Republic of the Philippines

F.L VARGAS COLLEGE INC.

COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

Lesson 1:Tracing the Historical Background of Swimming

Introduction
In this lesson will learn and know about the historical development of swimming. This
includes the important events and the people gave grate contribution in the development of
swimming.

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
A. identify the different contributors and their contributions in the development of
swimming;
B. trace the historical background of swimming; and
C. recognize the evolution of world records in competitive swimming.

Reading I
History of Swimming
Caveman showed their swimming technique in the paintings on the cave wall. It is likely
that they overcame water obstacles dog-peddling and doing propulsive arm movements similar
to today's freestyle arm-stroke, or clung to logs and animal bladders. In some cave paintings
from the stone-age we can discover some kind of swimming like moves but it is not easy to
identify the style.
On an ancient Egyptian clay tablet from 4000-9000 B.C. it is easier to identify the
swimming style. The arm-stroke clearly shows the moving phase of the freestyle arm-stroke:
one arm is depicted in the recovery phase above the water, while the other arm caries out the
puling action under the water

The ancient Greeks

 Swimming was a measure of culture.

 According to Plato "Those uneducated who can neither swim nor read and write,
cannot hold a public position".
 Swimming was not included in the programme of the Olympic Games but it was
an important part of education.
In Mesopotamia

 Swimming was evident in the pictorial or written records hereof in almost

every nation's culture from the Sumerian to the Assyrian.
 Their scientific achievements include water pools and swimming pools.
Excavations in Syria revealed four-thousand-years old baths.
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 Swimming was an integral part of combat training of the Assyrians as well

as young people in Israel received obligatory swimming lessons.
 Herod the Great (73 B.C.-4 A.DJ. king of Judea. made swimming
compulsory to all mole children.

The rest of the ancient people

 Germanic peoples used swimming as a tactical exercise. And that the Finnish
considered it as natural movement as running.
 The Icelandic folklore also reports a number of swimming deeds, which shows that both
men and women were excellent swimmers. In Japan, swimming had an important role
in the training of the Samurai. It was one of the noble skills. According to the historical
records the first known swimming competition was held in the isolated island country in
36 B: C. organized by Emperor Su Gui.
 In the remote India, the ancient records of swimming can also be found. One of the
first pools used for swimming is located here, in Mohenjo- daro, dating back to 2800
B.C. and measuring 30x60 meters.

Swimming and Spa Life in Middle Ages

 After the fall of the Roman Empire (476 A.D.). Water has lost its popularity. Any contact
with it was considered unclean and sinful. "Every day bathing and swimming in open
water are extremely harmful to health".
 The Church prohibited physical exercise, swimming and even bathing. As "pure body
covers impure soul”.
 The first Swimming manual by Nycolus Wynmann., a university professor in Ingolstodt,
published in 1538 entitled “The art of swimming” the author presents not only the
swimming styles and how to teach them but also describes how to jump in the water,
how-to dive and how to save someone from drowning.
 In 1587, Everard Digby wrote De Arte Nandi, and in 1696 Melchisédech Thevenot
published Art of Swimming Represented in Images, and Instructions for Useful Bathing,
a popular wok of the author throughout Europe.
 In 1786, a work propagating similar humanist thoughts was published in Paris: "Art de
nager". Its author says that a man can swim originally, only civilisation distorted him.
The Renaissance

 By the 18th and 19th centuries, open water swimming has become more and more
popular. In default of swimming pool, bathing cabins were installed on the riverside and
seaside, or mobile "ambulant cabins" were set up.
 In the second half of the19th century swimming pools started to be built. The first
facilities were wooden framed swimming pools on rivers. On the bottom, down to the
bottom of the river nets closed them from the river or the lake. They were fixed by
chains and ropes, and they were moored due to the stream of the river.
 The revolutionary new features of physical education in the 18th and 19th centuries
became prevailing also in swimming lessons. Basedow (1723-1790 and Guts-Muths
(1779-183P) initiated swimming and water saving lessons in schools.
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F.L VARGAS COLLEGE INC.
COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

Reading II
The Origins and Evolution of Competitive Swimming

 Captain Bayton was also considered to be a great long-course swimmer. In 1976 he

drew attention to himself when he swam from Linz to Budapest in a specific way, lying
on his back, with oars in his hands and a sail attached to his feet. He covered the
distance in 52
 Overseas countries have got ahead of Europe, as the first tournaments were held in
Japan in 1810 and in Australia in 1846.
 The first official swimming competition in Europe was organized in the UK in l869, the
year of the formation of the British Swimming Federation. The competition was
organized in the River Thames for the distance of an English mile (1609 m].
 The first Olympic Games in 1896 swimming has been included in the programme of the
Olympics. At the first Olympic Games in Athens Swimmers competed only in four
events: 100. 500. 1200 metres freestyle and the event organised for the Greek seamen,
where everyone could swim in a style as he wanted or as he could.
 From 1900 backstroke, then from 1904 breaststroke and finally in 1956 butterfly were
also included in the events of the Olympics programme. The individual medley only got
into the Olympic swimming events in 1964 at the Tokyo Games.
 The international organisation of swimmers, FINA |Federation International de
Natation) was founded on 19 July.

Among the swimming competitions which are organized by FINA the most important ones are:

 FINA Swimming World Cup

 Short-Course Swimming World cupSwimming World Cup
 Junior World Cup
 Marathon World Cup (10 km or longer distance).
 The first swimming World Championship was held in 1973.

THE EVOLUTION OR WORLD RECORDS IN COMPETITIVE SWIMMING

1905

 The first record-holder of the 100-metre freestyle is the multiple Olympic champion, the
Hungarian Zoltán Halmay. Who set up the record in 1905 at 1:05,8.
1908

 The International Swimming Federation was founded after the Olympics games in
London

1924
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COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

 Weissmuller, manage to cross first the one-minute dream limit (57.4) at the Olympics in
Paris at 1924

1956

 After the Olympic Games, FINA, The international Federation recognize by the
international Olympic Committee for Administering International Competitions in Water
Sports, has Banned underwater Breaststroke swimming

 At the Beginning of the competitive swimming, distances were measured in yards (e.g.
in 1904, Halmay won an Olympic gold medal in 50 and 100 yards). Longer distance were
Calculated in Miles. Since Traditional British Distance (100,200,400 yards and 1 mile)
were dismissed May 1st 1957.

 From 1964, at the turn in freestyle the walls of the pools were not to be manually
touched anymore, which accelerated swimming. Over Years, the rules of the
breaststroke have changed the most often. It’s no wonder that so many world records
setup in the events.

 FINA abolished all the world records set up in distances measured in yards.

 The final list of 31 events was determine in which one can beat a world record in a 50-
meter pool (16 male and 15 female events).

References
Mood, D. et l., (1991). Sports and Recreational Activities for Men and Women. Mosby Year Book

H. C. Dubey; Swimming; Discovery Publishing House; New Delhi- 110002; Reprint 2006

1-History –of –swimming-1-1-1-6-ppt

Guzman, R. J. (2017). The Swimming Drill Book. Sheridan Books, second edition