PE - History of swimming and Basic skills in swimming including facilities and equipment PDF

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History of swimming and Basic skills in swimming including facilities and equipment s , rules and regulations and clothes and styles...

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History of Swimming Swimming was initially one of the seven agilities of knights during the Middle Ages, including swimming with armor. However, as swimming was done in a state of undress, it became less popular as society became more conservative in the early Modern period. [2] Leonardo da Vinci made early sketches of lifebelts. In 1539, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book Colymbetes. His purpose was to reduce the dangers of drowning. The book contained a good methodical approach to learning breaststroke, and mentioned swimming aids such as air filled cow bladders, reed bundles, and cork belts.[1] In 1587, Everard Digby also wrote a swimming book, claiming that humans could swim better than fish.[3] Digby was a Senior Fellow at St. John's College, Cambridge and was interested in the scientific method. His short treatise, De arte natandi , was written in Latin and contained over 40 woodcut illustrations depicting various methods of swimming, including the breaststroke, backstroke and crawl. Digby regarded the breaststroke as the most useful form of swimming. [4] In 1603, Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan declared that schoolchildren should swim.[5] In 1595, Christopher Middleton wrote "A short introduction for to learne to swimme", that was the first published guide recording drawings and examples of different swimming styles. In 1696, the French author Melchisédech Thévenot wrote The Art of Swimming , describing a breaststroke very similar to the modern breaststroke. This book was translated into English and became the standard reference of swimming for many years to come.[6] In 1793, GutsMuths from Schnepfenthal, Germany, wrote Gymnastik für die Jugend (Exercise for youth), including a significant portion about swimming. In 1794, Kanonikus Oronzio de Bernardi of Italy wrote a two volume book about swimming, including floating practice as a prerequisite for swimming studies. In 1798, GutsMuths wrote another book Kleines Lehrbuch der Schwimmkunst zum Selbstunterricht (Small study book of the art of swimming for self-study ), recommending the use of a "fishing rod" device to aid in the learning of swimming. His books describe a three-step approach to learning to swim that is still used today. First, get the student used to the water; second, practice the swimming movements out of the water; and third, practice the swimming movements in the water. He believed that swimming is an essential part of every education. [7] The Haloren, a group of salt makers in Halle, Germany, greatly advanced swimming through setting a good example to others by teaching their children to swim at a very early age.

Basic Skills in Swimming Swimming offers tremendous fitness benefits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that just 2.5 hours of swimming per week decreases the risk for chronic illnesses. Swimming improves mood and decreases anxiety, and the buoyancy of the water makes swimming a good choice for those with arthritis and other pain conditions. Even if you have no plans to become the next Michael Phelps, basic swimming skills are easy to learn. Water Comfort The most basic and essential swimming skill is simply becoming comfortable in the water. Although humans are born with innate water skills, many people develop a fear of the water. When unintentional submersion occurs, panicking gets in the way of logical thinking and increases the likelihood of

drowning. To become more comfortable in the water, spend time in a shallow pool or wading in the ocean. Never enter the water alone, especially if you are not a strong swimmer. Breath Control Breathing is often difficult for novice swimmers. With water all around, having some water enter the nose and mouth is a common occurrence. Some novice swimmers panic at the feeling of water in their noses, while others have trouble holding their breath while submerged. Learning to control your breathing is a key component in learning to swim. Breath control begins with simple exercises such as drawing a breath, submerging, blowing bubbles and then resurfacing for another breath. As your swimming skills improve, you will learn specific breathing techniques for different strokes. Work with a swimming coach or a friend or relative who is a strong swimmer. Floating Floating, or keeping your body in a horizontal position in the water, is a basic water skill. If you accidentally fall in the water, you may be able to float until you are rescued, even if you are not strong enough to swim to safety. Humans are naturally buoyant, and floating is not difficult. Like any other skill, however, floating does require a bit of technique. Get lessons from a coach or a competent friend or relative. Kicking Kicking provides propulsion through the water. Once you are comfortable with floating, kicking is the logical next step. Kicking is also used in treading water, which is the process of remaining in one place while keeping your head above the water line. Many coaches use kickboards, or flat flotation devices made of foam or plastic, to support the swimmer’s body. A kickboard allows you to focus solely on your kicking technique without worrying about staying afloat. Strokes Strokes are the arm movements used to pull the body through the water. The front crawl, sidestroke, breast stroke, backstroke and butterfly are the five most common swimming strokes. Each stoke uses different body positioning, breathing techniques and arm movements. Training with a qualified swimming coach is the best way to learn the various strokes.

Standard Dimension and size of the pool For most rectangular pools are about twice as long on one side as they are on the other, with an average depth of around 5.5 feet. Typical swimming pool dimensions are 10 x 20, 15 x 30, and 20 x 40.

Facilities and Equipments Earplugs/Nose Clips Some swimmers use earplugs to block water from entering the ear canal while they are swimming. Excess water entering the ear can cause discomfort for several hours after swimming and can also increase your chances of developing an outer ear infection, known as "swimmer's ear." Some swimmers also use nose clips to prevent water from entering their nose while they are swimming. Goggles Most pools contain high levels of chlorine or other chemicals to help keep the water free of bacteria and control the growth of algae in the water, states the Environmental Protection Agency. However, chlorine can irritate the eyes. Goggles allow you to see while your head is immersed in the water, without having to worry about chlorine irritation. Training Tools Numerous pieces of swimming equipment are designed to help in strength training and technique while swimming. Swim Caps The swim cap is a piece of equipment that provides multiple benefits. For professional swimmers, swim caps reduce drag to increase speed in the water. Swim caps also keep hair out of the face, help reduce the effects of chlorine on the hair and help swimmers retain body heat when they are swimming in colder water. Competition Equipment Competitive swimmers use several additional pieces of equipment. For example, coaches and timers at meets use stopwatches to help keep track of completion times for swimmers. Swimmers use lap counters in competition to help keep track of how many more laps they need to complete their event. Lane dividers consist of buoys that are strung on ropes and placed across the pool to divide the water into several swimming lanes. Recreational Equipment Some swimming equipment falls in the recreational category, including devices such as snorkeling masks and swimming fins, which allow swimmers to navigate natural aquatic environments such as lakes, seas and the ocean.

Rules and Regulations Freestyle Freestyle, often called the “crawl,” is the most flexible in its rules, and it is typically the fastest stroke. The only rules are that the swimmer may not push off the bottom of the pool or pull on the lane line, and must touch the far wall with some part of their body. Otherwise, swimmers may use any type of stroke. Freestyle is swum face-down with alternating arm strokes; side-breathing; and rapid, alternating up-and-down kicks. Freestyle races begin with swimmers doing forward-facing dives from either a starting block or the side of the pool. In multi-lap races, swimmers can do either an open turn or a flip turn. When doing a flip turn, the swimmer does not touch the wall with his/her hand. Instead, the swimmer’s feet touch the wall. At the finish, freestyle swimmers touch with one hand. Backstroke Backstroke is often thought of as “upside-down freestyle.” As in freestyle, backstroke is swum with alternating arm strokes and rapid, alternating, up-and-down kicks. Unlike freestyle, the swimmer must be on his/her back, facing the sky. When swimmers turn their shoulders more than 90 degrees, they are disqualified from the race for not remaining on their backs. The only exception to this rule applies to the flip turn in multi-lap backstroke races: Swimmers may turn onto their stomachs for one arm pull, provided their arm movement is continuous. When their feet leave the wall, swimmers must be on their backs. Backstroke races start with swimmers already in the water. Swimmers place their feet against the wall, and hold onto either the gutter or the grip built into the starting block. At the finish of the race, backstroke swimmers must stay on their backs until they touch the wall, ideally with one hand. Breastroke Breastroke is often thought of as the “frog stroke,” as the kick is reminiscent of a frog’s kick. A breaststroke swimmers arms and legs must move simultaneously, on the same horizontal plane, and identically to each other. The arms and legs stay mostly underwater, but a swimmer’s head must break the surface every stroke. So-called scissor kicks are not allowed. The arm stroke begins and ends in streamline position. The hands scoop water out to the sides, before sweeping in toward the middle of the body and then shooting forward. Swimmers are not allowed to pull their hands down past their hips, and must keep their elbows in the water when their hands are shooting forward. On the breastroke kick, swimmers must point their toes out to the side as the feet sweep out, around, and back together. For every arm stroke there must be one, and only one, kick. Breaststroke races begin with a forward-facing dive from either the edge of the pool or the starting block. At the beginning of each lap, swimmers may do one pull-down: one huge pull, in which the hands sweep down to the thighs, and one giant kick to the surface. On the first stroke after the pull-down, a swimmer’s head must break the surface of the water. Today’s swimmers are also allowed to do one dolphin/butterfly kick in the first part of the pull-down, before the first breastroke kick. At the end of each lap of a breaststroke race, swimmers must touch with two hands, simultaneously and on the same horizontal plane. In multi-lap races, swimmers will use open turns, not flip turns. Butterfly Butterfly emerged as a new stroke in the 1950s, as swimmers were trying to find ways to swim breastroke faster. The two primary innovations were the double over-the-water arm recovery, and the dolphin kick. Butterfly is swum with an undulating, dolphin-like movement at the surface of the water. The arms pull underwater simultaneously, and recover over the water, also simultaneously. Both hands must come out of the water at the same time on every stroke. During each arm pull, swimmers do two dolphin kicks, one when the hands enter the water, and one when the hands exit the water. A swimmer’s feet must kick up and down together, ideally with the feet kept close together. While the vast majority of swimmers lift the head and shoulders to breathe, some swimmers breathe to the side, as in freestyle.

Individual Medley Events The individual medley, or IM (pronounced “eye-em”), is a race in which the swimmers swim each stroke for one-fourth the total distance of the race. During each portion of the event, swimmers must swim the strokes legally. For example, swimmers must finish the butterfly and breaststroke laps with twohand-touches and finish the backstroke lap on their backs. They must also swim the strokes in this order: butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, freestyle. IM events begin with a forward-facing dive. Relays In a relay, four swimmers compete as a team. A swimmer may swim only once in a relay, and must swim one-fourth the total distance of the race. In a freestyle relay, all swimmers swim freestyle. In a medley relay, each swimmer swims a different stroke. In a medley relay the strokes must be swum in this order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. Freestyle relays begin with a forward-facing dive, while medley relays begin with a backstroke start. All the other swimmers in a relay can begin with a “rolling” start, provided they do not leave the blocks before their teammate touches the wall. (In a rolling start, swimmers stand at the back of the starting block, and generate momentum by swinging their arms, and taking a step to the front of the block.)

Clothes and styles in swimming

Rash guard (also known as rash vest or rashie)

One-piece (also known as tank suit, maillot)

Trunks (also known as boardshorts in Australia or shorts in UK)

A type of athletic shirt made of spandex and nylon or polyester. Rash guards may be worn as an alternative to wetsuits during warmer weather. They may also offer UV protection.

Probably the most common form of one-piece swimsuit, the tank suit form is the inspiration for the tank top as a mainstream article of clothing. The name "tank suit" is also supposed to be derived from the term "swimming tank", an obsolete term for what is now called a swimming pool.

In the US, this describes a loose, mid-thigh style of swimwear, made of 100% polyester or 100% nylon fabric. They are usually shorter than boardshorts but longer than boxer shorts. They remain the norm with older age groups and young children. In other cultures (particularly the UK) the term 'trunks' is used to describe swim briefs, although it has been increasingly common for any men's swimwear to be generically described as 'trunks'....