Archive for October, 2006

The Dog Paddle

While not honored with recognition as accepted stroke, the dog paddle is an excellent first start for many swimmers. This stroke, given its name because of its resemblance to the way a dog swims, is performed by reaching forward with the arms under water while using a modified flutter kick.

Olympic Swimming

In the late nineteenth century, swimming became recognized as amateur sport in many countries. With the development and improvement of swimming pools its popularity increased, and in the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, swimming events were included as a major competition. In 1912, swimming meets for women were added to the Olympic schedule.

At present, Olympic events comprise the following:

MEN-100 meter free style, 400 meter free style, 1,500 meter free style, 100 meter backstroke, 100 meter breaststroke, 200 meter breaststroke, 200 meter butterfly, 400 meter breast-stroke, 800 meter free-style relay, 400 meter medley relay.
WOMEN-100 meter free style, 400 meter free style, 100 meter backstroke, 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter breaststroke, 400 meter medley relay, 400 meter free style relay.

NOTE-The medley swim is a race one-fourth of the distance of which is butterfly stroke, one-fourth backstroke, one-fourth breaststroke, one-fourth crawl stroke-in that order.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

The Butterfly Stroke

The butterfly stroke is seen most often in competition, being one of the required strokes in Olympic events. In the butterfly stroke, both arms must be brought forward together over the water and brought backward simultaneously and symmetrically. The body must be kept perfectly on the breast, and both shoulders in line with the surface of the water. All movements of the feet must be executed in a simultaneous manner. Simultaneous up and down movements of the legs and feet in the vertical plane are permitted. When touching at the turn, or on finishing a race, the touch must be made with both hands simultaneously on the same level with the shoulders, in the horizontal position. Any sidestroke movement disqualifies a contestant. When a swimmer is in the underwater position at the start, when turning or during the race, he may be allowed to make one or more leg kicks.

The Backstroke

For distance swimming, the backstroke combines alternate frog kicks and strokes of the arms, extended at shoulder level and moving in an arc toward the hips. The back crawl or racing backstroke offers the advantage of speed and a face-up position for visibility.

The starting position is on the back, with the body in a sort of sitting position with arms overhead about 4 inches from the ears. The legs should be straight and almost together, toes pointed. The head should be inclined toward the chest.

For the arm pull, the palm of the hand should be turned outward for the catch, and the straight arm then pushed toward the feet and drawn to the side of the body. The stroke should not be too deep in the water, perhaps about 6 to 14 inches beneath the surface, and the pressure should be even all the way through the arm pull. When the stroke is completed, the wrist should be in a position which allows a final backward push as the hand is drawn toward the thigh. As one arm completes the motion, the other starts its stroke. The arm should be relaxed on the above-water recovery, with little finger outward and palm down toward the surface of the water.

In the leg action, the kick is from the hips with an upward and out flip of the instep, giving a kick of slightly over 12 inches. The ankles should be held loosely and the toes pointed inward. The knees should be flexed to allow the instep to lash upward and backward during the force portion of the kick. In timing, the leg kick should be 3 to each armstroke, or 6 kicks for the full armstroke cycle.

The Olympic and Amateur Athletic Union rules for backstroke in competition state:

The competitors shall line up in the water, facing the starting end, with the hands resting on the end or rail of the bath (pool) or starting grips. The feet, including the toes, shall be under the surface of the water. Standing in the gutters is prohibited.

At the signal for starting and when turning they shall push off and swim upon their backs throughout the race. The hands resting on the end or rail of the bath must not be lifted before the signal of starting. Any competitor leaving the normal position on the back before the foremost hand has touched the end of the course for the purpose of finishing shall be disqualified.

A competitor in a backstroke event must not turn over beyond the vertical toward the breast before the foremost hand has touched the end of the pool or course for the purpose of turning. A competitor violating this regulation shall be disqualified.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

The Sidestroke

The sidestroke is a relaxing swimming technique, probably best for long-distance swims and for rescue work. As the name implies, the swimmer lies in the water on whichever side is more natural and comfortable. With one ear in the water, he extends his underarm ahead of him along the surface of the water, and the upper arm alongside the top leg. At the beginning of the stroke, the reaching hand is cupped slightly and swept down to the front of the breast. At this point it meets the other hand which meanwhile has been slowly brought up in front of the chest, the hand moving edgewise to reduce water friction. At the meeting position, the force of the pull is transferred to the other cupped hand, which pushes down along the body to the top of the upper thigh. As this motion is being performed, the lower hand is returning to its extended position. The position of the “start” is held during the glide portion of each stroke.

The leg action, a scissors kick, is started with the feet together. They are moved toward the hips. When they are up as far as they can come comfortably, the feet are separated, the top leg moving forward, the lower leg backward. After the legs are separated as far as possible, they are snapped

together from this spread position in one continuous motion -in effect as i a pair of scissors was being closed. Breathing is usually effected by inhaling as the legs come together and exhaling as they separate.

The Breaststroke

This is another valuable long-distance stroke. In it, both hands must be pushed forward together from the breast, on or under the surface of the water, and brought backward simultaneously and symmetrically. The body should be kept perfectly on the breast and both shoulders in line with the surface of the water. The feet should be drawn up together, knees bent and open. The movement is a continued rounded and upward sweep of the feet, bringing the legs together. In competition, up and down movements of the legs in the vertical plane are prohibited. One part of the head should always break the surface of the water. There are 2 forms of leg action which may be utilized in the breaststroke-the whip kick and the frog kick.

In the whip kick, the stroke starts with the legs fully extended. Then the heels are drawn up toward the hips, and the knees separated just about the width of the hips. When the knees are drawn up just below the hips, the feet are turned outward, toes toward the knees, and are moved to the side until they are separated beyond the width of the hips. In a continuing motion, the feet are pressed back and down, making a circle, until the feet return to the starting position.

The frog kick starts with legs extended and feet together. Then the feet are drawn toward the body, knees spread. The legs are extended until they are in line with the thighs, and are then snapped together with a motion originating at the hips. The action of the knees and feet must always be on a level plane, with no up and down motion.

The arm action starts with arms extended overhead, palms down, and hands together. Palms are pressed outward and back slightly down until the hands are in line with the shoulders. Elbows are brought to the side, and the forearms and hands under the chest and neck. In a continuous motion, the hands are extended forward beneath the surface to the starting position. The face may be kept up at all times in this stroke, or if it is submerged on each stroke slightly, one should inhale as the head comes up when the hands are pressing down and back.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

THE ability to support oneself on the surface of the water and self-propulsion through the water without artificial aid are the basic requirements for participation in any aquatic sports. Swimming itself is generally considered one of the finest sports for developing and keeping muscular tone. It probably calls more muscles into play, with close coordination, than almost any other activity. The objective in proper swimming is to accomplish passage through the water with the least possible resistance to the ambient medium, with a minimum of splashing, and a smooth, continuous forward motion.

The Crawl

The “speed” stroke in most common use today is the Australian crawl which was developed in that country and improved in the United States. In the crawl the body is prone. Alternating overarm strokes and a flutter kick are used, and the head is turned from side to side at water level for breathing. While this is the stroke usually used in freestyle racing, it is best used by untrained swimmers only for short distances, as it can be rather tiring after a short spurt of speed. The popular 6-beat crawl is accomplished by kicking 3 times while each arm is pulling. The breathing must be synchronized with the arm and leg motions. The head should be carried so that the waterline is just above the eyes. As the arm is extended forward, the head is turned to the opposite side, and the swimmer inhales, breathing quickly through the mouth. As the face is turned downward, exhalation is through the nose and mouth while the other arm is extended and pulling.

The Trudgen Stroke

For distance swimming, the trudgen stroke is considered less tiring than the crawl and is essentially a fast stroke. It is named after John Trudgen, a British swimmer who died in 1902. Trudgen gained international fame for his swimming victories using this stroke. It became popular first in Spain, then spread to Latin America and finally to the United States. This stroke combines the arm motions of the crawl and the leg action of the sidestroke a modified scissors kick. Overarm strokes from a prone position are used, and the head remains on one side, for more natural breathing than in the crawl.

The important arm action of the trudgen is as follows: The stroke is started by pressing the arms alternately through the water with elbows straight. This motion is carried through until the elbow reaches the surface of the water close to the body. The elbow should then be lifted from the water until the hand emerges, and the hand is extended just above the surface until the arm is straight. When the hand enters the water, the arm should be pressed straight down for another stroke. As one arm presses through the water, the other reaches forward toward the start of the stroke. For the leg motion, one hip is kept about 4 inches lower than the other as the scissors kick is started. The body motion is a forward roll through the water. Co-ordination of arms and legs is important. The leg motion must be geared to the position of the hips. With the left hip low, the kick is performed as the left hand moves forward; then the legs are kept together as the right hand goes forward. With the right hip low, the reverse action is followed.

There are several variations on the basic trudgen stroke. The use of a frog kick will reduce the amount of body roll. The “double trudgen” is accomplished by using a frog or scissors kick with each armstroke. The “trudgen crawl” is a form of the stroke in which a scissors kick is used while one arm is pressing, and 2 or 4 crawl-stroke kicks are used while the other arm is pressing.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

Water Basketball

This game may be played in a pool or in shallow water. Two hoops, peach or bushel baskets, or basketball baskets, are suspended 5 feet above water, facing each other at sides of pool, or about 40 feet apart. Generally, rules of basketball apply, except that players may advance while holding ball. Tackling and ducking are considered fouls and are punished by an award of a free throw at basket from distance of 15 feet. Usually there are no out-of-bounds rules and a basket may be thrown from anywhere in the water. A basket counts 2 points and a score foul one point. It has been found that the game is less tiring if played in water not more than waist deep. An excellent game for poor or nonswimmers if played in shallow water.

Water Baseball

This game may be played in a pool, or at a beach or lake. In open water, the “diamond” is marked off by “bases” which may be stakes, or securely anchored buoys. Life preservers or seat cushions may be used for buoyed bases. In a pool, points at edge may be marked as bases; there is no need for a pitcher’s plate, as no pitcher is used. Batter knocks ball into playing “field” as he would serve a volley ball, then swims toward first base. In pool play, batter usually stands on edge of pool, serves ball, then dives into water and heads for first base. Usual rules of baseball apply from then on, except that “catcher” serves as a fourth baseman, guarding home plate. Size of playing field can vary according to age and skill of players; number of players involved can be very flexible.

Water Volley Ball

Teams in this game can depend on available supply of participants. Players are divided into 2 teams, and a strip in center of playing area may be marked off as a neutral zone-corresponding to net in on-land volley ball. If net is used, hang so that bottom is about 3 feet above water. A water-polo ball may be used; players bat it back and forth over net or neutral zone, using hands. A side loses ball if it fails to return it, if it hits net or falls in neutral zone, or if it is batted over limit lines. If serving side wins ball, it scores one point. Only serving side scores. If it loses ball, it fails to score. Game is usually played until one side scores 21 points. In pool game, teams usually rotate from deep to shallow side.

Water Punch Ball

This game calls for a bit of equipment and some construction work, but where it has been used, results seem to justify the extra effort. A heavy, taut wire is stretched about 9 feet above surface of water of pool, running length of pool down the middle. Suspended from this cable on a sliding brass ring is a standard punching bag, at the end of a 7-foot rope. Group of players is divided into 2 teams, each remaining on its side of the wire. A rope floating with wooden beads may be run on water underneath supporting wire to make team limits. Each team is given one end of pool as its goal, and object of game is to bat punching bag to that end while opposing team is trying to reach other end with bag. The game received its name because the pool in the ensuing melee looks like a veritable punch bowl. Rules may be set up to provide for rotation from deep to shallow end of pool and to limit physical contact.

Break the Balloon

Younger children will enjoy this game, which may be played at either deep or shallow end of pool, depending on water skill of participants. Necessary equipment is a supply of toy balloons. Divide players into 2 equal groups, letting them choose sides, or selecting them by age or size. One team surrounds a balloon floating on water. At a signal, team of attackers tries to break balloon, while defending team protects it. Each team can be given 2- or 3-minute attacking periods. Team which breaks balloon in shortest time, or side which breaks most balloons, wins. Referee should have a shrill whistle with which to signal a halt when play becomes over-enthusiastic, as younger players may forget objective in heat of competition and try to eliminate competitors.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming