DEVELOPMENT OF

SWIMMING

Group Members:

Allen Mae Tancogo

Khrizza Mae Flores

Jhay Mc Longerr Teofilo

Kimberly Jamero

Judee Grace Botin

Angel Grace Bunayog

Ivy Joy Cabesas

Sherwin Jay Cajilog

Rena Mae Pacaldo

Jyziah Mae Balagulan

Jevelyn Panagini

James Roldan Segara

Jay Laguna

Submitted to:
Rhandie S. Balane
Instructor
 Development of Swimming

The early practice of simply swimming as much as possible at every workout was replaced by interval
training and repeat training by the late 1950s. Interval training consists of a series of swims of the same
distance with controlled rest periods. In slow interval training, used primarily to develop endurance, the
rest period is always shorter than the time taken to swim the prescribed distance. Fast interval training,
used primarily to develop speed, permits rest periods long enough to allow almost complete recovery of
the heart and breathing rate.

Early Origins

Swimming had its origins in Egypt as a leisure sport around 2500 BCE. Archeological evidence has
shown that ancient Greeks and Romans later used the practice to train soldiers for war to eventually
become “part of elementary education for males.” They are also believed to have built the first swimming
pools, distinctly different from their baths. Not surprisingly, ancient Pacific Island natives are believed to
have taught their children how to swim around the same time or even before they learned how to walk.

From Leisure to Competition

Although swimming’s origins were rooted in leisure, the sport quickly evolved into a competition even
before the first Olympic Games in 1896. In 1837, the first swimming organization was created in London
and became known as England’s National Swimming Society. The name would later be changed to the
Swimming Association of Great Britain in 1874. During the 19th century, Australia—hungry for
competition—began to hold regular championship races. In 1846, Australia held the first swimming
championships. This was the first chance for different national teams to compete against each other and
would dictate the future of competitive swimming. In the following years, various nations would host their
own championship meets; the United States got their chance in 1877.

The First Olympic Games

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. According to the olympicchannel.com,
swimming is “one of only four disciplines to have been retained, appearing in every summer Olympics
since [the first Olympic Games] – the others being athletics, artistic gymnastics and fencing.” The first
Olympics introduced some strange races into the lineup, as it was purely an experimental event to begin
with. Until 1912, only male swimmers were allowed to compete in the Olympics. It was not until the
Stockholm Olympics that women were able to compete, and even when they were finally allowed in the
water, they were only given two events in which to compete—the 100 free and 400 free relay.

Post World War Ⅱ to Modern Day

The era following World War Ⅱ was a bustling time for innovation and production. All of the economic
growth from the war brought great technological advancement to the United States, which translated to
the swimming world in the form of lane lines and indoor competition pools. Advanced training techniques
and facilities such as hydrodynamic swimsuits and better drainage systems in the pools allowed athletes
to swim much faster than those of the past. By 1924, marked lanes and guidelines for pool depths leveled
the playing field and allowed for a more fair competition. The 1950s and 1960s were full of advancement
within the swimming world as new strokes and events made their debut over the following years.

The 1970s and 1980s saw the rise of superhuman swimmers such as Mark Spitz, Matt Biondi, Michael
Gross and Kristen Otto. Their achievements are remembered and honored as they serve to motivate the
top athletes of today, such as Katie Ledecky and, of course, Michael Phelps.

Swimming has come a long way since its early beginnings. Our present and future successes in
competition can only be attributed to the struggles of past athletes. The rough years of early competition
spurred innovation and advancement of training techniques and facilities that allow us to compete at the
level we do today. For that, we should be grateful and work to appreciate and remember the proud history
of swimming.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYPES AND EQUIPMENTS OF SWIMMING

Butterfly became a stroke:

In 1952, the butterfly became recognized as a separate stroke. Prior to this change, swimmers swimming
breaststroke would bring their hands above the water, therefore swimming butterfly. Then FINA decided
to make this into a separate stroke. The next year (1953) FINA added butterfly to the Individual Medley
(IM).

Freestyle flip-turn:

In 1965, the modern freestyle flip turn replaced the original older turn. In the past, the swimmers were
required to touch the wall and then execute the original turn. Now in the modern flip turn, swimmers flip
while approaching the wall; therefore cutting crucial seconds off their times. This change made many
swimmers go much faster, because the swimmers no longer had to stop and flip.

Goggles and Swimming caps:

In the early 1960s and 1970s, goggles and caps were invented, and people began using them. It took a
while for swimmers to get accustomed to using caps and goggles, and many people initially didn't like
them. Thomas Burgress was one of the first swimmers who wore goggles. He wore them while swimming
the English Channel in 1911. The original, older caps didn't resemble the caps worn today. The caps
were mostly worn for fashion and to keep the swimmer's hair dry, not for speed. Now most pools require
girls and boys with long hair to wear caps to prevent their hair from clogging the filter. Most swimmers
now wear caps to improve their speed. The caps reduce the drag that the swimmer's hair would have
made. Most swimmers also wear goggles while swimming, because they keep water out of their eyes and
help them see where the swimmer is going.

Underwater limitations:

In the 1988 Olympics, David Berkoff became famous for his “Berkoff Blast-off” when he traveled 32m
underwater. In 1989, probably as a result of the “Berkoff Blast-off, the 10m-backstroke underwater limit
change occurred. Before that, there was no limit to how long the swimmers could stay underwater. In
1991 the rule changed from 10m to 15m underwater.

As a side note, in January of 1998, FINA set 15m as the underwater limit for butterfly and freestyle, just
like they did with backstroke. The change went into effect during March of 1998. This change was
extremely difficult for some swimmers whose race strategy circled around their underwater kicks.

Backstroke flip-turn:

In 1991, FINA changed the way that swimmers are required to perform backstroke turns. Before the
change, swimmers were required to touch the wall while they were still on their back. Then the swimmer
would have to turn around in the other direction and push off again. Some swimmers still do this turn
during the backstroke to breaststroke turn in the IM. It's often referenced as the ” bucket turn”. Then FINA
changed the rule to the current backstroke flip turn. Now swimmers are allowed to roll over onto their
front, take a stroke, and complete a freestyle flip turn. This allows swimmers to go much faster, because
they don't have to stop to turn; they could flip instantly.
Breaststroke pullout:

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Kosuke Kitajima from Japan did multiple dolphin kicks off all of his walls in
the 100m and 200m breaststroke, in which he beat USA's Brendan Hansen, and won both races. It was
obvious that he should have been disqualified, but FINA decided to make one dolphin kick in each pullout
acceptable. This was extremely frustrating for many Americans watching the Athens Olympics because
Kosuke Kitajima obviously beat Brendan Hansen because of the dolphin kicks he did off of the walls. He
didn't get disqualified for them even though he should have been.

Super suit ban:

There was a huge deal about the FINA suit ban in 2009. FINA banned the super suits in 2009, because
world records were being broken almost every day with these suits. Now, the suits for women can no
longer extend below the knee, or past the shoulder. The men's suits are required to go from the waist to
the knee. Many swimmers liked the suits because they enabled the swimmer to go much faster by just
wearing the suit. Hard work in practice didn't seem significant. The material in the suit would make the
swimmers very buoyant in the water.