Learning Materials include the ff:

• History of Swimming
• Proponents
• Equipment
• Importance
• Safety Precautions
• Water Illness, Prevention and Treatment
• Basic Strokes and Fundamental Floating

(Note: Each Class will be given guide questions and will be

ask to make an outline to what they have read to the
learning materials on specific topic. Assessment will be
given during the class resume)
OBJECTIVES:
• Discuss/Define/Explain the History
background and Nature of
Swimming through the questions to
be send via group chats per class.
• Awareness to the Basic/
Fundamental floating in Swimming
as well safety water precautions
• Enhance Student’s critical thinking
skills through the reading materials
sent.
 Introduction to
Swimming

Ms. Lorenel
J. Naz
 INTRODUCTION:
• History does not record when swimming first began.
Everybody knew that it is a very old skill, probably as
old as man himself. Some scholars believe that man
learned how to swim as a result of his accidental
immersion in deep water or perhaps man first learned
to swim for survival.
• As early as 900 BC, there is evidence that man had
the ability to swim as indication of pictures found on the
wall of a cave people swimming. Throughout history
there is mention of bathing for hygienic, military and
pleasurable purpose. It is believe that written
instructions in swimming was first given in Egypt as
early as 1600 B.C.
ANCIENT ORIGINS
• Babylonian bas-reliefs and Assyrian wall drawings point
to very early swimming skills among humans. The most
ancient and famous of drawings depicting men
swimming are to be found in the Kebir dessert. They
are estimated about 6,000 years old.
• 1538-1587 literature about swimming were written and
widely known.
• 1837 modern competitive swimming began in London.
• 1800 organized swimming began, competitive
swimming continued to grow in popularity and was
included in the first Modern Olympic Games in Athens
(1896).
• 20th century swimming becomes a mainstream.
Babylonian-bas relief

Depicting men
swimming in the Kebir
dessert
ANCIENT SCRIPTURES DEPICTED
SWIMMERS
• Many of the ancient
drawings and paintings
come from what is now
Italy. The oldest date
back 2,600 years,
belonging to the
Etruscans at Tarquinia.
An ancient tomb in
Greece depicts
swimming and diving
scenes and dates back
2,500 years.
• Written testament to early
swimming falls within the past
3,000 years. The Bible, the Iliad,
the Odyssey all contains
references to swimming.
Thucydides noted the activity in
scripts that are 2,400 years old.
• Many of the world’s ancient
civilizations swam, including the
Egyptians, the Phoenicians,
Persians, Romans and Greek.
Plato once declared that anyone
who could not swim lacked a
proper education, and Julius
Caesar was known for his
swimming prowess.
• Our country known as the Philippine Archipelago
is known for having so many bathing beaches,
lakes and rivers that most children had learned to
swim and paddle a Banca at an early age. But, on
the other hand, there is surprisingly large number
of students who do not know how to swim.
• In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s swimming
was first included in college physical education.
The University of the Philippines and the
Philippine Women’s University were the first
schools to have swimming pool and make
swimming as part of the curriculum.
• These schools help competitive swimming
meets and competition gradually
increased. On 1934 women have
participated in every national
championship. Since that time, Filipino
women swimmers have consistently
improved their records and have made
very credible showing in ASIAN Swimming
competitions. Today swimming becomes
popular not only in competition but as well
as part of physical fitness and therapy.
 WHY STUDY SWIMMING?

• Knowledge in swimming and water safety is very

important in the Philippines because of the
scattered position of many islands and the need
to travel from one position to another. Boating
and other excursion also takes place on the water
so swimming and safety in water are essential for
survival. Many heart breaking accidents could
have been prevented if the people involved had
known the fundamental skills of swimming and
self-preservation. Due to man’s handicaps in
water, progress in swimming has been slow.
 Benefits of Swimming
• Low impact physical activity
• Builds cardio-respiratory fitness
• Builds muscle mass
• Alternative therapy activity for injured
individual
• Burns calories
• Refreshes and cools swimmers in hot
weather
• A good family affair
• Can be done safely even in old age
What causes the
attraction to
water?
Answer:
• People are drawn to
water.
• People love to swim .
• Recreational swimming
has become
tremendously popular
since late in the 19th
 Making
water
activities
safe? How?
 Safety
“Be aware that aquatic
emergencies do not
always happen when
people are swimming”
Staying Smart Around the Water
• Swim only in areas supervised by a lifeguard
• Always swim with a buddy
• Read and obey all rules and posted signs
• Swim only in designated areas
• Have young children or inexperienced swimmers
take extra precautions, when around the water
stay within arm’s reach of a designated water
watcher
• Designate a responsible individual/s as the
person to watch over children whenever they are
in, on or around any bodies of water, even if a
lifeguard is present
Staying Smart Around the Water
• Watch out for “dangerous too’s”
• Set specific swimming rules for each individual
in a family or a group based on swimming ability.
• Make sure that swimmers know about the water
environment and any potential hazards, such as
deep and shallow areas, currents, obstructions
and locations of entry and exit points
• Identify potential water hazards within the
community and make certain that children stay
away from them
• Know how to prevent, recognize and respond to
emergencies
Staying Smart Around the Water
• Use feet first entry when entering the water
• Enter headfirst only when the area is clearly
marked for diving and has no obstructions
• Do not mix alcohol with boating, swimming or
diving. Alcohol impairs judgment, balance and
coordination
• Be prepared. Whenever possible have a
telephone or mobile phone nearby.
 Sun Safety
Protect
yourself from
overexposure
Ultraviolet Radiation
• Energy from the sun is called solar radiation

2 types of rays
- Ultraviolet A
• Are found in tanning salons
• can cause premature aging of the skin
- Ultraviolet B
• Are burn producing rays
Effects from
Overexposure
1. Skin cancer
- Melanoma is the most serious form of skin
cancer
- Non-melanoma skin cancers
2 types of non melanoma skin cancers:
a. Basal cell carcinomas
b. Squamous cell carcinomas

Non-melanoma skin can be disfiguring and cause

more serious health problems if left untreated.
Effects from
Overexposure
2. Cataracts and other eye damage
- Result in clouded vision. Without medical care,
cataracts can result in blindness. Research has
shown that UV radiation increase the likelihood
of certain types of cataracts. Other kinds of eye
damage from too much sun include skin cancer
around the eyes and degeneration of the
macula.
3. Immune Suppression
- This can result in problems with certain
immunizations, increased sensitivity to sunlight
and adverse reactions to certain medications.
Effects from
Overexposure
4. Other Damages
a. Actinic keratoses – are skin growths that occur on body
areas exposed to the sun, especially the face, hands,
forearms and the “V” of the neck.
b. Chronic exposure- can cause premature aging, which
can make the skin wrinkled and leathery
Be
Sun
Wise !
1. Do not burn. 5 or more sunburns significantly
increases risk of developing skin cancer.
2. Avoid sun tanning and tanning beds.
3. Generously apply sunscreen. Apply ample
amount of sunscreen to all exposed skin using a
sun protection factor of at least 15 that provides
broad-spectrum protection from both uv a and uv
b rays. Reapply every 2 hours even on a cloudy
days, and after swimming or sweating.
4. Wear protective clothing, such as long-sleeved
shirt, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat and
sunglasses when possible.
5. Seek shade when possible, remember that the
sun’s UV rays are strongest between 10am to
4pm.
6. Use extra caution near water, snow and sand.
Water snow and sand reflect the damaging rays of
the sun, which can increase chance of sunburn.
7. Pay attention to the UV index.

UV INDEX NUMBER EXPOSURE LEVEL

2 OR LESS LOW
3-5 MODERATE
6-7 HIGH
8-10 VERY HIGH
11+ EXTREME

8. Get vitamin D safely through a diet that includes

vitamin supplements and foods fortified with
vitamin D
Water Illness
RWI
• Is an illness that comes from contact with
contaminated water.
• Are most commonly spread when swimmers
swallow or breathe in water particles containing
germs.
• Can be found in waterparks, swimming pools,
hot tubs, and spas, rivers, lakes, and oceans.
• Diarrhea is the most common symptom of
RWI’s, but they can also cause infections in the
skin, ears, eyes, chest and lungs.
How to avoid :

• Check for clean, clear pool water. The main

drain on the bottom of the pool should be clearly
visible.
• Check the pool. Pool tiles should not be sticky or
slippery and slides should be smooth.
• Check for odors. A clean pool has very little
odor- a strong chemical smell may indicate
problem.
• Check with the staff. Ask them about water
quality, health inspections and water-quality
training.
Gastroenterititis
A stomach ailment that causes diarrhea, nausea,
vomiting and abdominal pain, is one of the most
commonly documented RWIs. It occurs when feces are
released into the water and swallowed by other
swimmers before having been killed by chlorine or other
disinfectant.

Cryptosporidium
Is the parasite that causes most gastroenteritis
outbreaks. Crypto can remain infectious, even when
exposed to disinfectant levels for several days, people
suffering fro diarrhea should not enter the water. Those
diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis should not enter
recreational water for 2 weeks after symptoms have
ceased.
Vomit in Pool Water
Patrons are unlikely to contract RWIs by
swallowing, breathing or containing pool water
contaminated by vomit or blood. The vomit that a
person produces after swallowing too much
water probably is not infectious: however, if a
person vomits and contains any solid matter or
food particles, you should respond the same
way as you would to a formed stool incident.
 HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES and COLD
RELATED EMERGENCIES
Exposure to extreme heat or cold can make a
person ill. A person can develop a heat-related illness
or a cold-related emergency even when temperatures
are not extreme. Factors that may contribute to these
emergencies include environmental conditions, such as
wind speed, humidity level and general working or
living conditions, as well as the victim’s personal
physical attributes, such as age and state of health and
recent physical exertion.
Once the signs and symptoms of a cold-related
emergency or heat-related illness appear, the victim’s
condition can quickly get worse and lead to death.
 Heat-Related Illnesses
Heat-related illnesses are progressive
conditions caused by overexposure to heat. If
recognized in the early stages, heat-related
emergencies usually can be reversed. If not
recognized early, they may progress to heat
stroke, a life-threatening condition.
There are three types of heat-related illnesses:

 Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms that

usually occur in the legs and abdomen. Heat
cramps are the least severe of the heat-related
illnesses.
  Heat exhaustion is an early indicator that the
body’s cooling system is becoming
overwhelmed. Signs and symptoms of heat
exhaustion include cool, moist, pale, ashen or
flushed skin; headache, nausea and dizziness;
weakness and exhaustion; and heavy sweating.

 Heat stroke occurs when the body’s systems are

overwhelmed by heat and stop functioning. Heat
stroke is a life-threatening condition. Signs and
symptoms of heat stroke include red, hot, dry
skin; changes in LOC; and vomiting.
 Caring for Heat-Related Illnesses
Take the following steps to care for someone
suffering from a heat-related illness:
 Move the victim to a cool place.
 Loosen tight clothing and remove perspiration-soaked
clothing.
 Cool the victim by spraying with cool water or applying
cool, wet towels to the skin.
 Fan the victim.
 Encourage the victim to drink small amounts of a
commercial sports drink, milk or water if the victim is
conscious and able to swallow.
 If the victim refuses water, vomits or
starts to lose consciousness:
 Send someone to summon EMS
personnel.
 Place the victim on his or her side.
 Continue to cool the victim by using ice or
cold packs on his or her wrists, ankles,
groin and neck, and in the armpits. If
possible, wrap the victim’s entire body in
ice-water-soaked towels.
 Continue to check for breathing and a
pulse.
 Cold-Related Emergencies
Temperatures do not have to be extremely cold for
someone to suffer a cold-related emergency,
especially if the victim is wet or if it is windy.

Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when a victim’s entire body
cools because its ability to keep warm fails. A victim
with hypothermia will die if care is not provided. The
signs and symptoms of hypothermia include
shivering; numbness; glassy stare; apathy, weakness
or impaired judgment; and loss of consciousness.
To care for hypothermia:
 Perform a primary assessment, including a pulse check
for up to 30 to 45 seconds.
 Summon EMS personnel.
 Gently move the victim to a warm place. Sudden
movements may cause a heart arrhythmia and possibly
cardiac arrest.
 Remove any wet clothing.
 Warm the victim by wrapping all exposed body surfaces
in blankets or by putting dry clothing on the victim. Be
sure to cover the head since a significant amount of
body heat is lost through the head.
o Do not warm the victim too quickly, such as by
immersing him or her in warm water.
 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends that all swimmers follow the six
“PLEAs” that promote safe and healthy swimming
(American Red Cross Manual 2014):

1. Please do not swim when you have diarrhea

2. Please do not swallow pool water
3. Please practice good hygiene
4. Please take children on bathroom breaks or
check diapers often
5. Please change diapers in a bathroom or a
diaper changing area and not on poolside
6. Please wash your child thoroughly
Swimming defined:
• An action consist of repeating a specific body motion or
stroke involving all major body parts for swimmers to
move on the surface of water.

• Although people have swum since ancient times,

swimming strokes have been greatly refined in the past
100 years.
• The earliest form of swimming stroke is the “human
crawl” or human stroke or known as the dog paddle.
From this stroke evolve other strokes namely:
1. side stroke
2. Side over-arm
3. Trudgen
Classification of Swimming
Strokes:
1. Competitive strokes
2. Survival/Resting strokes
Currently the strokes of competitive swimming are the
American or Australian Crawl known as:
1. Freestyle
2. Back stroke
3. Breast stroke
4. Butterfly
Survival/Resting Strokes:
1. Elementary Backstroke
2. Side Stroke
3. Trudgen Stroke
 THE FOUR COMPETITIVE SWIMMING
STROKES:
1. Freestyle
- the crawl/freestyle is the most popular, the fastest,
most efficient stroke and beginners find it the easiest to
learn.
- the technique involved in this swimming stroke is
simple
- swimmers float on their belly in the water, propel
themselves by rotating the arms in a windmill motion
and kicking the legs in a fluttering motion.
- the difficult part of this swimming technique is the
coordination of the breathing while performing the
strokes, since the face remains in the water almost all
the time.
Figure 1 - Freestyle
The Crawl/freestyle Swimming Technique:

• The arm Strokes

- the arms should be moved alternatively, in a rotating
windmill type of motion.
- in order to swim in a straight line, each arm should
be extended to full reach and pulled with equal force
through the water.
- when under the water, the arms should be moved to
form an ‘S’ pattern.
- during recovery, while the hands should be cupped,
the hand and the wrist should be relaxed.
• The Leg Movements
- the legs are kicked alternatively , in a fluttering motion.
- the knees should be bent slightly.
- the ankles and feet should be relaxed.
- for maximum propulsion, the downward kicking motion
should be emphasized.
• How to Breathe
- the stroke is begun by raising one arm, and as the
shoulder is raised, the head should be turned to the side to
take breath.
- the head should be turned just enough so that the nose
comes off the water in order to breathe.
- the head should not lifted off the water since that slows
down the speed of the propulsion.
2. The breastroke
- oldest known swimming stroke. It is one of four strokes
used in competitive swimming, it is also very popular for
leisure swimming because the head can be kept up and out
of the water, making vision and breathing easy.
- the swimmer can rest momentarily between strokes.

The Breastroke Swimming Technique:

• The arm Strokes
- the arms should be kept overhead when starting the
stroke.
- the arms should be brought towards the chest,
pulling the water.
- the hands should be kept cupped.
- take the arms back to the starting position.
Figure 2 - Breastroke
• The Leg Movements
- the legs should be brought up to the chest.
- the legs should be thrust straight and backwards.
- the legs should be snapped together in order to push
the water as well as propelling you forward, akin to a
frog kick.

• How to Breathe
- a breathe should be taken each time an arms-stroke is
made.
3. Butterfly
- the variation of the breastroke known as the
butterfly, both arms are brought forward together over
the water and then brought backward simultaneously.
- the movement of the arms is continuous and is
accompanied by an undulating movement of the hips.
- the leg kick, called the dolphin kick, is a whip-like
downward motion of the unseparated feet.
- similar to the breastroke, the butterfly is also a
difficult swimming technique and not advocated for
beginning learners.
- the legs should be moved together akin to the
movements of a dolphin’s tail.
Figure 3 - Butterfly
 The Butterfly Swimming Technique:

• The arm Strokes

- the arms should be moved together, pulling through
the water, while the hands are kept cupped.
- the palms should be faced outwards and pressed in
a downward as well as outward movement.
- the stroke is completed by swinging the arms
forward in a sweeping movement while they are above
the water.
 • The Leg Movements
- the legs should be kept together and slightly
bent.
- the knees should be straightened, making a
downward thrusting movement, while the feet
are whipped downwards.
- for each arm stroke two kicking movements
should be performed.

• How to Breathe
- a breathe should be taken at the culmination of
each stroke of the arms.
4. Backstroke
- the backstroke is essentially the crawl stroke in it’s
reverse form with the swimmer’s head back turned to the
water.
- alternately one arm is lifted, palm facing outward,
from the leg and is brought up behind the head while the
other arm pulls the body through the water.
- a flutter kick is used.
- similar to the crawl, except that the swimmer floats
on their back in the water.
- the arms are moved in a similar alternating windmill
motion, and the legs a kicked in a similarly fluttering
motion.
Figure 4 - Backstroke
 The two basic techniques of a correct
backstroke are:
1. That the arms are moved with equal force, for
swimmers swimming off towards one side.
2. That the body should be rolled from one side to the
other and the arms should be extended to their utmost
reach, for swimmers to propel forward.
The Backstroke Swimming Technique:
• The arm Strokes
- the arms should be moved alternatively, in a
windmill pattern of movement as they are rotated.
- the hands should be cupped, and when it comes out
of the water, the thumb should come out first.
- when under the water, the arms should be moved to
form an ‘S’ pattern.
 • The Leg Movements
- like in the crawl, the legs are kicked in a fluttering
motion, alternatively.
- the knees are bent slightly.
- the ankles and feet should be relaxed.
- unlike the crawl, for maximum propulsion, the
upward kicking motion should be emphasized.

• How to Breathe
- the head should be kept facing up.
- since the head is out of the water all the time, the
breathing need not be as coordinated with the strokes of the
arms or legs compared to other swimming strokes. Hence
you can devise a pattern of breathing that you find most
comfortable.
 OTHER SWIMMING STROKES
(Survival/Resting Strokes)
1. Side stroke – The safety stroke all lifeguards must
master but also offers recreational swimmers more
variety in underwater movement and for survival and
rescue.
- the sidestroke is a swimming stroke, wherein the
swimmer lies on one side. It is helpful as a lifesaving
technique and is often used for long-distance
swimming.
- allows the swimmer great endurance.
- a swimmer tired of exercising one side can just turn
over and use the other, the change of action helping the
limbs recover.
Figure 5 - Sidestroke
- the swimmer may lie on the right side, stretching the
right arm out as far as possible away from the feet,
keeping the fingers of the right hand quite straight and
the hand itself held edgewise, so as to cut the water like
dorsal fin. The left hand is placed across the chest, its
back against the right breast.
- the legs make a scissor kick, in which the legs are held
straight out, knees unbent, and swung back and forth in
opposite directions (out of phase). The lower leg does
the greater share of the work.
- the right arm comes round in a broad sweep, until the
palm of the right hand almost touches the right thigh. At
the same moment, the left hand makes a similar sweep,
but is carried backwards as far as it can go. This
completes one cycle of the stroke, which is then
repeated.
2. The Trudgen - a combination of side and
freestyle swimming stroke for survival swimming.
A swimming stroke sometimes known as the
racing stroke or the East Indian stroke.
- It is named after the English swimmer John
Trudgen (1852-1902)
- one swims mostly upon one side, making an
overhand movement, lifting the arms alternately
out of the water. When the left arm is above the
head, the legs spread apart for a kick; as the left
arm comes down the legs extend and re then
brought together with a sharp scissor kick.
Figure 6 - Trudgen
- the right arm is now brought forward over
the water, and as it comes down the left
arm is extended again. The scissor kick
comes every second stroke; it involves
spreading the legs, then bringing them
together with a sudden “snap” movement.
- the swimmer’s face is underwater most
of the time; the only chance to breathe is
when the hand is coming back and just as
the elbow passes the face.
- this stroke has been developed into the
front crawl.
3. Elementary Backstroke – is a swim
stroke that expends minimal energy with
simple arm and leg movements. This
backstroke doesn’t require any
complicated breathing technique since the
swimmer’s head never goes underwater.
- sometimes used as a recovery or rescue
stroke, the elementary backstroke is often
considered one of th most relaxing
strokes.
 While floating on your back, raise your arms
and legs, and then squeeze them down for a
relaxing glide.

Figure 7 – Elementary Backstroke

Steps:
 Float on your back, with your arms and legs at your
side.
 Draw your knees up toward your chest. At the same
time, draw your arms up along your sides, bending them
at the elbows so that your hands are almost in your
armpit.
 Kick your legs out and apart, then quickly squeeze them
together. They should end up straight, with your toes
pointed.
 Extend your arms like an airplane, and then squeeze
them down against your sides.
 Coordinate your arms and legs so that both go up, out
and together all at the same time. The result should be a
burst of motion through the water.
 Glide and repeat.
Figure 8 – Aerial View of Elementary Backstroke