Swimming

-is the method by which humans move themselves through water. Swimming is a popular recreational activity, particularly
in hot countries and areas with natural watercourses. Swimming is also a competitive sport. there are many health benefits
of swimming, yet basic swimming skills and safety precautions are needed to participate in water activities. Swimming is an
excellent form of exercise for people of all ages. Exercise expert says, that swimming one mile is the equivalent of running
four. Swimming trains your body in breath control, which is great for people who want to build up their endurance. Also this
low-impact exercise can save your knees and ankles because you are not pounding away on pavement or concrete like a
runner. People who choose to swim can then go on to participate in triathlons and swimming races.


HISTORY OF SWIMMING

-Swimming has been known since prehistoric times. Drawing from stone age we're found in "the cave of swimmers" near
WADI SORA (or SURA) in the southwestern part of Egypt. Written references date back up to 2000 B.C., including
Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf and other sagas.

-In 1538 Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book "Colymbetes". Competitive
swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. The front crawl, then called the trudgen was
introduced in1873 by John Arthur Trudgen, copying it from native americans.

*MIDDLE AGES TO 1800*

-Swimming was initially one of the seven agilities of knights during the Middle ages, including swimming with armour.
However, as swimming was done in a state of undress, it became less popular as society became more conservative in the
early modern period.

- Swimming was part of the first modern olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 the "trudgen" was improved by Richard
Cavill, using the flutter kick. In 1908, the world swimming association Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) was
formed. Butterfly was first a variant of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.

*Modern Olympic Era after 1896*
-The olympic games were held in 1896 in athens, a male-only competition. Six events were planned for the swimming
competition, but only four events were actually contested: 100m, 500m, 1200m, (freestyle) and 100m for sailors. The first
gold medal was won by Alfred Hajos of hungary in the 100m (freestyle) with a time of 1:22:20

PRESENT FUTURE PLANS
-In 1972, another famous swimmer, Mark Spitz, was in the height of his carreer. During 1972 Summer olympics in Munich,
Germany, he won seven gold medals. Shortly thereafter, in 1973 the first swimming world championship was held in
Belgrade, Yugoslavia by the FINA. In 1998, Bennoit Lecomte swam across the Atlantic Ocean, a total of 5,600 kilometers in
72 days, swimming 6 to 8 hours daily. He was accompanied ny two sailors on a boat.

- Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30 , 1985) is an american swimmer who has, overall, won 16 olympic medals, 6 golds and
2 bronze at Athens in 2004, and 8 gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic
Games editions. In doing so he has twice equalled the record 8 medals of any type at a single Olympics achieved by Soviet
gymnast Alexander Dityatin at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games.

-Strengthening Synchronized Swimming

- Upgrading and Revolutionizing Swim wears under Technological reseacrhers by sport scientists.

BASIC STROKES

*Front/forward Crawl

-The forward/fromt crawl is considered to be the fastest swimming style.

- Arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick.


*Back/Backward Crawl

-a stroke performed on the back, using backward circular strokes of each arm and flipper of the feet.

*Breaststroke

-swimming stroe in which a person lies face down in the water and extends the arm in front of the head, then sweeps them
both back laterally under the surface of the water while performing a frog kick.

*Butterfly Stroke

-swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down.

SWIMMING EVENTS
50 m freestyle
100 m ''
200 m ''
400 m ''
800/1500 m ''
100 m backstroke
200 m ''
100 m breaststroke
200 m ''
100 m butterfly
200 m ''
200 m individually medley
400 m '' ''
4x100 m freestyle relay
4x200 m '' ''
4x100 m medley relay

SWIMMING APPARATUS

*swimsuit

- fabrics are designed for minimal resistance through the water, they lend to last a long time, and they resist fading even
when used repeatedly in chlorinated water pools.

*goggles

- protect your eyes from chlorine (and anything else that may be in the water) and they help you keep your eyes open while
you swim so that you can see where you're going.

*bathing caps

- individuals with long hair to wear caps to keep hair from getting into the pool, and some people just like to protect their
hair from the chlorine in the water. You may also decide to wear a bathing cap to cut down on resistance in the water.

*kickboards

- are devices made of foam or other materials that float, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. the main purpose
is for you to hold on and stay afloat while your legs do all the work. It's good exercise for coordinating your kicking, and
gives your arms a rest.

*fins

-fit on your feet and add propulsion to your kicks. They are great training for your legs and will help you swim faster.

*pull bouy

-for kick prevention, focus on arm.

*snorkle

-for too long training under water.

*fin

-for easier pulling water.



** TERMINOLOGIES **

Bobbing Up and Down - refers to taking in air above the surface of water and breathing out through the nose underwater.
Prone Float - is to extend the legs and the arms with the face facing toward the bottom.
Supine Float - is to float one's back with limbs extended.
Tuck Float - is to fold the body like a ball with hands placed interlocking the shins with face tucked-in.
Cycle - denotes the two arms movement.
Flutter Kick - is to move the legs in an alternately up and down motion originating from the hip which are slightly pointing
inward while knees and ankles are held flexible.
Plunge-In - is to enter water in a diagonally downward direction hitting with the fingertips, head, body, legs and feet.
Swing-Out - pertains to the imaginary horizontal circular arm motion.
Rounding-Out - refers to the imaginary vertical circular arm motion.
Breathing Arm - is the side where breath is taken in.
Standing Recovery - means pulling both arms down and at the same time bending both knees towards the chest head-up
and extend bothe legs at the bottom.
Sculling - is to propel one-self using arms in a figure of 8.