2. HISTORY OF SWIMMING
Swimming started out a long time ago in prehistoric times. They know this
because there are drawings in caves that earlier Hominids drew. The first
official swim competition was in 1800 in Europe. The first time swimming
was in the Olympics was in the 1896 Olympics, in Athens Greece. It’s now
a really popular sport and lots and lots of people do it. Most people don’t do
It competitively but just for fun.
Swimming started getting really popular in the US when Mark Spitz won
seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich, Germany Olympics. That’s a lot of
gold medals. Later on Michael Phelps wanted to beat Mark Spitz score and
get eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. It took a lot of dedication and
time for him but he got his eighth medal. It was all over the news. That was
one of the most famous events in Olympic history and for swimming.
3. Aerodynamic
Swimming is all about being fast. If you’re not aerodynamic you won’t go very far, because
the more aerodynamic you are the faster you will be. Swim gear can help you be more
aerodynamic. They have some swim suits that have minimum drag so you will just glide
over the water.;this is a unfair advantage so that’s why they are banning the “Super
Suits” from the Olympics and any other swim competition. They also have something
called a “Drag Suit”. You wear it in practice and it will slow you down, so when you are
racing you will go faster and there won’t be any drag. Another thing that helps with
aerodynamics is wearing a swim cap. It goes on you head so all of you hair doesn’t slow
you down. Also the type of goggles you wear can have an impact on your speed. There
are two different types of goggles; race goggles and just ordinary goggles. Race goggles
are a lot smaller than just normal goggles. Over all wearing things to make you go faster
doesn't help that much unless you are milliseconds away from a world record or National
time.
The thing that matters most about being aerodynamic is your technique. If your technique
is bad then you won’t be fast. The thing that matters most in your technique is different
for each stroke except that in all strokes you have to lunge forward to push yourself. This
makes you go faster. Another thing that helps you go faster is getting a good reach and a
good pull. So aerodynamics are not all about the fancy gear but your technique.
4. Different Types of Pools
Short course Long Course
There are two different types of racing The other type of pool is a long course
pools “Short course” which is a 25 pool. Long course pools are double the
meter pool. You go faster in a short length of the short course pool so it’s 50
course pool because there is a wall you meters. There are some disadvantages
can flip turn on which will generate about long course pools. One
speed. Also you have more time under disadvantage is that there are more short
water which helps you, because you go course pools than long course pools to
faster under water than you do on the practice in. Another disadvantage is that
surface. the is one less wall to get a push off
from. This will make you more tired,
especially in a 1500 meter event.
5. Free Style
Free style is the fastest stroke out of all four strokes. It is also the hardest to be disqualified in. The
only way you can be disqualified in a free style event is to false start (Jump off the blocks early)
or go too far under water. You are only allowed to go 15 meters under water. Another interesting
fact about free style is that it has the only 50 meter Olympic race. The world record in the 50 free
long courses is César Cielo with a time of 20.91 seconds.
Free style events are the most diverse. There are really long free style races like the 1500 which in
a short course pool is 60 lengths. It is easy to lose track in really long races like these. That’s
why the timers ring a bell the last 50 meters. There are also really short races in free style like
the 50 meter sprint. The 50 free is the fastest swimming event in the Olympics.
There are qualifying times for each event. The time I need for the 1500 meter AAA is 19 minutes
and 38.41 seconds, the world record time is 14:34.56 set by Grant Hackett, of Australia. Also the
time I need for the 100 meter free style is 103.72. This is a AAA time. They are hard to get
because you really have to work to get them. Some times they get faster because if the world
record gets faster the AAA has to get faster.
6. ButterFly
Butterfly is one the hardest strokes to learn because there are so many
things that you need to do to not get disqualified. Some ways you can be
disqualified are if your hands or feet aren’t synchronized. Also if you don’t
touch the wall with both hands at the same time you will be disqualified.
Over the last ten years butterfly has changed a lot. Before it was all about
getting high out of the water and now it’s a lot more aerodynamic because
now you try to lunge your body forward and stay as close as you can to the
surface. This will help you go faster and be more energy efficient. One of
the things about butterfly is that butterfly kick is used in every stroke except
for breast stroke. You use the fly kick under water to stream line to the 15
meter marker (or at least try to). In all of the other strokes it is known as
dolphin kick. The time I need for 100 fly 13 year old AAA is 1:13:71, but the
world record held by Michael Phelps is 50:22. That’s really fast.
7. Breast stroke is a very smooth stroke but can be
Breast stroke done in many ways. One way is to come high out
of the water and lunge out. Lunging out is a good
thing because that pushes you forward and then
you will build momentum and be able to go fast.
Another way is to not come high out of the water
but just have a strong pull. This is not as good as
the other way. Also breast stroke has a unique
under water pull. It is called the “underwater pull”.
This is how you do it. You first dive off the block
into a stream line and then you pull your hands
down to your knees, this pushes you forward. Then
you do one under water breast stroke. If you did it
right you should be at the surface and then you
can just do breast stroke from there.
Breast stroke has a lot of events as well like the 100
meter, 200 meter and sometimes the 50. The 50
breast is not an Olympic event. The time I need for
the 100 breast AAA is 123:41 and right now my
time is 126:00.
8. Backstroke
Backstroke is the only stroke that you’re on your back. Also back stroke you get the most
oxygen because your mouth and nose are both out of the water. Back stroke is hard to
get into a right rhythm when you first learn it, but after a while you get into it. All
professional backstrokers hands and arms are always having one hand out of the water
and one hand in the water.
The way you can gain lots of speed in any back stroke event is to have a good dive. The
back stroke dive is the only dive that you are in the water when you dive. To do a good
dive you need to pull yourself really high out of the water and then throw your body and
head back. Once you’re in the water you need to start doing dolphin kick to the 15 meter
mark.
For back stroke the way you turn is easy to be disqualified on because the way you do a
backstroke turn is you flip on to your stomach but you still have one hand reaching
forward and then you flip your legs over your head and push off. After you push off you
turn back onto your back and while your turning do dolphin kick and try to make it to the
15 meter marker.
9. What You Need To Succeed
To succeed in swimming you need a lot of dedication because once you reach a
certain level there are six practices a week of fifteen hours in the pool. Most
practices are early at 5:45am. Another thing you need to be a good swimmer is to
eat healthily. This means not eating junk food like McDonalds. The things you
should eat are things that have little grease or sugar. Some sugar is good
because it is quick energy. Quick energy is good at swim competitions because
right after a race you might be tired and need a little energy. You can’t eat too
much at swim meets because you don’t want to throw up during your race. One
of the most important things you need to be a good swimmer is sleep. Without
sleep you won’t go anywhere because your body needs to recover, but you also
can’t miss any practices. The most important thing you need to succeed is to
listen to your coach. Sometimes this is hard because you think that they are
wrong but in the end 90% of the time they are right. So those are the things you
need to succeed in swimming.
10. Equipment
• Swim suit
• Drag suit
• Kick board: you use this for kicking in practice
• Goggles: (Practice goggles and race goggles)
• Paddles: you use these for improving your pull
• Snorkel: you use them for not having to breathe and it helps improve your technique, it
doesn't look like an ordinary snorkel and it isn’t. The tube goes right in between your
eyes and goes over your head.
