FACULTY OF SPORTS SCIENCE AND RECREATION

SPS 147 PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY SWIMMING

STUDENT’S NAME:

FATIN FATINI BINTI RUSLY

MATRIC CARD:

2014118165

GROUP:

SR113 1A

LECTURE’S NAME:

DR. NADIAH DIYANA TAN BINTI ABDULLAH

CONTENTS

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 CONTENTS PAGES

APPRECIATION 3

INTRODUCTION 4

HISTORY OF SWIMMING 5-6

THE FITNESS ASPECT 7-8

BASIC SWIMMING RULES 9-12

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT 13-21

EXERCISES FOR THE BEGINNING

22-28
SWIMMER

FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE 29-30

BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE 31-32

BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE 33-35

BUTTERFLY TECHNIQUE 36-38

CONDITIONING ON DRY LAND 39-46

CONCLUSION 47

REFERENCE 48

APPRECIATION

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 Alhamdulillah, give thanks to the divine mercy and favor with time, life energy that
was given to me which i can also complete this task successfully.

Firstly, i would like to dedicate this award to speak of our beloved lecturer, Dr.
Nadiah Diyana Tan Binti Abdullah because of by her tutoring and mentoring of open
space for me to complete this task with success.

I also want to thank you to my beloved parents who gave me a facilitator to complete
this course. They have provide me with all the amenities and moral support to the infinite
until i finished this task.

This gratitude also goes to my fellow friends who warn against any of what i have
been neglectful. They help me by answering any questions that i am asked them.

Lastly, i would like to thank all those involved directly or otherwise in the making of
this course work. Thank you.

INTRODUCTION

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Swimming is an aquatic sport which is based on the human act of swimming. Basically,
the goal of swimming sport is to complete a given distance in the smallest time. Different
swimming competitions are held which are totally based on speed and endurance such as
crossing an English Channel. Swimming as a sport, is different from other aquatic sports
like diving, synchronized swimming and water polo that involves the act of swimming
but the goal is neither speed nor endurance. However, it is widely believe that swimming
is the best aerobic exercise in the world.

During 19th century, competitive swimming became very popular and the internatonal
swimming association, Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) was formed in the
year 1908. Professional swimming develops with the formation of this swimming
association. There are thirty six officially individual swimming events including 18 male
events and 18 female events. These competitive swimming events are governed and
organized by FINA. However, among 36 events only 34 of them are recognized by the
International Olympic Committee which includes 17 male and 17 female.

Professional sports swimming competitions has many different modalities which includes
butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and individual or IM. However, depending
on the modalities and the style of swimming, different turns such as open turn, flip turn or
tumble turn and backward turn and bucket turn may be permitted at the end walls. Most
of the swimming competitions are held in a long course pool such as that at the Olympic
games(50 m) or short course pool as was used in the Manchester world championships
(25 m or 25 yd).

The International Federation for swimming, FINA organized the Swimming World Cup,
which is an international series of short course swimming. The series of events in this
world Cup includes freestyle (50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 300 m, 400 m, 800 m for women and
1800 m for men), back stroke (50 m, 100 m, 200 m), breaststroke (50 m, 100 m, 200 m),
butterfly (50 m, 100 m, 200 m), and individual medley (100 m, 200 m, 400 m) for both
male and female. Currently, the overall 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers are awarded
prize money.

HISTORY OF SWIMMING

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The history of swimming is a long one, precisely it can be traced back to the prehistoric
times. The Bible, as well as the Iliad and the Odyssey all contain references to the sport
of swimming. However, these sources date back nearly 3,000 years. Egyptian clay seals
from 4000 B.C. also depict four swimmers doing the crawl stroke. Ancient Egyptian,
Grecian and Roman palaces were often equipped with swimming pools or baths. Even
drawings discovered in the Kebir desert are linked to this time period and show people
moving through water. According to the historians, swimming was also often used in the
battle. The Greeks were often regarded as solid swimmers. Read on to know more about
the origin of swimming.

Looking back to swimming history, any form of competitive swimming wasn’t formed
until the 1800’s in Europe. Meanwhile, the evolution of swimming history expanded
during the middle ages. Even literary references about the pastime became popular.
Nicolas Wynman’s book Colymbetes, published in 1538 was the first novel devoted to
the subject. Moreover, swimming was introduced as a training regimen for knights in this
period. Life saving concepts and techniques began to form throughout the next few
hundred years. During 18th and 19th century the sport began to evolve into more of a
competition than just life safety. Swimming Associations and Clubs popped up all over
the world. Some of the first in swimming history were in China, Sweden and Germany.

Another turning point in the history of swimming is when schools accepted swimming as
a natural part of any life education. Thus, they began to teach swimming in schools not
just as a life safety course but as an extracurricular activity. However, swimming
competitions began to arise around the mid 1800’s. England was the first to modernize
the sport and incorporate an indoor swimming pool with a swim team. In 1837, London’s
six artificial pools hosted competitions. They began to formulate new swimming styles
including the sidestroke and later evolved freestyle swimming. The 1896 Athens Olympic
Games included swimming, offering the 100 meter and 1500 meter freestyle. In time,
additional freestyle races were added, as well as the backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke,
and the IM or individual medley. The world swimming association named Federation
Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) was established in the year 1908. Women
were allowed to participate in 1912 Olympic which was held in Stockholm. Today,

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swimming is one of the most competitive and most-watched sports at the Olympic
Games. Moreover, swimming became one of the top means of exercise. The recreational
aspects of swimming continue to make it a popular pastime and a beloved sport.

THE FITNESS ASPECT

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Fitness is a vitally important component of success in swimming. There are many
components of fitness that make up a good swimmer, importance of each of these
depends on the race distance and stroke. The fitness tests used to access a swimmer
should also reflect the range of fitness components, and the interpretation of the results
should also be relative to the importance of each of these attributes. There are the fitness
components for swimming.

1. Body Size and Shape — swimmers are usually tall and relatively lean. Some body fat
is not a hindrance as it can add to buoyancy in the water. The usual anthropometric
measures for swimmers would include height, weight, sitting height, arm span, hand
span, body fat using skin fold measures.

2. Reaction Time — the start can be very important, particularly over short distance
events. The body's physical reaction time is not something that can usually be trained,
though starting practice, technique and improvements in power can improve a swimmers
start.

3. Strength and Power — strength and power are important for a powerful explosive
start off the blocks, and for quick and powerful turns. A vertical jump test is best to
measure the explosive power of the legs. Upper body strength can be measured using
Bench Press 1RM or 3RM tests.

4. Swimming Race Winner Anaerobic Capacity — The sprint swimming events rely
heavily on the anaerobic system. The anaerobic system response to swimming can be
measured by taking blood lactate measures after races and training sets. You could also
look at speed drop off during a maximal 6 x 50m set with short recovery, somewhat like
this anaerobic sprint fatigue test.

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5. Endurance — aerobic capacity is important for a swimmer to maintain a high rate
throughout the race, particularly the longer distance events. Land based endurance tests
(e.g. treadmill VO2max) can be used, though specific swimming tests are more relevant.

6. Health — lung function is obviously important for the swimmer, and checks should be
make to check that the lungs are healthy and functioning to their full capacity.

Swimming Specific Fitness Tests

Fitness testing for swimming usually includes training or race type test, such as 8 x 200m
step test, in which heart rate, blood lactate, split times, stroke rate and perceived exertion
are recorded.

Here are some other fitness tests related to swimming:

Swimming Beep Test — water based multistage beep test.

Swimming Step Test — a very comprehensive swimming-specific physiological test

Shuttle swim test — a shuttle endurance swimming test like the running beep test that
was designed for water polo players.

1 km Swim — a 1 km swim designed for testing triathletes.

100 m Swim Test — a swimming speed test designed for talent identification testing for
triathletes.

500yd / 450m Swim Test — used for the Navy assessment.

BASIC SWIMMING RULES

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The technical rules of swimming are designed to provide fair and equitable conditions for
competition and to promote uniformity in the sport. Each swimming stroke has specific
rules designed to ensure that no swimmer gets an unfair competitive advantage over
another swimmer. The technical rules for each stroke may be found in the publication
“Unites States Swimming Rules and Regulations”. You can ask the coach to see a copy
of this booklet.

Competitive Strokes

The four competitive strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Events
are held in all of the competitive strokes at varying distances depending on the age-group
of the swimmer. In addition, there is a combination of the strokes swum by one swimmer
called the individual medley (IM). Other swimming events include relays, which are a
group of four swimmers who either all swim freestyle (freestyle relay) or each swim one
of the competitive strokes in the order of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle
(medley relay).

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

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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.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke 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 breaststroke
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 breaststroke 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.

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Butterfly

Butterfly emerged as a new stroke in the 1950s, as swimmers were trying to find ways to
swim breaststroke 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.

Butterfly races begin with a forward-facing dive, and swimmers must finish each lap by
touching the wall with two hands simultaneously, on the same horizontal plane. At the
beginning of each lap, swimmers will do underwater dolphin kicks, but must break the
surface of the water with their head at or before 15 meters. In multi-lap races, swimmers
will do open turns, as opposed to flip turns.

Individual Medley

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 two-hand-touches and finish the backstroke lap on
their backs. They must also swim the strokes in this order: butterfly, backstroke,
breaststroke, 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.

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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.)

Starts

The swimmers are not allowed a false start. If they jump the start and the starter thinks
they are trying to get an advantage (whether intentional or not-it does not matter), they
will be taken out of the race. This is not like the Olympics where they are allowed two
false starts.

Turns and Finishes

• Freestyle: feet have to touch the wall

• Backstroke: swimmers have to be on their back when they touch the wall. After he or
she touches, he or she can then turn around, but he or she must push off on their back. At
the finish a swimmer must finish on his or her back. A swimmer may not roll over and
grab the wall until they have first touched it.

• Breaststroke and Butterfly:

1. Swimmers have to touch with both hands at the same time.

2. A swimmer may not freestyle kick off the wall in either breaststroke or butterfly.

3. When swimming butterfly, both arms must move at the same time.

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT OF SWIMMING

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FACILITIES

1. Short course pool and long course pool

In Swimming, the term short course (abbreviated SC) is used to identify a pool that is 25
meters (or 25 yards) in length. The term is also often included in meet names when
conducted in a short course pool. "Short course" is the second type of pool configuration
currently recognized by FINA and other swimming bodies for pool competition. The
other/primary pool length being "long course", where the pool is 50 meters in length.
Olympic and the World Championships are conducted in a long course pool.

In the United States, the term "short course" is more commonly applied to 25 yards
(22.86 m) competition, which is more common in that country. Short course yards is
generally abbreviated as "SCY" to differentiate it from short course meters (SCM). The
US national federations, USA Swimming and United States Masters Swimming, both
maintain SCY USA records, FINA does not currently recognize records set in SCY, but
does recognize/keep SCM records. USA college (including NCAA competition) and high
school swimming are traditionally swum SCY.

Short course meter competitions are also denoted by listing of the actual meter distance:
"25m" (note: within swimming, a space is not placed between the number and the meter
"m").

Short course records are traditionally faster than long course records. This is assumed to
be connected to increased number of wall push-offs, where speed is greatest.

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2. Lane lines

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Lane lines are plastic buoys strung together on a line dividing the pool into lanes. They
keep the swimmers from the swimming into each other and help to decrease water
turbulence that waves created by a swimmer moving through the water.

3.

Pace clock

A traditional pace clock

looks like a large analog
clock with a few small
tweaks. There’s no hour
hand, and the clock has
seconds written on it
instead of hours. This
means that there’s a “60”
written at the top of the
clock instead of a “12.” This is why swimmers often refer to the “60” as “the top.”

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Similarly, the 30, called “the bottom,” is on the bottom of the clock. When doing a set,
you might hear a coach or fellow swimmer say, “Let’s leave on ‘the bottom.’” This
means leave the wall when the second hand gets to the 30. When reading the clock, the
main hand that you need to pay attention to is the second hand.

4. Backstroke flags

Backstroke flags are usually

strung between stanchions,
sturdy metal posts anchored to
the pool deck using slip anchors. Whether swimmers are using short course yard pools or
long course meter pools, they rely on colorful swim flags to determine their distance from
the lane end wall. Flag lines are less commonly anchored directly to facility walls,
usually in cases where tying to stanchions isn’t possible.

Flags and pool stanchions are stationed 5 meters (in the case of long and short course
meters courses) or 5 yards (in the case of short course yards courses) away from end of
course, to create a standard for swimmers using stroke counts to optimize turns, perfect
race finishes, and avoid ramming into the pool wall!

Sliding stanchion collars can be added to quickly and easily change the height of pool
flags.

5. Starting blocks

Starting blocks are

platforms mounted at the
deep end of the pool
upon which the
swimmers stand at the
start of competitive races.

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The starting block can be no more than 27 inches above the water’s surface. For safety
reasons, blocks should be placed at the deep end of the pool or over water that is at least
41/2 feet deep. The top of the starting block should have a nonslip surface.

EQUIPMENT

1. The suit

A swimsuit, bathing suit, swimming costume, bathing costume, swimming suit,

swimmers, swimming togs, bathers, cossie (short for "costume"), or swimming trunks for
men, is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based
activity or water sports, such as swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo, diving,
surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing. Different types
are worn by men, women, and children.

A swimsuit can be worn as an undergarment in sports that require a wet suit such as water
skiing, scuba diving, surfing, and wake boarding. Swimsuits are also worn when there is
a need to display the body, as in the case of beauty pageants or bodybuilding contests.
Glamour photography and magazines like the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
feature models and sports personalities in swimsuits.

There is a very wide range of styles of modern swimsuits, which vary in relation to body
coverage and materials. The choice of style of swimsuit is dependent on current fashions

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and community standards of modesty, as well as on personal preferences. Swimwear for
men usually exposes the chest, which women do not usually do.

2. The googles

Goggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eye wear that usually enclose or protect
the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from
striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are
often used in snow sports as well, and in swimming. Goggles are often worn when using
power tools such as drills or chainsaws to prevent flying particles from damaging the
eyes. Many types of goggles are available as prescription goggles for those with vision
problems.

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3. The cap

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A swim cap, swimming cap or bathing cap, is a tightly fitted, skin-tight garment,
commonly made from silicone, latex or lycra, worn on the head by recreational and
competitive swimmers.

Caps are worn for various reasons. Some facilities require the wearing of swim caps, in
order to protect filters from becoming clogged with loose hairs which fall from the head
of swimmers who are not wearing a cap, or to ensure long loose hair does not get caught
in equipment. Caps are also sometimes worn in an attempt to keep hair relatively dry or
protect from chlorinated water, to keep the sun off the hair, and also, when a cap is worn
with ear plugs, in order to keep water out of the ears. Competitive swim caps also reduce
drag in the water caused by loose hair. During longer swimming sessions, a swim cap
keeps the wearer's head warm.

4. Additional equipment

a) kick board

Swimming boards (often referred to as kick board) are a flotation aid used to develop a
swimmer's kicking action. They can be used on all strokes but are primarily used on
Freestyle, Butterfly stroke and Breaststroke.

Swimmers of all ability can use them. Young swimmers can develop their kicking action
while elite swimmers can refine their kick. They are also used to strengthen a swimmers
legs.

b) Pull-buoy

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A pull buoy or leg float is a figure-eight shaped piece of closed-cell foam used in swim
workouts. Swimmers place the buoy between their thighs or their ankles to provide
support to the body without kicking their legs; this allows the swimmer to focus on
training only their arms and developing both endurance and upper body strength.

Using the pull buoy gives the arms a more focused workout by providing flotational
support for hips and legs. Good body position and technique can be established and a
bilateral breathing rhythm can be refined.

The pull buoy can be combined with a rubber ring to tie one's feet together, so there is no
notion of kick. It also provides individuals with heavy legs with a way to be better
positioned in the water.

Pull buoy is often confused with pool buoy, particularly by those who have never seen
the term written. Pull here refers to the pull phase of the swim stroke which this device
helps to train. Pool buoys usually refers to the floating plastic lines used to demarcate lap
lanes in a pool.

c) Training paddles

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A hand
paddle is a
device worn
by swimmers
during
training. It
consists of a
plastic plate
worn over
the
swimmer's
palm and
attached over
the back of
the
swimmer's
hand with
elastic cords.
The plate is
often
perforated
with a pattern of holes.

Handle paddles increase the resistance the hand experiences as it tries to move through
the water during the effective part of the arm stroke - the part of the stroke described as
the "pull". This gives the swimmer considerably more forward propulsion from the arm
stroke that does a naked hand, and affords an enhanced kinesthetic "feel" of the pull. It
also enhances the swimmer's feel of the "catch", the phase prior to the pull, where the
hand turns from a streamlined position to grasp the water and begin the pull. If the hand
catches or pulls at an incorrect angle, the increased resistance afforded by the hand paddle

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will exacerbate the result twisting moment, making the defect clearer to the swimmer.
The considerably increased load imposed by the hand paddle on the arm and shoulder
can, however, lead to pain and an increased risk of injury, so coaches advise only limited
use of paddles and that use be discontinued if the swimmer feels shoulder pain.

Paddles are often used with pull buoys to build up arm strength.

EXERCISES FOR THE BEGINNING SWIMMER

1. Blowing bubbles

The following basic drills can be used to get familiar with breathing technique in the
water. Wear swimming goggles to practice those drills.

Drill 1: In shallow water, hold your breath, then crouch down so your head gets under
water. Stay in that position for a few seconds, then rise up.

Drill 2: Same as drill 1, but exhale under water through the nose so you blow bubbles.

Drill 3: Same as drill 2, except that you now blow bubbles both out of your nose and your
mouth.

Drill 4: In shallow water, crouch down until the water surface rests between your nose
and your mouth. Now practice inhaling above water through your nose and exhaling
under water through your mouth.

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Drill 5: In shallow water, submerge your face and blow bubbles through your mouth,
nose, or both. Then hold onto the pool edge and try to get into a horizontal position with
your face turned downward. Continue to blow bubbles through your mouth and nose. To
get into the horizontal position you can use a relaxed flutter kick.

Drill 6: Bob up and down with your body in shallow water. Inhale while your head is
above water and exhale while your head is under water. This drill gets you familiar with
rhythmic breathing, a skill that will be useful later on when learning the different
swimming strokes.

2. Floating

Step 1: Relax

- The key to floating is, ironically, a major challenge for beginners: You have to relax. As
soon as you master this, you will be able to “swim.”

- If you’re afraid of the water, find an instructor you like and trust to help you overcome
your fear. Practice in shallow water until you have confidence in your natural ability to
float.

- If you can float, but you’re still tense, notice your breathing pattern. Deep breathing is
not only scientifically proven to help your body relax, but it will also bring more oxygen
into your body, which should make you more buoyant.

- Look at the sky (or the ceiling tiles, if your pool is indoors), and breathe in deeply. Fill
your lungs with oxygen on each breath – feel the air travel all the way down to the lower

24
end of your lungs (near the bottom of your rib cage). Hold your breath for a short
moment and feel yourself essentially weightless atop the water. Exhale and repeat.

Step 2: Improve Your Float Mechanics

- Gently press your weight onto your shoulder blades and let your head relax into the
water as if you are resting your head on a pillow. Or, if you are in streamline position
facing the sky, press the top of your hands into the water.

- If your legs always sink, reach your hands above your head. By reaching your arms
above your head, you are creating a longer support above your waist, which gives you
more leverage for lifting your legs up to the surface. At the very least, it will bring your
legs higher in water.

Step 3: Strengthen Your Technique

-Engage your abdominal muscles. Use your core strength to lift your lower body toward
the surface. You might think about a string attached to your bellybutton that is pulling
your torso to the top of the water. The link between your mind and your body is powerful.
If you can simply imagine the string pulling your belly and your feet to the surface of the
water, your muscles will probably organize themselves and make it happen!

-Kick very, very, very gently. Okay, so perhaps this is cheating a bit. Don’t kick so hard
that you have forward momentum. But very light and gentle, alternating leg movements
will help force them to the surface. Of course, as you do this, stay relaxed.

3. Kicking in the prone position from the wall

there are 4 key technique elements:

Step 1: Kick from the hip

Many swimmers bend their knees too much whilst kicking - we call this kicking from the
knee. This creates large amounts of drag and is probably the number one reason for a
swimmer's legs to sink low in the water. Instead of kicking from the knee you should kick
from the hip with a relatively straight leg.

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Don't: Kick from the knee, it creates loads of drag.

Do: Kick from the hip with a relatively straight leg.

Triathletes can have a real problem here. Cycling and running involve developing power
from the knee and it's easy to carry this habit across into the water. As soon as you bend
your knee you present your thigh as a blunt object to the water and you push the water
against the flow. With good kicking technique, you can bend your knee a little on the
down stroke but this shouldn't be a ‘driven' movement, it's just a slight movement from a
relaxed knee. As described in the tips below it's best not to think about bending your knee
at all, instead think about kicking from the hip with a straight leg – a very slight knee
bend will happen naturally.

Step 2: Plantar flexed feet (Pointing Your Toes)

Plantar flexion is technical jargon for pointing your toes. When you swim you should
always have your toes pointed, this presents a much lower profile to the water. Not
pointing your toes will push water forwards when you kick, slowing you dramatically.

Dorsi Flexed Feet

Dorsi Flexion - bad technique and instant loss of speed.

Step 3: Ankle Flexibility

Many triathletes have poor ankle flexibility limiting how much they can point their toes.
In an ideal world you want to be able to flex your feet beyond straight.

If you have a background in cycling or running (especially running) then you're likely to
have stiff ankles such that you can't achieve a straight foot. This will be hurting your kick
technique and slowing you down when you swim. See our tips below to develop a bit
more flexibility in your feet.

Becoming as flexible as Charles is not advisable for triathletes as it reduces ankle

stability which can lead to running injuries. However, improving your ankle flexibility a

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little so you can point your foot straight is achievable. It's very desirable because it will
reduce your drag and you'll slip through the water much faster.

Step 4: Timing

The timing of the kick is something that we don't normally think about much as
swimmers. We have a variety of kicking speeds open to us as we'll describe below – 2, 4
or 6 beats. The key to good timing is that when the hand enters the water at the front of
the stroke, the opposite leg should kick. In 2 beat kick this is the only kick, in 4 and 6
beats there are other kicks in between but the kick on opposite hand entry is the important
one for timing.

If your timing is wrong you won't be helping your body rotation with your kick – you
could even be counteracting it. For more information on this important swimming
technique, see the Advanced Level Mr Smooth Presentation.

Most swimmers kick with the correct timing naturally, unless you know you have a
problem don't be too concerned about timing – focus instead on pointing your toes and
kicking from the hip, this is much more likely to be holding you back.

4. Standing sculling exercise

Sculling Water Technique

During car trips in your childhood, you probably have played with the wind by extending
one of your arms out of the car's window. If the car was driving fast enough, you could
use the wind to push your arm up and down by rotating your forearm.

You will use a similar technique to scull water with your arms. Do the following:

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# Extend your arms sideways below the surface, with your elbows slightly bent.

# Rotate your forearms 45° forward and move your arms forward, pushing water forward
and downward with your forearms and palms. Keep your arms close to the water surface.

# Invert the movements when your hands are about to touch in front of you. Rotate your
forearms backward and move your arms outward and backward. You will now push
water downward and backward.

# Once you cannot move your arms farther backward, reverse the direction and move
your arms forward.

The pressure of your forearms and palms against the water creates some lift and allows
you to keep your head above the water surface.

Learn Sculling Water

Use the following sequence of drills to learn how to float with sculling arm movements:

 First, rehearse the sculling movements while standing on dry land. Visualize
yourself pushing with your arms against the water.

 Go to the shallow area of the pool.

 Practice mushroom float to get an understanding and feel for the body's natural
buoyancy.

 Crouch until the water is at your shoulders, and practice the sculling movements
as described above. Feel how quick back and forth sculling movements create lift.

 Grab a water noodle, wrap it around your chest or back and tuck it under your
armpits. Assume the same crouching position as before, draw your knees toward your
chest so your feet lose contact with the ground, and use the sculling movements to
float in the water.

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  Repeat the previous drill once you have internalized it but now remove the water
noodle. See whether your arm movements and your body's buoyancy are sufficient to
keep your head above water.

Practice the previous drills for a while until you feel confident in your ability to keep
your head above water.

5. Streamlined position push

To make your streamline super-efficient, you must find every way possible to eliminate
as much frontal resistance as you can. The perfect streamline takes a lot of practice, and
demands extremely good flexibility.

The following exercise, which should be done before workout with the rest of your pre-
workout stretching, will help you develop the flexibility you’ll need to attain a perfect
streamline.

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The easiest way to see if your streamline makes the grade is to use a flat wall. Standing
with your heels a couple of inches from the wall, turn your back to the wall and assume
your normal streamline position. Now, slowly back up to the wall and see how flat you
are to the wall. You may be surprised to find that your wrists and lower back are not as
streamlined as you thought.

To improve your streamline, flatten your lower back by flexing your abdominals and
bring your wrists back to the wall. Then point your toes while holding this position.
Practice getting into this position on land, then try it in water.

With a little practice, you can become as streamlined as Attila.

FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE

Swimming Tips

1. Keep your head in line with your trunk and look straight down toward the bottom of
the pool. Don't look forward because otherwise you will have the tendency to lift your
head, which will in turn cause your hips and legs to drop and you will have to kick harder
to keep them up.

2. Learn how to press your buoy, which has the benefit of keeping your hips and legs up
without much effort. This freestyle swimming technique requires you to apply downward

30
pressure on your head and chest. As your lungs are filled with air and very buoyant,
pressing down your upper body causes the lower body to rise up through a lever effect.
You then don't need to kick that hard anymore.

3. Don't lift your head just before breathing. This common error also causes your hips and
legs to drop. Rather roll on your side and let your head roll a little bit further until your
mouth clears the water. It should feel like your head was resting sideways on a pillow
made of water.

4. Try to swim more on your sides rather than flat on your stomach and chest. Roll from
side to side with each arm stroke. This allows you to engage the larger back muscles in
addition to the shoulder muscles and improves your propulsion.

5. To obtain an effective freestyle swimming technique you need to exhale continuously

in the water while your face is submerged. There simply isn't enough time to both inhale
and exhale on the side during a breathing arm recovery. This also lets you relax more in
the water.

6. Learn how to swim with a so-called high elbow. This freestyle swimming technique
consists in flexing your arm and keeping your elbow high in the water during the under
water arm pull so that your forearm is facing backward rather than downward for as long
as possible, which improves propulsion.

7. While recovering your arm forward don't extend it completely above water before
letting it drop in the water because it increases drag and can also lead to swimmer's
shoulder over time. It is better to enter the water with your hand shortly after it has passed
your head and then to extend the arm forward under water.

8. Save energy by using a relaxed two-beat kick for middle and long distance swimming.
This means that you kick at the same pace as you stroke with your arms.

9. Make sure your palm is parallel to the water surface while it extends forward under
water during the arm recovery. A common mistake freestyle swimmers make is to angle
their palm upward at the end of the recovery. In that case they are in fact pushing water
forward and slowing themselves down.

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10. In the beginning, a nose clip can be useful because it keeps water out of your nose
and so this is one less thing to worry about and you can relax more. Once your technique
and coordination has improved later on you will be able to get rid of the nose clip without
too much effort. Personally I used a nose clip for a year while learning the freestyle
stroke before getting rid of it.

Conclusion

The 10 swimming tips presented in this article should help you improve your freestyle
swimming technique. Some of these tips can be applied immediately, others will need
some time to be mastered. So have a good time while trying them out and be patient if it
takes some time to master them.

BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE

Let's consider the following starting position:

1. You float on your back in the water.

2. Your head is in a neutral position, in line with your spine.

3. Your face is above the water surface and you look straight up.

4. Your legs execute a flutter kick. Your toes are pointed and your legs alternately kick
upward then downward.

Your arms execute alternating movements:

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1. One arm recovers above water from the hip to the overhead position in a semicircular
movement. The arms are kept straight during the recovery.

2. Meanwhile, the other arm sweeps underwater from the overhead position backward to
the hip, providing propulsion. The hand follows an S-like pattern during this sweep.

3. The recovering arm becomes the sweeping arm once it enters the water in front of the
swimmer, and the sweeping arm becomes the recovering arm when it exits the water at
the hip.

Swimming Technique

The following articles describe the backstroke technique in detail:

Step 1: Head and Body Positions: This article covers head position, body position and
body roll. It also discusses why you may have trouble keeping your legs up.

Step 2: Arm Movements: This article explains the different phases of the arm stroke, how
to create efficient propulsion and how to avoid straining your shoulders.

Step 3: Backstroke Kick: This article explains how to flutter kick in the backstroke. It
also covers kicking rhythms and possible causes of poor propulsion.

Learning Backstroke

A series of swimming drills to learn backstroke step by step, the following progression is
used:

1. At first you'll practice flutter kicking on your back while holding onto the edge of the
pool.

2. Next you'll practice balance, floating on your back and sides, using the flutter kick for
keeping your balance and moving forward.

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3. After this you'll practice the underwater and above water arm movements, each arm
separately.

4. And the finals drills let you practice both arm movements at the same time.

BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE

How To Swim Breaststroke:

34
A brief overview of the different phases that occur during one breaststroke cycle:

1. In the initial position, you are in a horizontal position on your stomach. Your arms are
close together and extended forward, palms facing downwards. Your head is in line with
your trunk, and you look straight down. Your legs are pressed together and your toes are
pointed.

2. Now the active phase of the arms starts. Your palms rotate outwards, your arms
separate, and your body forms an Y-like shape.

3. When your arms are outside of your shoulders, your elbows flex, and your hands
continue to move backwards but also downwards. Your knees start to flex and your feet
start to recover towards the buttocks.

4. Once your hands have moved past behind your shoulders they move towards each
other rather than backwards, until they meet under the chest.

5. As your hands move towards each other your head and shoulders rise above water, and
your feet continue to move towards the buttocks.

6. Your upper body is at it's highest point when your hands have met below your chest
and your feet are at your buttocks.

7. Now the propulsive phase of the legs starts. Your feet kick backwards and apart while
your arms extend forward under water. Your chest and your head drop in the water again.

8. Once your legs are completely extended they are brought together. You then glide for a
short moment in that position.

9. You start a new breaststroke cycle once the momentum of the glide fades.

Detailed Swimming Technique

The following articles describe the breaststroke technique in more detail:

35
1. Head and Body Positions: This article describes how you should position your head
and body while swimming breaststroke. This is important if you want to develop an
efficient swim stroke but also if you want to avoid neck injuries.

2. Breaststroke Arm Movements: This article describes the arm movements in more
detail. A slow-motion video of correct arm movements is shown and various arm speeds
are discussed.

3. The Breaststroke Kick: This article covers the breaststroke's whip kick. The different
phases of the kick are explained and illustrated with a slow-motion video. Additional tips
to learn the breaststroke kick are given.

4. Breaststroke Swimming and Breathing: This article explains how and when to breathe
while swimming breaststroke. It covers both the style where the head is submerged each
stroke cycle and the style where the head is kept above water at all times.

Breaststroke Swimming Lessons

1. The Learn Swimming Breaststroke article gives an overview of our swimming lessons
to learn the breaststroke. The following topics are covered:

2. In the beginning, the arm movements, leg movements and breathing exercises are
practiced individually on dry land.

3. After this, the different movements are practiced individually in the water, using pull
buoys and water noodles to provide additional buoyancy.

4. Subsequently all movements of the swim stroke are practiced at the same time in the
water, again using swim noodles and pull buoys.

36
5. Finally once you feel confident enough you graduate to swimming breaststroke without
swimming aids.

BUTTERFLY TECHNIQUE

37
Swim Phase

The phases of the butterfly stroke. The swimmer is in the following initial position:

- He floats horizontally on his chest.

- The head is in line with the torso, the face is turned downwards.

- The arms are extended forward and shoulder width apart. The palms are facing
downwards.

- The legs are extended and together, the knees are slightly bent.

- The feet are pointed.

Now the swimmer begins the stroke cycle:

Step 1: The chest is pressed downwards, then released.

Step 2: The arms move a little bit outwards, then bend at the elbows and the forearms and
palms are brought into a backwards facing position.

Step 3: The chest starts to rise.

Step 4: The hands move backwards and inwards towards the chest.

Step 5: Simultaneously, the hips drive down and the knees bend.

Step 6: The hands arrive below the chest and change directions to move towards the hips.

Step 7: As the hands move from below the chest towards the hips, a first dolphin kick
occurs.

Step 8: Shortly after the chest and shoulders are at their highest point and clear the water.

38
Step 9: The hands exit the water close to the hips with the palms facing inwards and the
recovery of the arms start.

Step 10: The arms hover above the water surface and return to their initial position.
Simultaneously the palms rotate so that at the end of the recovery they are turned
downwards again.

Step 11: When the arms are fully extended forward and shoulder width apart, they enter
the water.

Step 12: A second dolphin kick occurs.

Step 13: The next stroke cycle begins.

Swimming Technique

The following articles cover the butterfly stroke technique in more detail:

- Body Movements: The wave-like body movements are at the heart of the butterfly
stroke. This article explains how to generate this body undulation.

- Arm Stroke: This article discusses the different phases of the arm stroke and how to
properly execute each phase.

- The Dolphin Kick: Explains and demonstrates the dolphin kick. Covers technique,
number of kicks per stroke cycle, propulsive phases plus some additional tips.

- Breathing Technique: Explains when and how to breathe while swimming butterfly.
Also covers breathing to the side and breathing frequency.

Learn How To Swim

39
1. At first you learn the body undulation and dolphin kick which are the foundations of
the stroke.

2. The next step is to practice the under water arm sweep.

3. Afterwards you learn the recovery of the arms above the water.

4. Finally you combine all the movements practiced in the previous swimming drills until
you actually swim butterfly.

CONDITIONING ON DRY LAND

Stretching is as important as training when it comes to swimming. Tight muscles don’t

react the way you need them to, and they also can create quick discomfort once you begin
to exercise. Regular stretching improves your muscle flexibility as well as your joint
range of motion, which will give you a better swim.

1. Streamline

Just as if you were in the water, place yourself in the streamline position. Stretch and
make yourself as tall as possible, slowly leaning to one side and holding that position as

40
you stretch your back. Return to your starting position, then slowly lean to the opposite
side.

Streamline stretch.

You can also do the

streamline stretch on
the ground or floor
and simply make
yourself as long as
possible. When
doing it this way,
you are also able to
point your toes and
stretch your ankles
as well.

Upper Body

The upper body has

many muscles that need to work in unison to keep a smooth stroke going during your
time in the pool.

2. Triceps

Raise one arm straight into the air above you, and bend at the elbow as if you were going
to pat yourself on the back. Using your opposite arm, reach over and gently pull on the
outside of your elbow.

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Triceps stretch.

3. Back

Face a wall and

place your palms flat
on the wall,
shoulder-width
apart, two feet or so
above your head.
Slowly move back
so that your arms are
almost straight, and
lean your head and
chest forward
between your arms.

Back stretch.

4. Chest

For the first chest stretch, start by facing a wall or other solid object and extending your
arm against it with your palm open and flat on it. Keeping your arm in this position,
slowly turn your body away and feel the stretch throughout your chest. Repeat this stretch
with your other arm.

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For the second chest stretch, go to a corner of a room with two flat walls. Position
yourself so that you are looking directly into the corner where the walls connect. Place
one hand on each wall, slightly about the level of your head, with your palms flat. Gently
lean forward into the corner until you feel your chest begin to stretch, and hold that
position.

Chest
stretch.

5.
Forearms

For the
first
forearms
stretch,
with one arm horizontal in front of you from the elbow down, point your fingers toward
the ceiling. Using your other hand, gently press back on your fingers. Repeat this stretch
for both arms.

For the second forearms stretch, sit on the floor with your legs out straight in front of you
and your back straight. Extend your arms down your sides, and place your open hands on
the ground so that your fingers are pointing forward and your palms are completely
connected with the floor. From here, slowly pull your hands behind you, keeping your
hands on the ground. You should quickly reach a point where you feel your forearms
begin to stretch.

From the initial sitting position, you can also turn your hands around so that your fingers
point behind you (with your hands still completely flat on the floor) and lean back gently
to stretch.

6. Neck

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Stand up straight and use your left hand to grasp your right wrist behind your back. While
keeping yourself facing forward, lean your head to the left as if you were trying to touch
your ear to your shoulder. Use your left hand to steady your right arm so it can’t rise up,
thus allowing you to stretch. Repeat with the positions reversed to stretch the other side
of your neck as well.

7. Torso

Most people consider stretching to be of vital importance for the major muscle groups,
but they tend to forget that the muscles around the midsection are just as important.
Especially in swimming, when everything is essentially connected, it’s necessary to be
flexible throughout the entire body.

Lower Back

Sit in a chair (with or without arms), and place your feet so that they are flat on the floor
in front of you about shoulder-width apart. Ensure you are sitting up with proper posture
and that your head is in line with your body. Slowly turn your upper body to one
direction while preventing your hips and legs from moving. Use either the arm on the
chair or press against the outside of your leg to increase and hold the stretch. Repeat this
stretch for your opposite side as well.

With your feet flat in front of you and in a position so that you are resting near the end of
the seat, place your feet shoulder-width apart and lean forward, placing your hands on
your calves or on the backs of your ankles. Lean forward slowly, keeping your chin down
and allowing your back to stretch.

8. Abdominals

Lie face down with your stomach on the floor. Without moving any muscles in your
lower body, push yourself up with your arms and hold once you feel a stretch in your
abdominals.

44
Abdominal
stretch.

9. Obliques

Stand up
straight
with your
feet about
shoulder-
width apart. Lean slowly to one side until you feel a stretch in your side. To increase the
stretch, you can also raise the arm on the side of the body you are stretching and reach as
you lean.

Lower Body

Whereas most people assume lower-back discomfort comes from the lumbar region itself,
often it has to do with leg muscles—particularly the hamstrings—being too tight.

10. Quadriceps

This stretch will

have you standing
on one foot, so you
may want to stand
near a wall or other
object that you may
hold for balance.

Quadriceps stretch.

45
Moving only the lower half of your leg, bend at the knee, bringing your heel toward your
backside. Use the hand on the same side of your body and gently pull back on your toes.
Repeat this stretch with your other leg.

11. Hamstrings

This is quite possibly the simplest stretch of all: with a slight bend in your knees, slowly
lean forward and reach your fingertips to the ground. When you reach the point you can
go no farther, don’t bounce forward to try and reach deeper. Just hold a steady stretch.

Another variation you can use to stretch your hamstrings without having to bend as far
forward is to place your leg straight out on something that is a comfortable height, then
lean into the stretch. You can use a chair, the arm of a couch, or—if you’re at the pool—
the starting blocks. During this stretch, keep a very slight bend in the leg that is still on
the ground.

Hamstring
stretch.

12. Calves

Facing a
wall, stand
about a
foot away
and place
your hands on the wall with your palms open. Start by slowly moving your right leg back
while keeping your foot flat on the ground, toes facing forward. As you’re doing this, you
will bend slightly with your left knee. Stretch until you feel a stretch in your right calf
muscles. Repeat with reversing the roles of each leg.

46
Calf stretch.

13. Hips

Lie flat on your back

and choose a leg to
start with. Bend at
the knee and bring it
toward your chest.
From here, cross it
over your body and
set it on the ground
while keeping your
back flat on the
floor.

Hip stretch.

14. Groin

Sit on the
floor with
your legs
in front of
you, pull
your heels in toward your center, and press the bottoms of your feet together. In this
position, your knees will be facing out to the sides. Place your hands around your ankles
and use your elbows to very gently press down against the inside of your knees.

15. Ankles

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This is an extremely simple stretch. While standing with your feet even and shoulder-
width apart—feel free to hold on to a chair or wall for support, if you’d like—place one
foot on its toes about a foot behind where you started. Then slowly move the heel forward
while leaving the toes in place until you feel the top of your foot stretching.

The second ankle stretch requires a partner. Sit on the floor with your legs extended flat
in front of you. Lean forward slightly and point your toes forward as far as you can.
When you reach your limit, have a partner gently push down on the foot near the toes
until you feel a deeper stretch in the upper part of your foot.

CONCLUSION

Learning how to swim is one of life’s most valuable skills, and not only for the benefit of
water safety. When you teach a child how to swim, it opens the door to one of the most
enjoyable forms of recreation and fitness.

Learn to swim and enjoy water skiing, scuba diving and snorkeling, river rafting and
tubing, surfing or playing in the ocean, or joining a competitive swim team. Boating and
fishing, and just being around water in general.

48
Learning to swim provides lifestyle opportunities, but it can also save a child’s life.
Growing up with a fear of the water limits recreational choices, and could possibly
manifest itself into a deeper phobia of water.

According to the CDC, every day in the U.S., an average of 2 children succumb to
drowning, and another 10 are admitted to hospitals in near-drowning incidents. Drowning
is the leading cause of accidental death for children aged 1-4, and the second leading
cause of death for kids age 1-14.

Drowning is a horrible tragedy, but one that’s avoidable, in most cases. In the words of
Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones “Drowning is preventable; two words – Swim Lessons”.
However, for small children under 5 years old, complete proficiency is unlikely and
should be supplemented with Layers of Protection around the pool, including 4-sided
fences, pool alarms and safety covers.

Teaching kids to swim is one of the most important parental responsibilities, just as
important as teaching your child to look both ways before crossing the street. As of 2010,
15 European countries had made swim lessons a compulsory part of school curriculum,
as reported by the NY Times. Not so in the United States, however learning to swim is
optional.

Let’s assume that because you are reading this article however, that you are already
committed to teaching kids how to swim. It may also be assumed that you are reading this
article on In The Swim and therefore probably have a backyard swimming pool, which
increases the importance and urgency of teaching your children how to swim.

REFERENCE

1. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/basic-swimming-techniques.html

2. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/flutter-kick.html

3. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/sculling-water.html

4. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/freestyle-swimming-technique.html

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5. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/backstroke.html

6. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/breast-stroke.html

7. http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/butterfly-stroke.html

8. http://www.idiotsguides.com/sports-and-fitness/stretching/stretches-for-swimmers/

9. http://blog.intheswim.com/swim-lesson-plans/

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