HKS 122

INTRODUCTION TO AQUATICS
(TECHNIQUES OF SWIMMING)
 LESSON ONE

SWIMMING

Swimming is a water based sport governed by the Federation Internationae de

Natation (FINA).

History

Swimming has been recorded since prehistoric times; the earliest recording of

swimming dates back to Stone Age painting from around 7,000 year ago. Written

references date from 2000BC. Some of the earliest references to swimming include the

Gilgamesh, the lliad, the Odyssey, the Bible, Beowulf, and other sagas. In 17778, Nikolaus

Wynman, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book, the Swimmer

or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming (Der Schwimmer ode rein Zeigesprach uber die

Schwimmkunst. Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using

breastroke. In 1873, John Arthus Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming

competitions. After copying the front crawl used by Native Americans. Due to a British

dislike of splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor kick instead of the front crawl’s flutter

kick. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902

Richmond Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world. In 1908, the world

swimming association, Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) was formed.

Butterfly was developed in the 19e0s and was at first a variant of breaststroke, until it was

accepted as a separate style in 1952.

Competition

Competitive swimming became popular in the nineteenth century. The goal of

competitive swimming is to constantly improve upon one’s time(s), or to beat the

competitors in any given event. However, some professional swimmers who do not hold a
national or world ranking are considered the best in regard to their technical skills.

Typically, an athlete goes through a cycle of training in which the body is decreased in the

final stage as the swimmer approaches the competition in which he or she is to compete in.

This final stage is often referred to as “shave and taper”; the swimmer tapering down his

or her workload to be able to perform at their optimal level. At the very end this stage,

before competition, the swimmer shaves off all exposed hair for the sake of reducing drag

and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water. Swimming is an event at

the Summer Olympic Games, where male and female athletes compete in 16 of the

recognized events each. Olympic events are held in a 50-meter pool, called a long course

pool. There are forty officially recognized individual swimming events in the pool;

however the International Olympic Committee only recognized 32 of them. The

international governing body for competitive swimming is the Federation Internationale de

Natation (International Swimming Federation, better known as FINA.

Open Water

In open water swimming, where the events are sum in a body of open water (lake

or sea), there are also 5km, 10km and 25km events for men and women. However, only

the 10km event is included in the Olympic schedule, again for both men and women. Open

– water competitions are typically separate to other swimming competitions with the

exception of the World Championships and the Olympics.

Swim Styles

In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established. These have been

relatively stable over the last 30-40 years with minor improvements. The four main strokes

in swimming are:

• Freestyle

• Breaststroke

• Backstroke

• Butterfly

Freestyle

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions

according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universal used during a

freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest. As such the term freestyle is often used

as a synonym for the front crawl.

Technique

Competitors in freestyle swimming can use any of the unregulated strokes such as

front crawl, dog, paddle, sidestroke, etc. Stand-alone freestyle events can also be swum

using one of the officially regulated strokes (breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke). For

the freestyle part of medley competitions, however one cannot use breaststroke, butterfly,

or backstroke. Most competitive swimmers choose the Australian or front crawl during

freestyle competitions, as this style provides the greatest speed. It is based on the Trudgen

that was improved by Richard Cavil from Sydney, Australia. Cavill developed the stroke

by observing a young boy from the Solomon Islands, Alick Wickham. Cavill and h is

brothers spread the Australian crawl to England, New Zealand and America. Richmond

Cavill used this stroke in 1902 at an International Championships in England to set a new
world record by swimming 100 years (91m) in 58.4 seconds. Freestyle competitions have

also been completely and partially in other styles, especially at lower ranking competitions

as some swimmers find their backstroke quicker than their front crawl. During the Olympic

Games, from crawl is swum almost exclusively during freestyle. Some of the only rules

are the swimmers must touch the end of the pool during the course of the race. As with all

competitive events, false starts are not allowed (the number of false starts depends upon

the particular competitive rules for that competition).

New Development in the Sport

Times have consistently dropped over the years due to better training techniques

and to new development in the sport. In the first Olympic competitions were not held in

pools, but, rather in open water (1896 – the Mediterranean Sea, 1900 – the Seine river,

1904 – an artificial lake, 1906 – the Mediterranean Sea). The 1904 Olympics freestyle race

was the only ever measured at 100 yards, instead of the usual 100 meres. A 100 metre pool

was built for the 1908 Olympics and sat in the centre of the main stadium’s track and field

oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the beginning of

electronic timing.

Male swimmers wore full body suits up until the 1940s, which caused more drag in

the water than their modern swimmer counterparts. Also, over the years, some design

considerations have reduced swimming resistance making the pool faster – namely proper

pool depth, elimination of current incease lane width, energy-absorbing racing lane lines

and gutters and the use of other innovative hydraulic, acoustic and illumination designs.

The 1924 Olympics were the first to use the standard 50 metre pool with marked

lanes. In the freestyle, swimmers originally dove from the pool walls, but diving blocks

were eventually incorporated at the 1936 Olympics. The tumble turn (“flip-turn”) was
developed by the 1950s. the Trudgen, introduced in England in the 1880s, has been

completely supplanted by the front crawl, also known as the Australian crawl. Lane design

cut down turbulence in water in the early 1970s.

Rules and Regulation

Freestyle means any style for individual distances and any style but breaststroke,

butterfly or backstroke for medley competition. The all has to be touched at every turn and

upon completion. Some part of the swimmer must be above water at any time, except for

the first 15 metre after the start and every turn. This rule was introduced (see history of

swimming) to prevent swimmers from using the faster underwater swimming to their

advantage, or even swimming entire laps underwater. The exact FINA rules are:

• Freestyle means that in an event so designated the swimmer may swim any style,

except that in individual medley or medley relay events, freestyle means any style

other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly.

• Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall upon completion of each length at

the finish.

• Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race,

except it shall be permissible for the swimmer to be completely submerged during

the turn and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and each turn.

By that point the head must have broken the surface.

 LESSON TWO

The Breaststroke

The breaststroke is done while in a prone position. The body is usually in a

horizontal position, with little bending from head to the feet. The main source of

power for movement comes from the legs. All the arm and leg movements are

performed under water.

Procedure for the Breaststroke

1. Start from the stretched position in the glide. Put hands beyond the head; the

trunk and legs in line. The arms are held straight and the palms put in position

to pull the water towards the swimmer; sweep arms sideways and slightly

downwards up to the shoulder level.

2. The elbows are bent and hands are brought across the chest to a point just in

front of the chin.

3. The arms finally push forward in a glide postion.

4. As the arms pull up to the shoulder level, the knees bend and the heels are

drawn up together towards the buttocks. The knees are cocked towards the

hips; the legs kick out as the knees straighten, the ankles extend, the legs come

together and the body glides forward.

5. Breathe out with the head facing forward for the mouth to be slightly out of

water as the arms push forward to glide.

6. Use the soles of the feet to push against water.

7. The sequence of breast stroke is kick, pull and breathe.

Common faults in doing the breast stroke

1. Bending the knees too much under the body.

2. Kicking too wide; kicking outwards and not backwards.

3. Failing to turn the feet outwards for the backward kick.

 LESSON THREE

The Front-Crawl

The front-crawl stroke is done from a prone position. It is one of the most effective

and fastest swimming strokes, but requires good coordination. The crawl requires

correct body positioning, leg action, arm action and controlled breathing (see Fig.

2).

Procedure for the Front-Crawl

1. Keep the body lying in the streamlined position, just beneath the water surface.

2. Keep face down in the water.

3. Turn head to the slide to take in a breath.

4. Keep the hip as close as possible to the surface.

5. Stretch the leg out, with the toes pointing.

6. Move the legs and arms independently. Work the arms in a roughly circular

direction from the point of entry, through putting stage, up to the hip; then life

the arms out of the water and forward against up to the point of entry.

7. With the elbows bent, pull the arms down. The arm provide the most power for

the forward movement of the body.

8. Move the legs up and down below the surface.

9. Keep the ankles flexible.

Some common faults in doing the front-crawl

1. The feet not kept under water.

2. The knees being bent too much.

3. The ankle being stiff rather than flexible.

4. The arms not being bent at the elbows.

5. No pause in the arm action.

6. The head lifted from the water rather than turned, to take in a breath.

7. The body not streamlined.

 LESSON FOUR

The Back-Crawl

This is also called the back-crawl, the stroke is done from a supine position. It

consists of alternating arm strokes and continuous up-and-down leg kicking action.

The face is usually clear of water and there are fewer breathing problems. It is a

popular stroke among beginners (see fig. 3).

Procedure for the Back-Crawl

1. Make the body lie horizontally just beneath the surface.

2. Hold the head back comfortably but very steady.

3. Keep the face clear of water but leave the ears covered by water.

4. Keep the knees submerged in the water.

5. Kick the legs simply in an up-and-down movement. This provides the greatest

source of power for movement.

6. The arms work alternately and continuously, like oars of a boat.

7. Breathe regularly, but one after every stroke cycle.

8. Keep toes pointing inwards and the ankle and shoulder joints flexible.
Some common faults in doing the Back-crawl

1. The body not balanced and streamlined.

2. The hip sagging.

3. The wrist not firm, when pulling.

4. Bending at the knees.

5. The legs kept too wide apart.

6. The legs kept too wide apart.

7. The ankles too tense and toes not turned in.

 LESSON FIVE

The Side-Stroke

This is a stroke done on the side of the body, with the arms working alternately.

It is used for life-saving and can also be used for swimming long distance.

Procedure for the Side-stroke

1. Upon entry into the water, turn on one side and pull with one arm.

2. Keep legs parallel just below the water surface.

3. Perform a simple scissors movement; kick as the upper arms pull.

4. Breathe regularly, since the face is not submerged.

5. Arm pull can be straight or semi-circular, sweeping up to the thighs.

6. Both arms and legs should be kept under water during swimming.

7. Practice all the trunk, arm pull, kick and breathing techniques regularly.
Some common faults in doing the Side-stroke

1. The body not streamlined and balanced.

2. The arm not pulled closed to the body.

3. The arms and legs not submerged during the swimming.

4. The kicking not coming from the hips.

5. Stiff ankles.

6. Too much head lift.

 LESSON SIX

The Dolphin Butterfly

The butterfly stroke is done from a prone position, like the breast stroke. It is

often called the dolphin butterfly because the movement is not smooth, but

undulating, like when the fish known as the dolphin swim. The butterfly stroke

demands a lot of coordination, strength and flexibility, especially in the

shoulders. The energy for movement is provided by the arms, which work

together. The butterfly stroke is relatively new and usually not taught to

beginners.

Procedure for the Butterfly Stroke

1. Lie prone in water, as streamlined as possible.
2. Keep the face and shoulders in the water during the arm pull.
3. Keep the hips and seat close to the surface during the stroke.
4. Put the legs together and relax the ankles.
5. Movement starts in the hips down to the legs, with slight knee-bend.
6. Then, flick the feet forward through the water.
7. Both arms are flung forward to enter the water, with elbows slightly bent.
8. Pull arms immediately under the body, up to the hip line.
9. Without rest, the arms are again lifted and flung forward for re-entry.
10.Just before the completion of the arm pull, the head is raised just enough for
the mouth to be clear from water and air taken in.
11.The head goes back into water before the hands enter for the next pull.
12.Practice each regularly, especially the hip movement, feet flicking, vigorous
arm pull and breathing.
Some common faults in doing the Butterfly Stroke

1. Excessive undulation of the body.

2. The body not being flat and coordinated.

3. The arms being moved upwards rather than forwards.

4. Allowing the arms to rest after each pull.

5. The legs not being kept together.

6. Movement not starting in the hips, but rather allowing a slight knee bend.

7. Head being raised too high out of water, or mouth not clear of the water.
Summary
In this chapter, you have learnt that:
1. The fundamental swimming strokes ae the breast stroke, front-crawl, back-
crawl, side-stroke and dolphin butterfly.
2. Any good swimming stroke is a combination of good body positioning, leg
kicking action, arm pulling as well as efficient breathing and self-confidence.
3. The breast, front-crawl and butterfly strokes are done from a prone position; the
side-stroke is done from the side, while the back-stroke is done in a supine
position.
4. In the break stroke, the power comes from the legs in the front-crawl, back-crawl
and side-stroke, the power comes from the arms; in the butterfly the power
comes from the shoulders and arms.
5. In the breast stroke, back-stroke and butterfly, breathing is done with the head
facing forwards; in the side-stroke and front-crawl, breathing is done from the
side, after the arm pull.
6. The easiest stroke to learn is the front-crawl, followed by the side-stroke; he
most difficult are the butterfly and breast strokes.
7. The fastest stroke is the front-crawl; the most energy-demanding stroke is
butterfly; the side-stroke costs the least energy and is used for swimming over
long distances.
Practical Activities
1. Test the students on each of the strokes and note their forms, body positions and
leg and arm movements.
2. Test the students for swimming far distance (award scores).
3. Test students for speed and form (award scores).
4. Insist that each student completes the length or distance required for each test.

Evaluation

1. Make a list of five swimming strokes (a) ___________ (b) _____________

 LESSON SEVEN

Competition Pools

Most swimming sports events are held in special competition swimming

pools, which are either long course pools such as those used in the Olympic Games

(50m) or short course pools such as those used in the FINA World Swimming

Championships (25 yards or 25m but generally 25m). competition pools have

starting blocks from which the competitor can dive in and possibly also touch-

sensitive pads to electronically record the swimming time of the competitor.

Seasons

Club swimming in the US has two major seasons. During the short-course

season, swimmers swim in 25-yard pools. This season last from September to the

end of March. The long-course season is swum in 50-meter Olympic pools and lasts

from April to the end of August. The longer freestyle events different lengths in

each season. In the short course season, the 500 yards, 1000 yard and 1650 – yard

freestyle events are swum, while during the long course season the 400 meter, 800

meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events are swum instead. However, this difference

in distance holds true for all meter pools, i.e short course meter pools also swim the

400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500 meter freestyle events instead of their yard

counterparts.

Officials

There are several types of officials, which are needed to manage the

competition.
Referee: The referee has full control and authority over all officials. The referee

will enforce all rules and decisions of FINA and shall decide all questions relating

to the actual conduct of the meet, and event or the competition, the final settlement

of which is not otherwise covered by the rules. The referee takes overall

responsibility for running the race and makes the final decisions as to who wins the

competition. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short blast of his or her

whistle. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks. Starters

call missing swimmers if necessary. Then the referee will below a long whistle that

will tell the swimmers to step on the block. For backstroke otherwise known as

backcrawl events, he long whistle is the signal for the swimmers to step in the water.

The referee will then below another whistle, signaling the swimmers to gr ab the

gutter or the provided block handle (for backstroke/backrawl events only). The

referee will then hand over control to the starter.

Starter: The starter has full control of the swimmers from the time the referee turns

the swimmers over to him/her until the race commences. A starter sends the

swimmers off the blocks and may call a false start if a swimmer leaves the block

before the starter sends them.

Clerk of Course: The clerk of course assembles swimmers prior to each event, and

is responsible for organizing (“seeding”) swimmers into heats based on their times.

Heats are generally seeded from slowest to fastest, where swimmers with no

previous time for an event are assumed to be the slowest.

Timekeepers: There are three timekeepers for each lane. Each timekeeper takes the

tie of the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her. Unless a video backup system

is used, it may be necessary to use the full complement of timekeepers even when

automatic officiating equipment is used. A chief timekeeper assigns the seating

positions for all timekeepers and the lanes for which they are responsible. The chief

timekeeper collects from the timekeepers in each lane a card showing the times

recorded and, if necessary, inspect their watches. One timer will be timing with a

stopwatch, another recording it down, and one making sure everything is valid.

Inspectors of Turns: One inspector of turns is assigned to each lane at each end of

the pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant

rules for turning as well as the relevant rules for start and finish of the race.

Inspectors of turns shall report any violation on disqualification reports detailing

the event, lane number and the infringement delivered to the chief inspector of turns

who will immediately convey the report to the referee.

Judges of Stroke: Judges of stroke are located on each side of the pool. They

ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are

being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of

turns.

Finish Judges: Finish judges determine the order of finish and make sure the

swimmers finish in accordance with the rules (two hands simultaneously for

breaststroke and butterfly, on the back for backstroke, etc.)

If an official catches a swimmer breaking a rule concerning the stroke he or she is

swimming, tat swimmer is said to be disqualified (commonly referred to as a “DO”)

and the swim s not considered valid. The referee can disqualify any swimmer for

any violation of the rules that he personally observes. The referee may also

disqualify any swimmer for any violation reported to him by other authorized

official. All disqualifications are subject to the decision of the referee.

Swimwear

(1) Swimsuit: The suit covers the skin for modesty. Competitive swimwear

seeks to improve upon bare human skin for a speed advantage. For extra

speed, a swimmer wears a body suit, which has rubber or plastic bumps

that break up the water close to the body and provides a small amount of

thrust – just barely enough to help a swimmer swim faster. However,

competitive swimming limits the type of suit a swimmer can wear.

(2) Swim Cap: A swim cap (a.k.a cap) keeps the swimmer’s hair out of the

way to reduce drag. Caps may be of latex, silicone or spandex.

(3) Goggles: Goggles keep water and chlorine out of swimmers’ eyes.

Goggles may be tinted to counteract glare at outdoor pools. Prescription

goggles may be used by swimmers who wear corrective lenses.

(4) Swimfins: Rubber fins are used to help kick faster. They also improve

technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while kicking.

(5) Drag Suit: Swimmers use drag suits to make weight to pull them back, to

get more training.

 (6) Paddles: Swimmer’s use these plastic devices to build arm and shoulder

strength and refine pulling technique. Hand paddles attach to the hand with

rubber surgical tubing or another type of clastic material. They come in

many different shapes and sizes.

(7) Kickboard: A kickboard is a foam device that swimmers use to support

the weight of the supper body while they focus on kicking.

(8) Pull Buoy: Generally used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys

support swimmers’ legs (and keep them from kicking) while they focus on

pulling. Pull buoys are made of foam so they flat in the water. Swimmers

hold them in between the thighs.

(9) Snorkel: A standard snorkel looks like a capital letter J. Swimmers use

them to breathe while their mouths and noses are underwear, so that they

can focus on keeping their heads in proper position while swimming.

Snorkels are generally made out of a combination of plastic and rubber.

Regular Practice and Competition Swimwear

Men: Men’s most used practice swimwear includes briefs and jammers. Males

generally swim barechested. There has been much controversy after the Beijing

Olympic Games in 2008, when many Olympic swimmers broke records an

unprecedented number of times using revolutionary swimsuits. To highlight the

issue, note that it is rare to break world records, but in 2008. 70 world records were

broken in one year, and 66 Olympic records were broken in one Olympic Games

(there were races in Beijing where the first five finishers were swimming faster than
the old world record). Despite many of his records having been wo n in these suits,

Michael Phelps stated that he might boycott the competition after his record was

beaten by another swimmer with a more advanced suit. As of New Year’s Day 2010,

men are only allowed to wear suits from the waist to above the knees. They are also

only permitted to wear one piece of swimmer, they cannot wear speedos underneath

jammer. This rule was enacted after the controversy in the Beijing Olympics and

Rome World Championships.

Women: Women wear one-piece suits with different backs for competition, though

there are two-piece suits that can be worn to compete as well. Backs vary mainly in

strap thickness and geometric design. Most common styles include: racerback, axel

back, corset, diamondback and butterfly-back/Fly-back. There are also different

style lengths: three-quarter length (reaches the knees), regular length (shoulders to

hips), and bikini style (two-piece). Also as of New Year’s 2010, in competition,

women are only allowed to wear suits that do not go past the knees or shoulders.

Use of Drag
Drag suits are used for increasing the resistance against he swimmer in order to help

adjust the swimmer to drag. This way, when swimmers switch back to normal

practice suits they swim faster as a result of feeling less resistance. They are not

normally worn during competitions. Drag shorts like drag suits are worn in training

and are also used to increase drag so that when taken off in racing it feels easier and

the wearer feels less resistance. Other forms of drag wear include nylons, old suits,
and T-shirts; the point is to increase friction in the water to build strength during

training, and increase speed once drag items are removed for competition.

Swimmers also shave areas of exposed skin before end-of-season

competitions to reduce friction in the water. It is especially common for women to

discontinue the traditional removal of leg hair at least a month before end-of-season

competitions. This can be viewed as an additional form of drag because drag is

mostly importantly about mental training and how one feels in the water. Freshly

shaven skin feels much smoother and less resistant in comparison when in water.

The presence of leg and arm hair will make very little difference physically in a

swimmer’s overall performance, but mentally it has been known to have a vary large

effect.

The mental aspect of wearing drag is critical because the goal is to feel your

best in the water on race day. Drag makes a swimmer feel slower and more resistant

during training with the added friction. Then on the day of the competition, a shaven

swimmer wearing only a fast competition suit will feel a drastic and noticeable

improvement in how fast and smooth they feel in the water. As in every other sport,

mental training is just as important as physical training.

Opening-water Swimming

Open water swimming is swimming outside of a regular pool, usually in a lake, or

sometimes ocean. Popularity of the sport has grown in recent years, particularly

since the 10km open water event was added as an Olympic event in 2005, contested

for the first time in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. New recent technology has
developed much faster swimsuits. Full body suits have been banned, but swimmers

at the very top levels still wear suits that have been lasered together because stitching

creates drag. The downfall of these suits: they are sometimes uncomfortable and

tight.

Changes to the Sport

Swimming times have dropped over the years due to better training techniques and

to new developments. The first four Olympic competitions were not held in pools,

but in open waster (1896 – The Mediterranean, 1900 – the Seine River, 1904 – an

artificial lake, 1906 – The Mediterranean). The 1904 Olympics’ freestyle race was

the only one ever measured at 100 yards, instead of the usual 100 meters. A 100 –

meter pool was built for the 1908 Olympic and sat in the center of the main stadium’s

track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the

beginning of electronic timing.

Male swimmers wore full-body suits until the 1940s, which caused more drag

in the water than their modern swimwear counterparts did. Competition suits now

include engineered fabric and designs to reduce swimmers’ drag in the water and

prevent athlete fatigue. In addition, over the years, pool designs have lessened the

drag. Some design considerations allow for the reduction of swimming resistance,

making the width, energy absorbing racing lane lines and gutters and the use of other

innovative hydraulic, acoustic, and illumination designs.

The 1924 Summer Olympics were the first to use the standard 50 – meter pool

with marked lanes. In the freestyle, swimmer originally dove from the pool walls,
but diving blocks were incorporated at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The flip turn

was developed by the 1950s and ogles were first used in the 1976 Olympics.

There were also changes in the late 20th century in terms of technique.

Breaststrokers are now allowed to dip their heads completely under water, which

allows for a longer stroke and faster time. However, the breaststrokers must bring

their heads up at the completion of each cycle. In addition, a split stroke in the

breaststroke start and turns has been added to help speed up the stroke. There have

been some other changes added recently as well. Now off the start and turns,

breaststrokers are allowed one butterfly kick to help increase their speed.

Backstrokers are now allowed to turn on their stomachs before the wall in order to

perform a “flip-turn”. Previously, they had to reach and flip backwards and a

variation of it, known as a “bucket turn” or a “suicide turn”, is sometimes used in

individual medley events to transition from backstroke to breaststroke.

Records

The foundation of FINA in 1908 signalled the commencement of recording

the first official world records in swimming. At that time records could be

established in any swimming pool of length not less than 25 yards, and records were

also accepted for immediate distance split times from longer distance events. Today

World Record will only be accepted wen times are reported by Automatic

Officiating Equipment, or Semi-Automatic Officiating Equipment in the case of

Automatic Officiating Equipment system malfunction.

 Records in events such as 300 yd, 1000 yd, and 100m freestyle, 400m

backstroke, and 400m and 500m breaststroke were no longer ratified from 1948. A

further removal of the 500 yd and 500m freestyle, 150m backstroke, and 3x100m

medley relay from the record listings occurred n 1952.

In 1952, the national federation of the United States and Japan proposed at t

he FINA Congress the separation of records achieved in long-course and short-

course pools, however it was four more years before action to came into effect with

Congress deciding to retain only records held in 50m pools as the official world

record listings.

By 1969 there were thirty-one events in which FINA recognized official world

records – 16 for men, 5 for women – closely resembling the event schedule that was

in use at the Olympic Games. The increase in accuracy and reliability of electronic

timing equipment led to the introduction of hundredths of a second to the time

records from 21 August 1972.

Records in short course (25 m) pools began to be officially approved as “short

course world records” from 3 March 1991. Prior to this date, times in short course

(25 m) pools were not official recognized, but were regarded a “world best time”

(WBT). From 31 October 1994 times in 50 m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly

were added to the official record listings. FINA currently recognizes world records

in the following events for both men and women.

• Freestyle: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m

• Backstroke: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m

 • Breaststroke: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m

• Butterfly: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m

• Individual medley: 100 m (short course only), 200 m, 400 m

• Relays: 4 x 100 m freestyle, 4 x 200 m freestyle, 4 x 100 m medley

Health and Skin Care

It is recommended that swimmers wear waterproof sunscreen to meets and

daytime swim practices that are outside to prevent sunburns. It is also recommended

that swimmers dry off well between events at meets and change into dry clothes as

soon as possible after swimming to prevent rashes and skin infections.

It also is important for pool water to be properly maintained to avoid rashes

and skin infections. Swimmers should show with mild soap after swimming to

remove pool chemicals such as chlorine and salt. Swimmers should use goggles to

protect the eyes from pool water and improve underwater vision.