Swimming Technique - Olympic Swimming

The correct swimming technique allows you to gain maximum benefit out of the activity and not cause any injury to self. A faulty swimming technique or posture can do more harm than good. A case in point being swimrhythming with the face held out of the water as it puts undue strain on the neck muscles. To improve on your swimming technique, recognize the faulty stance and posture. Take the advice of an experienced coach to guide and instruct you on postural patterns and movements. It is easier to learn a stroke by breaking it into a series of separate stages and then integrating it with the whole.

Olympic Swimming

Speed is of the essence in competitive swimming. Alfred Hajos of Hungary won the first Olympic men’s swimming gold medal at Athens in the 100-meter freestyle. Johnny Weismuller of the USA won 5 Olympic medals and 36 national championships. He never lost a race in his career spanning 10 years. For 17 years, his record of 51 seconds for the 100-yard freestyle was unbeaten. Tracy Caulkins set world records in individual medley events. She held all the U.S. swimming records at the same time. Mark Spitz was the winner of the most number of gold medals in the 1972 Olympics at Munich. His haul of 7 gold medals was more than that of any other swimmer in Olympic history.

Competitive Swimming

In the mid 1800s, competitive swimming took root in England. The National Swimming Society of England organized regular swimming competitions and there were about six artificial pools in London then. The Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain was formed in 1880 with a membership of more than 300 clubs. When Captain Webb swam the distance of 38 miles from Dover in England to Cape Gris Nez in France, he created history.The Greek Olympics at Athens in 1896 sparked off modern competitive swimming.

Swimming strokes should ensure smooth forward motion with least possible resistance to water. The freestyle stroke is also referred to as the dog crawl and enables a swimmer to move very fast. This stroke is characterized by synchronized moving of hands and body to facilitate easy breathing. The breaststroke is a relatively restful stroke and involves coordinated movement of arms and legs. Did you know that breaststroke takes more strength and energy than other strokes? This stroke is swum more in and under the water. Swimmers using this swimming technique face more resistance from the water. The backstroke is the only swimming stroke performed on the back and therefore the swimmer cannot see where he is headed. Since the swimmer’s head is above the water, no special breathing techniques need to be applied for the backstroke. The butterfly stroke is a difficult and exhausting stroke that is mastered by excellent swimmers. The butterfly is by far the most powerful and graceful stroke that is swum with an undulating motion

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Swimming Technique - Olympic Swimming - Swimming Stroke