swim

1. Geneva Mae M. Noe
XII-STEM 1
SWIMMING
Swimming is an individual or team racing
sport that requires the use of one's entire
body to move through water. The sport
takes place in pools or open water.
Competitive swimming is one of the most
popular Olympic sports, with varied
distance events in butterfly, backstroke,
breaststroke, freestyle, and individual
medley.
Also, swimming is an activity
that burns lots of calories, is easy on the
joints, supports your weight, builds
muscular strength and endurance. It also
improves cardiovascular fitness, cools
you off and refreshes you in summer, and
is one that you can do safely into old age.
HISTORY
Swimming 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.
Of course, anciently, swimming was done
because it was necessary for survival.
Whether people needed to cross a river to
safety on the other side or simply know
how to tread water to prevent drowning,
swimming has certainly come a long way
since its ancient days. Here is the history
of swimming in a competitive sense as it
is known today.
Swimming has featured on the
programmed of all editions of the Games
since 1896. The very firstOlympic events
were freestyle (crawl) or breaststroke.
Backstroke was added in 1904.
DIFFERENT SWIMMING STOKES
1. Breaststroke
- involves exquisite timing, and in fact,
you can be disqualified from competition
if you miss even one stroke.
The stroke involves form that causes your
body to bob up and down as you glide
forward through the water. This is a
difficult stroke and not one to choose if
you're just learning how to swim. The
basics are that your arms pull, you
breathe, you kick (arms alternate with the
kick), and you glide. Here are details.
2. Butterfly
Like the breaststroke, this is a difficult
stroke and not recommended for
beginners because it requires perfect
timing and a good deal of strength. During
the stroke, the legs move together in a
dolphin kick (imagine a mermaid), the
arms move together to push the water
downward and backward, and the torso
undulates like an earthworm as the body
moves forward through the water.
3. Backstroke
The backstroke is easier than the butterfly
or breaststroke and like the crawl in that
you use an alternate windmill arm stroke
and flutter kick. Two keys to a proper
backstroke are that your arms move with
equal strength, otherwise you will swim
off to one side, and that your body rolls
from side to side so that your arms catch
enough water to propel you forward.
4. Crawl (freestyle)
This is the most popular stroke and the
easiest for beginners to learn. It is a
simple flutter kick and windmill arm

2. motion, like the backstroke, only on your
belly. The most difficult part is
coordinating the breathing since your face
is in the water most of the time.
5. The freestyle flip turn (when
swimming the crawl)
There are a couple of options for turning
around when you reach the wall during
lap swimming. You can simply touch the
wall and turn around and start swimming
again or you can do a flip turn. The flip
turn is essentially a somersault in the
water where you flip and turn and use
your legs to power-kick off the wall. The
flip turn, when completed properly, is
fast, efficient, and time-saving. If you've
ever watched Olympic swimming, you
see the swimmers gracefully execute their
flip turns. Here are the basics.
EQUIPMENTS NEEDED
1. Swimsuit – this is an item of clothing
designed to be worn by people engaging
in a water-based activity or water sports,
such as swimming, diving and surfing, or
sun-orientated activities, such as sun
bathing.
2. Goggles – this protects your eyes from
chlorine (and anything else that may be in
the water), and they help you keep your
eyes open while you swim so that you can
see where you're going. You can even get
prescription swim goggles if you wear
glasses.
3. Bathing caps – this can serve several
purposes. Some pool managers will
require individuals with long hair to wear
caps to keep hair from getting into the
pool, and some people just like to protect
their hair from the chlorine in the water.
You may also decide to wear a bathing
cap tocut down on resistance in the water.
Many caps are made of latex, although
you can find silicone, neoprene (keeps
you warm), and Lycra as well.
4. Flotation devices and other equipment
– This helps in learning how to swim,
improve your swimming times if you start
to get competitive, and add resistance to
your water workouts to build muscular
strength and tone. Flotation devices help
keep you afloat so that you can slow down
and work on your swim stroke without
sinking or causing too much fatigue.
5. Kickboards – are devices made of foam
or other materials that float, and they
come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The
main purpose is for you to hold on and
stay afloat while your legs do all the work.
6. Pull buoys – Like kickboards, these are
flotation devices that come in a variety of
shapes and sizes, but unlike a kickboard,
which gives the upper body a rest, pull
buoys are placed between the legs to keep
the legs afloat without kicking so that you
can work your upper body. Pull buoys are
excellent training devices for building
upper-body strength, endurance, and
cardiorespiratory fitness. They can also
help you work on your form because you
can swim slowly and deliberately without
sinking.
7. Fins – This fit on your feet and add
propulsion to your kicks. They are great
training for your legs and will help you
swim faster. They come in long fins for
beginners who want to work on their
stroke and build up leg strength and ankle
flexibility and short fins to help you go
faster without overworking your legs.
Fins should fit snugly but not so tight that
they cut into your foot or cut off
circulation.
8. Hand paddles –are attached to your
hands and add propulsion to your arm

3. stroke because they move more water.
They can be a lot of work for the arms
and shoulders because of the resistance
in the water, and for this reason, they are
used in water aerobic classes to mimic
the resistance exercises that you do on
land with dumbbells.
9. Gloves – Gloves, like hand paddles,
also add resistance for your arms,
although they are smaller than paddles
and so the resistance is lighter. These
might be a better choice than paddles if
you're just starting out with resistance
exercises in the water.
10. Water dumbbells – They add
resistance like paddles or gloves, but you
can release them quickly after a set and
then grab them again when you're ready.
Water creates lots of resistance, and so
water dumbbells will make you stronger
if you use them consistently.
11. Noodle - a flexible, tube-shaped
flotation device that you can wrap under
your arms or around your waist to keep
you buoyant so that you can keep
moving in the water.
12. Aqua jogger – is a flotation device
that you wear like a belt. It permits you
to keep on moving without fatigue, so
that you can work on your stroke as well
as your strength and aerobic fitness, but
it's more heavy-duty than a noodle and
will accommodate heavier people and
create more resistance.
13. Water treadmill – There are two
types. One is a device that you install in
your pool that works with a propeller to
create a current of water that you swim
in place against. The other type is a
treadmill that is designed for use in
water. You walk on it just like any land-
based treadmill, only there is less strain
on your joints because of the water.
BENEFITS
1. Works your whole body
 increases your heart rate without
stressing your body
 tones muscles
 builds strength
 builds endurance
2. Works your insides, too such as
cardiovascular system
3. Is appropriate for people with injuries,
arthritis, and other conditions
Swimming can be a safe exercise option
for people with:
 arthritis
 Injury
 Disability
 other issues that make high-impact
exercises difficult
4. Good option for people with asthma
5. Torches calories
6. Improves your sleep
7. Boosts your mood
9. Helps manage stress