CHAPTER 2

FUNDAMENTALS OF
SWIMMING
 Every individual has a natural ability to use their arms
and legs to stay afloat. The instinct however disappears
within a few months after birth. Later in life many
individuals have intrinsic fear of water. The natural
response to this is to try hard, tense up and struggle.
Needless stiffness or strain impedes coordination.
Swimming requires adjustment to new surroundings and be
acquainted to the new environment means being able to
adapt oneself to the water.
THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN
DEVELOPING SKILL AND TECHNIQUE IN SWIMMING:

Learn and train to develop the skills.

Build up strength and endurance to be
able to keep for long distance swim.
Practice and master different strokes
Practice the skill continuously to be
able to master the skills.
THERE ARE 3 BASIC SKILLS TO DEVELOP AND WORK
ON IN ORDER TO HAVE CONFIDENT AND
EFFICIENTLY EXECUTE YOUR SWIMMING PROGRAM
AND MASTER THE SWIMMING SKILLS.

Breathing
Placement of head
Gliding and landing
BREATHING
Breathing in water as in swimming is the same
as any other sports. Take a small amount of
air, when your face is above the water and
exhale by blowing out through both the mouth
and nose
SUBMERGING
(BOBBING)
FLOATING
 Many people swim to stop them from sinking by trying
to swim on the water, not in the water. Floating is the
best way to conserve energy, the next basic skill of
swimming to learn is using the buoyancy of the head.

Releasing the weight of the head into the water is the

main way to release tension throughout the body.
Floating horizontally is possible by moving the arms
in the water and bending the knees, if floating
motionless is difficult use sculling motion to help
stay on the surface..
PRONE
FLOAT
 It is performed by lying face down
the water, arms and legs extended. It
is used with the face submerged. Eyes
open to see under the water or with
the head high to observe..
JELLY FISH
OR TUCK
FLOAT
Body is doubled up by bending in the
legs, pulling the knees to the chest.
Arms clasp knees. In this position the
body will roll forward until only the
back is visible above the water.
PRONE FLOAT
PRONE FLOAT
It is performed by lying face down the
water, arms and legs extended. It is used
with the face submerged. Eyes open to see
under the water or with the head high to
observe.
https://youtu.be/wLSBRflOGCU?
si=ZwAq1GMojukyMNHN
JELLY FISH OR
TUCK FLOAT
JELLY FISH OR TUCK FLOAT
Body is doubled up by bending in the legs,
pulling the knees to the chest. Arms clasp
knees. In this position the body will roll
forward until only the back is visible above
the water.
https://youtu.be/vTfpNCQdPBM?
si=DidMAC6jyIDYrc12
 This exercise is being done by raising the
arms abruptly deward and upward when
swimmer want to go down and lowering the
arms sideward and downward when he want
to go up.
BACK
FLOAT
This is the best relaxing float and can be
performed with the legs or apart and arms
extended to the side or overhead. With the
legs together and arms by the side, there is
a tendency for the legs to sink and drag
the body under.
DEAD MAN’S
FLOAT
Lean forward, face down in the water and relax
completely, let your arms and legs drift where
they will. Open your eyes and look around. See
how long you can float in this position. Push
your feet against the bottom or against the
side of the pool; see how far you can glide. Try
steering yourself by working your hands and
feet slowly.
SCULLING
Sculling with the hands enables a man to
control the body in the water in a number of
positions, without the help of his feet. Sculling
and treading combined will save more energy
than using the feet or hands alone. It develops
the muscles, the hands and arms needed for
pushing against the water.
VERTICAL
SCULLING
 VERTICAL SCULLING
-Hold oneself upright in the water and weave the hands back and forth vigorously
back and forth in front of and to the sides of the body in a figure-eight movement
-Another method is to drop the hands down near the hips in the water then turn the
hands to about 45-degree angle away from the body, thumbs downward. With the
palms of the hands push the water away from the body until the hands are about
two feet from the side of the body. Immediately rotate the hands so that the thumbs
are up. The hands now recover, pulling water toward the side of the body. When the
hands reach the side they are again rotated until the thumbs are down and the
movements are repeated.
-A third method is to place the hand palms on the water press down on the water
several feet depth and recover again
FLUTTE- BACK
SCULLING
FLUTTE- BACK SCULLING
Lie on your back and kick
slowly up and down. The legs
and feet ought to be in a
knock- kneed and pigeon toed
position. The hands merely
execute a slow sculling
movement at the hips.
GLIDING
 GLIDING
-The glide is a movement in the water without taking any effort; it is a
way of releasing tension and is free from the task of coordinating the
limbs
-Let the arms float in the water in front. Make sure it is pointing forward
and at ease. Let the shoulder stay relax, stand tall but relax before
starting the glide. Keep arms away as you go silently into the water,
breathing gently without taking a deep breath. Let the crown of the head
and the fingers pointing where you want to go as you look down at the
floor. For momentum push into the floor or wall with your feet and keep
breathing gently until losing momentum. When landing, avoid the tendency
to pull the head out of the water instead watch the knees come forward
together, counterbalance with the arms and raise the head only when the
feet stand on the floor