Introduction
Swimming is a recreational sport in which the body is propelled through water using coordinated movements of the arms, legs, and other parts of the body. There is evidence that this sport has been around since prehistoric times, but it first became a popular competitive recreational activity when the first public swimming pool was opened to the public in England in 1828. The National Swimming Society was then formed and hosted regular swimming competitions in the pools built around London in 1837. The first national swimming governing body called the Amateur Swimming Association was formed in 1880. Today swimming is one of the most popular Summer Olympic sports and many young people join competitive swimming clubs and take swimming lessons. In some countries swimming lessons are even mandatory and are taken in elementary school.
Task
The essential skills for the participant are the four most common strokes that are used for this sport. It is also important that you strong enough to swim and are comfortable in deep water.
Process
The most important stroke is front crawl (also called freestyle). This stroke is the fastest and most powerful of the strokes and it is the stroke most commonly used in competitive swimming and lifesaving skills. This stroke is performed with the stomach and face in the water.
Because back stroke is performed with the back in the water and the face pointing upwards, it has the benefit of easy breathing. The drawbacks are that this stroke is slightly less powerful than front crawl and it is also tricky to see where you are going.
Breast stroke is a popular recreation style swimming stroke because the head is out of the water for most of the time and although it is powerful, it can be swum comfortably at a slow pace. This stroke is not used as often for competitive swimming because it is the slowest of all competitive strokes. It is thought that this is one of the oldest strokes.
Unlike the three previous strokes, the butterfly stroke is a more advanced technique not meant for beginners, but when performed correctly, it is a fast stroke. This stroke is swum on the chest with the arms moving symmetrically. It is also the newest stroke to be created.
Evaluation
A common mistake that beginners make when swimming is lift their head all of the way out of the water to breath when performing front crawl. This tires the swimmer and causes them to be slower. Instead, swimmers should aim to tilt their head to the side when they are breathing. Another similar mistake is keeping your eyes above water so that you can see where you are going. Your hips and legs sink when you do this, and it also makes you slower. In reality, you should always look at the pool floor when you are not breathing. However, when you are side breathing, it is important to rotate your hips so that you are facing the edge of the pool. It is also very important to determine that your knees are not bent while performing flutter kick.
Conclusion
For those who love swimming, there are many careers to purse. If you train diligently from a young age and love competitive swimming, the highest goal that you can set for yourself is the Olympics. A more common example of a career that involves swimming is the job of a lifeguard or rescue swimmer. There is a constant demand for lifeguards at public pools or water parks especially during the summer. To become a lifeguard or rescue swimmer, you must undergo training not only to swim, but also to learn about first aid, CPR, and other important life saving skills. After training to become a lifeguard, you can take additional courses to become a swimming instructor. Some less common careers that involve swimming include an underwater photographer, a marine biologist, or even a dolphin trainer. Whether you want to swim for recreation, for competition, or to pursue a career, swimming provides many health benefits, is a great competitive sport, and overall is an excellent recreational activity.