Swimming

 The propulsion of the body through water with a combination of arm and leg motions and
the natural flotation of the body. It is also taught for lifesaving purposes.

History

 The earliest evidence around 10,000 years ago of recreational swimming was from the
Stone Age paintings. A Swiss-German professor, Nikolaus Wynmann wrote a complete
book about swimming entitled “The Swimmer, or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming
and Joyful and Pleasant to Read.”

 Swimming was known in England in the 1830s as a competitive recreational activity.

 St George's Baths was the first indoor swimming pool that was opened to the public in
1828.

 By 1837, the National Swimming Society was holding regular swimming competitions in
six artificial swimming pools, built around London.

 The recreational activity grew in popularity and by 1880, when the first national
governing body, the Amateur Swimming Association was formed, there were already
over 300 regional clubs in operation across the country.

 The world's first women's swimming championship was held in Scotland in 1892.

Facilities

FINA Facilities Rules

Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) was founded in London July 19, 1908 during the
Olympic Games in London.

Competition pools- standard pools are either 50m or 25m in length.

Depth- 1.35m-6.0m with starting blocks, 1.0m minimum without starting blocks.

Walls- at right angles to the swimming course and surface of the water. Made of a solid material,
with a non–slip surface extending 0.8m below the water surface.

Water temperature- between 250 and 28 Celsius, kept at constant level, very little movement to
avoid turbulence.

Lanes- World Championships require 8 lanes.

Olympic Games require 10 lanes.
Minimum of 2.5m wide.
Lane ropes- End to end rope with floats with a minimum diameter of 0.10m-0.15m.
Anchors are positioned so the floats are on the surface of the water.

In a swimming pool the color of the lane ropes is as follows:

Two green ropes for lanes 1 and 8.

Four blue ropes for lanes 2, 3, 6 and 7.
Three yellow ropes for lanes 4 and 5.

The floats that extend for a distance of 5m from each end of the pool are red. At the 15m mark
from each end wall of the pool the floats are distinct. In 50-meter pools the floats are distinct at
25m.
There is only one firmly stretched lane rope between each lane.

Starting platforms
Starting platforms are from 0.5m-0.75m high above the water surface. The surface area is at least
1.5m square and covered with a non-slip material. The maximum slope is 10 degrees. The
platforms are firm and are without a springing effect.

Lane markings
The lane markings on the floor of the pool are a dark color and marked in the center of each lane.

The width of the marking is 0.2m-0.3m for all pools. The length for 50m pools is 46m and 21m
for 25m pools.

Each lane line ends 2m from the end wall of the pool with a distinctive cross line 1m long and of
the same width as the lane line. Target lines are marked on the end walls or on the touch panels
in the centre of each lane and are the same width as the lane lines.

Leisure pools
A number of pool facilities include leisure water features that are designed for recreational
swimmers, lap swimming and specific areas for toddlers and children. These may include:

Varying water depths, with extensive shallow or beach areas.

Wave pools and surfing pools.

Water slides and flumes.

Fast flowing river rides & rapids.

Water jets and water cannons.

Water features eg rain showers.

Spa facilities, including varying temperatures.

Further information is available in the Health (Aquatic Facilities) Regulations 2007 and the Code
of Practice for the Design, Construction, Operation, Management and Maintenance of Aquatic
Facilities.

Equipment of the Game

Swimsuit
Competitive swimwear seeks to improve upon bare skin for a speed advantage and coverage. In
2009, FINA rules and regulations were altered and suits made with polyurethane were banned
because they made athletes more buoyant. These rules also banned suits which go above the
navel or below the knee for men and suits which extend past the shoulders or cover the neck for
women.

Swim cap- keeps the swimmer's hair out of the way to reduce drag. Caps may be made of latex,
silicone, spandex or lycra.

Goggles- keep water and chlorine out of swimmers' eyes. Goggles may be tinted to counteract
glare at outdoor pools. Prescription goggles may be used by swimmers who wear corrective
lenses.

Swim Fins- rubber fins are used to help kick faster and build strength and technique, but are
illegal in a race. They also improve technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while
kicking.

Drag suit- to increase resistance. This allows a swimmer to be challenged even more when
practicing and let the swimmer feel less resistance when racing. xe

Hand paddles- plastic devices to build arm and shoulder strength while refining hand-pulling
technique.

Kickboard- a foam board that swimmers use to support the weight of the upper body while they
focus on kicking.

Pull buoy- often used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support swimmers' legs (and
prevent them from kicking) while they focus on pulling.

Ankle bands- improving balance will minimize the need for this kick to provide an upward,
instead of a forward vector, and in some cases completely corrects the kick.

Snorkel- a plastic device that helps swimmers breathe while swimming.

Technical Skills

 Breathing properly
 Sculling
 Learning strokes
 Diving

Tactical Skills

Fly and Die

Sally/Sammy Save-Up
Even Splitter

Officiating officials

 Referee
 Starter
 Clerk of course
 Timekeepers
 Inspectors of turns
 Judges of Stroke
 Finish judges

Rules and Regulations of the Game

1. Starts
The referee begins by signaling competing swimmers with several short whistles. This lets them
know it is time to begin the race. Swimmers will remove all clothing except their legal swimwear
at this point. The referee then gives a long sound from their whistle to command swimmers to
assume their starting positions. This can either be the starting platform, the deck or the water,
depending on the race.

Once all officials and swimmers are ready for action, the referee signals to the starter with an
outstretched hand. This gives the starter control over the swimmers. The starter will tell all
swimmers to take their marks, and they will assume their forward-start positions. Specific rules
for forward-start positions include:
Swimmers starting outside the water must have at least one foot on the front of the starting
platform or deck.
Swimmers already in the water must continuously contact the starting platform or wall with one
hand.
Once all swimmers are in their starting positions, the starter gives the signal, and the race begins.
If a swimmer doesn't immediately take their mark, the starter will command the swimmers to
"stand up." Swimmers can disengage their starting position until they are once again told to take
their marks.

2. False Starts
False starts usually result in a swimmer's disqualification. The following are instances of false
starts:

A swimmer starts the race before the signal. Referees can call this before the signal is given or
after the race has concluded.
A swimmer declares to the referee that they will not race. This is considered a false start.
Starting upon hearing "stand up" does not result in disqualification. The swimmer can still
legally compete in this situation.

3. Disqualifications
As a competitive swimmer, you compete for the first-place prize. Disqualifications remove any
chance at achieving that goal for a given race. Here are acts you should avoid so you can
compete legally and strive for the gold:

Committing a false start

Behaving in an unsportsmanlike or unsafe way
Grabbing or physically hindering another swimmer
Entering a pool before another race has been completed
Dipping your goggles in the pool before a race
Finishing the race in a different lane than you started
Grabbing lane dividers
Standing on the bottom of the pool, except during freestyle races