Swimming:
The Sport
The Strokes
The four competitive strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
The Events
Each swim meet offers a variety of events and distances, depending on the age group and classification. (See age group swimming in the glossary). Each swimmer will have a limit to the number of events he or she may swim each day, depending on the meet rules.
Freestyle: In freestyle
events, the competitor may swim any stroke he wishes. The usual stroke used
is
the crawl, which is characterized the alternate overhand motion of the arm and
alternating up-and-down flutter kick.
Backstroke: In the backstroke, the swimmer must stay on his back except during the turns. On the turn, the swimmer is allowed to roll over on his last stroke and use a somersault flip turn like in the freestyle events. The usual stroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick.
Breaststroke: The
breaststroke is perhaps one of the most difficult strokes to master. It requires
simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are
pulled from the breast in a heart shaped pattern and recovered under or over the
surface of the water. The kick is a simultaneous and somewhat circular motion
similar to the action of a frog. No flutter, scissor or dolphin kick is
permitted. On turns, and at the finish, the swimmer must
touch the wall with
both hands simultaneously, with shoulders in line with the surface of the water.
Butterfly: The butterfly
is the most beautiful of strokes. It features a simultaneous overhand strike of
the arms combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must
keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissor or use the breaststroke
kick. The butterfly stroke was developed in the early 1950's as a variation of
the breaststroke. It became an Olympic stroke in 1956 in Melbourne.
Individual Medley: The individual medley, commonly referred to as the "IM", features all four strokes. In the IM the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one-fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke, and finally freestyle.
Medley Relay: In the medley relay, all four strokes are swum. The first swimmer swims backstroke, the second swims breaststroke, the third swims butterfly, and the final swimmer swims the freestyle.
Freestyle Relay: The freestyle relay event consist of four swimmers, each swimming one quarter of the total distance of the event.
Strategies
Sprinting: The sprint races (50 and 100) are an all-outrace from start to finish.
Pacing: The middle distance events (200 to 500) require a sense of pace, as well as an ability to swim a controlled sprint. In the 400 and 500 events, some swimmers negative or even split (see below). The 800 meter, 1000 yard, and 1500 meter, and 1650 yard races require the swimmer to constantly be aware of where they are in the competition and how tired they are. Starting too hard can sap a swimmer's strength for the finish, while starting too slowly can separate the swimmer from the pack and make catching up impossible. There are a number of ways to pace a middle distance or a distance race. Swimmers may elect to swim the race evenly, (holding the same pace through- out the race, sprinting the last 100), or they may negative split the race. Negative splitting occurs when a swimmer deliberately swims the second half of the race faster than the first half.
Starts & Turns: Many races are won or lost by the swimmer's performance on the start or turn. In the start the swimmer is called to the starting position by the starter who visually checks that all swimmers are motionless. When all swimmers are set, the gun or starting horn is sounded to start the race. If the starter feels that one of the swimmers has moved, left early, or gotten an un- fair advantage, the race will be recalled. Under USA rules, one false start disqualifies the swimmer.