 is a sport or activity of propelling oneself

through water using the limbs. Swimming can

be both an individual or team sport. There
are a number of different Swimming styles
including breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke
and butterfly.
 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.
 Humans first learned to swim in prehistory –
though how far back remains a matter of
debate between the paleoanthropological
establishment and the followers of Elaine
Morgan (1920-2013), who championed the
aquatic ape hypothesis, an aquatic phase
during hominid evolution between 7 and 4.3
million years ago.
 Most early swimmers used the breaststroke,
or a form of it.
 Competitive swimming was first introduced in
the early 1800's in Britain by the
National Swimming Society. At that time,
there were man-made indoor pools in
London and the National Swimming Society of
England used them
for swimming competitions.
 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 in 1873 by John
Arthur Trudgen, copying it from Native
Americans.
 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.
 Swimming takes a little coordination. You
need to move your legs and arms in tandem,
as well as time your breathing and swimming
strokes for maximum efficiency. Swimming
skills also include diving into the water to get
a good, smooth start on your stroke.
 Start with two or three days a week, and build
your routine to include more days, if you are
comfortable. Make sure to take enough rest
to catch your breath in between repeats. If 30
seconds rest is not enough between swims,
adjust your rest interval. You can't swim too
slowly.
 You have to work hard for the things you
want.
 Sometimes it's just not fair.
 You learn how to cope with failure and
setbacks.
 Being a team makes everyone better
(including you).
 It's a process.
 You learn to discipline yourself.