Swimming: Summer Olympic Games and Swimmers

The sport of travel has been recorded since prehistoric mea undisputable the earliest recording of fluid appointees back to St mavin Age paintings from round 7,000 years ago. Written references date from 2000 BC. Some of the earliest references to travelming admit the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible, Beowulf, Quran and former(a) sagas. In 1778, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the skiping travelming book, The Swimmer or A Dialogue on the subterfuge of Swimming (Der Schwimmer oder ein Zweigesprch ber die Schwimmkunst). hawkish swimming as we know it today started in the United States started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. M either Americans often employ swimming contests to settle deviations in the frontier, such(prenominal) as fittingty rights. In 1873, John Arthur Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming arguings, after copying the front pussyfoot substance ab utilisationd by Native Americans. Due to a Britis h disfavor of splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor speak up instead of the front crawls ruffle kick. Swimming was part of the first redbrick prodigious Games in 1896 in A becauses.In 1902 Richmond Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western manhood. In 1908, the creation swimming association, Fdration internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed. Butterfly was developed in the thirty-something and was at first a variant of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate panache in 1952. editCompetition Competitive swimming became popular in the nineteenth century. The goal of competitive swimming is to constantly ameliorate upon iodines time(s), or to beat the rivals in some(prenominal) given showcase.However, some professional bathers who do non hold a national or world be argon considered the best in regard to their technical skills. Typically, an athlete goes with a cycle of gentility in which the dead body is oerloaded with pass a part in the beginn ing and middle seg custodyts of the cycle, and then the workload is decreased in the final stage as the swimmer approaches the rivalry in which he or she is to compete in. This final stage is often referred to as thieve and taper the swimmer tapering down his or her workload to be able to perform at their optimal level.At the very end of this stage, to begin with competition, the swimmer s curbs glum all exposed tomentum for the sake of reducing pant and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the urine. 1 field record holder and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps in the quaternity hundred IM. Swimming is an event at the Summer Olympic Games, where male and effeminate athletes compete in 16 of the recognized events each. Olympic events be held in a 50-meter consortium, called a long cart track pool. on that point atomic number 18 xl outicially recognized individual swimming events in the pool however the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 3 2 of them.The international giving medication body for competitive swimming is the Fdration Internationale de Natation (International Swimming Federation), better cognize as FINA. editOpen body of piddle In afford water swimming, where the events argon swum in a body of open water (lake or sea), there ar also 5 km, 10 km and 25 km events for men and women. However, only the 10 km event is included in the Olympic schedule, again for both men and women. Open-water competitions are typically separate to new(prenominal) swimming competitions with the exception of the humanity Championships and the Olympics. editSwim stylesIn competitive swimming, four major styles have been realised. These have been relatively stable over the last 3040 years with minor forward motions. The four master(prenominal) strokes in swimming are Freestyle(free) Breaststroke(breast) Backstroke(back) Butterfly(fly) Events in competition could have only one of these styles or they could contain all fou r. The individual salmagundi is an event that where swimmers start the look sharp with butterfly, then move to backstroke, breastroke, and then freestyle. 2 There are deuce possible distances of this event, both swum in each of the ii competition pools.In the short material body pool, there are 200- railyard and 400-yard individual medleys and in the long course pool, there are 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys. For junior swimmers voluminous in union swimming, there is also a vitamin C-yard individual medley option in the short course pool, but this event is non often competed by swimmers over the age of 14. editDolphin kick In the chivalric two decades, the most drastic change in swimming has been the improver of the netherwater dolphin kick. This is used to maximize the speed at the start and after the turns.The first successful use of it was by David Berkoff at the 1988 Olympics, where he swam most of the 100 m backstroke race underwater and stone-broke the world record on the distance during the preliminaries. Another swimmer to use the technique was Denis Pankratov at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he completed almost half of the 100 m butterfly underwater to win the gold medal. In the past few years,when? American competitive swimmers have shown the most use of the underwater dolphin kick to gain advantage, most notably Olympic and introduction medal winners Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.While the dolphin kick is mostly seen in middle-distance freestyle events and in all distances of backstroke and butterfly, it is not usually used to the resembling stamp in freestyle sprinting. That changed with the addition of the so-called sharkskin types around the European Short division Championships in Rijeka, Croatia in December 2008. There, Amaury Leveaux set forward-looking world records of 44. 94 seconds in the 100 m freestyle, 20. 48 seconds in the 50 m freestyle and 22. 18 in the 50 m butterfly. Unlike the rest of the com petitors in these events, he spent at least half of each race submerged using the dolphin kick. 3 While underwater dolphin thrill is allowed in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, its use is not permitted in the same way in the breaststroke. In 2005, a new rule was formed stating that an elective downward dolphin kick may be used off the start and each turn, and it must occur during the breaststroke pullout. Any other dolphin kick impart result in disqualification. parvenue rules were established to curtail excessive use of underwater dolphin kicks in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly.Currently, performing the dolphin kick past 15 meters results in a disqualification. editCompetition pools Most swimming sport events are held in special competition swimming pools, which are either long course pools such as those used in the Olympic Games (50 m) or short course pools such as those used in the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 yards or 25 m but for the most part 25m). Compe tition pools have starting turn aways from which the competitor can dive in, and maybe also touch-sensitive pads to electronically record the swimming time of each competitor. editSeasons Club swimming in the US has two major durations. During the short-course season, swimmers swim in 25-yard pools. This season lasts from September to the end of March. The long-course season takes place in 50-meter pools and lasts from April to the end of August. The longer freestyle events vary in lengths in each season. In the short course season, the 500 yard, 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. Training in both short course and long course has become more of an Ameri can Standard. Internationally, long course meters is the standard, as seen in the Olympics. This standard of two separate seasons in America may be because it is so much easier for new swimmers to learn to compete in a smaller pool during the short course season.Smaller pools allow for shorter distance races, so for example in short course season if a younger swimmer wanted to compete in a stroke they had besides learned, a 25 yard 8 years old and under race is available to them, opposed to the long course season when they would inquire to be able to swim at least 50 meters of that new stroke in mark to compete. editOfficials There are several types of officials,4 which are needed to manage the competition. 5 Referee The referee has full chasteness and authority over all officials.The referee will enforce all rules and decisions of FINA and shall ensconce all questions relating to the actual conduct of the understand, and event or the competition, the final declaration of whi ch is not otherwise covered by the rules. The referee takes overall indebtedness for running the race and take outs the final decisions as to who wins the competition. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short blasts of his or her talk. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks. Starters call missing swimmers if necessary.Then the referee will blow out a long whistle that will tell the swimmers to stones throw on the block. For backstroke otherwise known as backcrawl events, the long whistle is the signal for the swimmers to step in the water. The referee will then blow other long whistle, signaling the swimmers to grab the gutter or the provided block renderle (for backstoke/backcrawl 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 morose start if a swimmer leaves the block in the beginning the starter sends them. shop clerk of course The clerk of course assembles swimmers prior to each event, and is responsible for organizing (seeding) swimmers into heats found on their generation. Heats are generally seeded from slowest to fastest, where swimmers with no forward time for an event are assumed to be the slowest. Timekeepers There are three timekeepers for each passageway. Each timekeeper takes the time of the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her.Unless(prenominal) a video backup system is used, it may be necessary to use the full complement of timekeepers even when automatic perform equipment is used. A hirer 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 wake the times recorded and, if necessary, inspect their watches. One timer will be timing with a stopwatch, anot her recording it down, and one making sure everything is valid.Inspectors of turns One tester of turns is assigned to each lane at each end of the pool. Each inspector of turns looks 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. decide 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 chance upond, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of turns. Finish judges Finish judges determine the coordinate of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance with the rules (two custody simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on the back for back stroke, etc. ) If an official catches a swimmer chisel ining a rule concerning the stroke he or she is swimming, that swimmer is said to be disqualified (commonly referred to as a DQ) and the swim is not considered valid.The referee can disincline 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 authorised officials. All disqualifications are subject to the decision of the referee. editSwim slang of import articles Competitive swim go and Swimsuit Giovanni Franceschi in Rome, 1983 Swimsuit The suit covers the skin for modesty. Competitive swim demote 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 issue forth of thrustjust barely enough to help a swimmer swim faster. However, competitive swimming rules may limit the ty pe of suit a swimmer can wear. Swim cap A swim cap (a. k. a. cap) keeps the swimmers hair out of the way to centralize drag. Caps may be made of latex, silicone, spandex or lycra. Goggles Goggles keep water and centiliter 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. Swim Fins Rubber fins are used to help kick faster. They also improve technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while kicking. Drag suit Swimmers use drag suits to make weight to pull them back, to increase resistance. Paddles Swimmers use these plastic devices to fortify build up and shoulder strength and refine pulling technique. Hand paddles attach to the hand with rubber tubing or elastic material. They come in many different shapes and sizes.Kickboard A kickboard is a foam board that swimmers use to detain the weight of the pper body while they condense on kicking helps build leg muscles. Pul l buoy Often used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support swimmers legs (and prevents them from kicking) while they focus on pulling. Pull buoys are made of foam so they bollix up in the water. Swimmers hold them in between the thighs. Ankle mints Improving balance wheel will minimize the need for this kick to provide an upward, instead of a forward vector, and in some cases completely corrects the kick. Using an mortise joint band will have the immediate effect of turning off your kick, which then forces you to make efforts to correct your balance.If you are successful in discovering these, then the ankle band has done part of its job. 6 Snorkel A snorkel is a plastic device that helps swimmers breathe while swimming. This piece of equipment helps the swimmer exercise keeping his or her head in one position. editRegular radiation diagram and competition swimwear editMen Mens most used practice swimwear include 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 won in these suits, Michael Phelps stated that he mogul boycott the competition after his record was beaten by another swimmer with a more advanced suit. As of New Years sidereal day 2010, men are only allowed to wear suits from the waist to above the knees. 7They are also only permitted to wear one piece of swimwear they cannot wear speedos underneath jammers. This rule was enacted after the controversy in the Beijing Olympics and Rome World Championships. editWomen Paralympic swimmi ng at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. 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 geometrical 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 Years 2010, in competition, women are only allowed to wear suits that do not go past the knees or shoulders. editUse of drag Drag suits, used by women, are used for increasing the resistance against the 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 worn during competitions. Drag shorts, mainly used by men, like drag suits are worn in training and are also used to inc rease drag so that when taken off in racing it feels easier and the swimmer 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 stop 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 most bigly about mental training and how one feels in the water. Freshly shaven skin feels much smoother and less repellant in comparison when in the water. The presence of leg and arm hair will make very little difference physically in a swimmers overall performance, but mentally it has been known to have a very large effect.The mental aspect of habiliment drag is critical bec ause the goal is to feel your best in the water on race day. Drag makes a swimmer feel pokey 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. editCollegiate Swimming Young swimmers compete on club teams and may wish to continue their careers through college.Recruiting for collegiate swimming often starts on July 1 following the athletes junior year of high school. That date marks the day that college coaches can contact athletes via phone to discuss possibly swimming for their team. College swimmers compete starting in the fall until their conference meet in the early spring. From there, the swimmers with the fastest times in each event will be invited to compete in the NCAA championships after the regular s eason is over. All college meets are competed in short course pools. editOpen-water swimming Main article Open water swimmingOpen water swimming is swimming immaterial of a regular pool, usually in a lake, or sometimes ocean. Popularity of the sport has grown in recent years, particularly since the 10 km 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 ill-fitting and tight. editChanges to the sportSwimming times have dropped over the years due to better training techniques and to new developments. The first four Olympics competitions were not held in pools, but in open water (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 Olympics and sat in the center of the main stadiums track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the beginning of electronic timing. clarification needed 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 decrease the drag. Some design considerations allow for the reduction of swimming resistance, making the pool faster. Namely, proper pool depth, elimination of currents, increased lane width, energy bewitching racing lane lines and gutters, and the use of other innovative hydraulic, acoustic, and illumination designs.