is a technique that is still used today.

WAR DEMANDS MATERIALS

In 1939, war shortages demanded a reduction in fabric for making swimming suits. In
1943 the US ordered the reduction of fabric in swimsuits by 10% due to wartime shortages,
resulting in the first two piece swimsuits. Shortly thereafter the Bikini was invented in Paris by
Louis Reard.

JUST ADD OPEN WATER TO THE OLYMPICS

In the early 21st Century, swimming seems headed back to its open water roots. South
Africa’s Midmar Mile race attracted over 17,000 entrants in 2004, setting a participation record
for open water events. Accomplished pool swimmers began training for and competing in open
water events. In 2008, the International Olympic Committee acknowledged the rising popularity
of open water swimming and added for the first time a 10km open water marathon to the list of
events contested at the Summer Games. One of the most notorious swimmers ever won dozens
of medals recently, from 2004 to Beijing in 2008 and already with some decline in 2012, but
nevertheless strong, Michael Phelps dominated swimming in the most varied styles, imposing
several records and becoming the athlete with the most medals of the Olympic Games since its
existence, and this record is far greater than the athlete who previously held it. World Records:
400 m individual medley 4:03.84.

BENEFITS OF SWIMMING

HEALTH BENEFITS

Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the
resistance of the water. Swimming is a good all-round activity because it:

 keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body
 builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
 helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
 tones muscles and builds strength
 provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during
swimming

OTHER BENEFITS

Swimming has many other benefits including:

 being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise

 alleviating stress
 improving coordination, balance and posture
 improving flexibility
 providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions
 providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day
 being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams
and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe
BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR SWIMMING

There are five basic requirements to pass the swimming test. Read on to see if you
actually know how to swim. According to a new study by the Red Cross, you'll probably SAY
you're a perfectly good swimmer but there's a solid chance you're WRONG. In the survey, 80%
of people claimed they CAN swim.  But the study found only 56% can do the five basic
requirements for, quote, "water competency."

Here are the five basic requirements in the order you should do them:

1. Being able to jump into the deep end of a pool

2. Tread water for one minute
3. Turn around 360 degrees
4. Swim 75 feet
5. Get out of the pool without using a ladder.

The survey also found that 46% of us have been in a situation where we thought we might
drown.  But 80% plan to go swimming at least once this summer, and 32% will go somewhere
without a lifeguard.

GETTING STARTED

The best swimmers always warm up before hitting the pool, better preparing their body
for an effective workout. Begin by walking the length of the pool - first outside of the water and
then perhaps waist deep in water to warm up the legs. Following that, try submerging up to the
neck in the water and paddling to stay afloat. By doing so, you will warm-up the muscles and
joints and ready them for your workout.

The only equipment needed to begin is a swimsuit and a pair of goggles, making swimming a
relatively affordable activity provided that there is a local swimming pool offering open swim
times, which is usually the case. If there are no local swimming pools, consider enlisting a buddy
and swimming in a local lake or pond. Always have a friend and a method of getting additional
help in case of an accident if swimming in local lakes or rivers.