General Swimming Information

GENERAL SWIMMING INFORMATION

*Shawnee Mission Northwest pool length is 25 yards. Some pools are measured in meters, such as Olympic size swimming pools. Olympic size swimming pools include 8 lanes. *Starting blocks are platforms from which swimmers dive in competitive swimming. *The competitive strokes are: Front Crawl or Freestyle, Back Crawl, Breaststroke, and Butterfly. The order of strokes in the medley relay is the backstroke, breast, butterfly, and ends with the front crawl *The survival strokes are strokes with a glide, they include: breaststroke, side stroke, elementary backstroke, and inverted breaststroke. *The basic kicks are: flutter, whip, scissor, dolphin (used in the butterfly.)

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS- FRONT CRAWL OR FREESTYLE *Front crawl is considered the universal stroke, and is also the fastest? 1. Body position- horizontal 2. Body rotation- excessive body roll not acceptable, body rolls together as a unit (hips and shoulders) around the long axis of the body. 3. Head and breathing- water is at hairline, head rotates to side to breathe, exhale into water, coordinate breathing with arm action. 4. Arm and pull recovery- high elbow on recovery, hand enters water in line with shoulder, fingertips enter first, spear water on entry, “S” pull (straight, bent, straight), catch water 8-12 inches below surface, recovery begins after touching thigh with thumb. 5. Leg action- FLUTTER KICK, kick must keep legs up at surface, must be continuous and effective, must be rhythmic, emphasize “downward” kick. 6. Coordination of stroke- pull must be in alternate and near-equal rhythm. Kick is to be continuous, breathing without interruption of stroke. PERFORMANCE STANDARS- BREASTSTROKE: 1. Body position- horizontal during glide, shoulders and hips level to surface during propulsive phase. 2. Body rotation- none. 3. Head and breathing- chin stays on surface, exhale into water, face in water during glide, inhale as hands and elbows squeeze inward to recover. 4. Arm pull and recovery- Short pull, pull down and out until hands are under elbows. “Inverted heart” pattern, catch water 6 inches below surface, elbows squeeze as hands come together under chin, recovery is straight up in the middle to glide position. Pull past shoulders is not acceptable. 5. Leg action- WHIP KICK, feet outside knees, kick with instep. Timing- as thumbs pass eyebrows. Glide phase must have legs extended and together. Legs’ kicking down slightly is acceptable (dolphin whip). 6. Coordination- arms in opposition, kick continuous, 3 beats per arm pull. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS- BACKSTROKE: 1. Body position- nearly horizontal, head aligned with spine, hips at surface. 2. Body rotation- hips roll with shoulders, head stationary. 3. Head and breathing- breathe each cycle of arms. 4. Arm pull and recovery- straight arm recovery, enter water with little finger first, in line with shoulder, palm out. Pull with bent arm (“S”). Straight arm on entry, bend elbow 90 degrees at elbow when arm is at shoulder level, throwing motion, hand finishes at thigh. Shoulders lift in recovery and rotate with a 45 degree body roll. 5. Leg action- FLUTTER KICK, emphasize upbeat toward surface, 6 beat rhythm, knees do not break surface. 6. Coordination- arms in opposition, kick continuous, 3 beats per arm pull. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS- ELEMENTARY BACKSTROKE: 1. Body position- nearly horizontal, slight pike during recovery only. 2. Body rotation- none. 3. Head and breathing- ears must be in water, breathe each cycle. 4. Arm pull and recovery- knees may not break surface, must perform WHIP KICK action. 5. Legs must work together, and must finish kick together, kick must be effective. Stroke must have a glide. 6. Coordination- arm pull starts with a kick (pull-kick-glide) PERFORMANCE STANDARDS- SIDE STROKE: 1. Body position- horizontal but on side in water, lower ear in water, head in line with spine. 2. Body Rotation- none. 3. Head and Breathing- lower ear in water, head in line with body. 4. Arm pull and recovery- (2 parts) lead hand pulls first while trail hand recovers, trial hand pulls while lead hands recovers. 5. Leg action- SCISSOR KICK- top leg forward, bottom leg back, glide after kick. 6. Coordination- glide occurs as extension of trailing arm is completed. DIVING SAFETY AND PRINCIPLES Terms: Approach: The walk toward the end of a diving board before the hurdle. *A diver must take a minimum of three steps. Body Alignment: The position of the body in preparation for an entry. Entry: The part of a dive in which the body passes through the surface of the water. Hurdle: The jump to the end of a diving board after the approach. Lift: The force of a diving board in propelling a diver into the air. Pike Position: A basic diving position with the body bent at the hips and the legs straight. Push Leg: The leg that pushes into the hurdle. Straight Position: A basic diving position of the body with the body straight of arched slightly backward and the legs straight and together. Takeoff: The propulsive part of a dive in which a diver’s feet leave the deck or the end of a diving board. Tuck Position: A basic diving position with the body pulled into a tight ball with knees drawn up to the chest and heels drawn to the buttocks. Progressions for Forward Dive on Deck of Deep Water: 1. Kneeling position- one knee down, one foot down, arms overhead, lean forward, reach down and out as you fall off balance, push with legs, straighten body and extend legs. 2. Compact position- leaning forward with one foot forward, one foot back, arms overhead, same motion as kneeling dive. 3. Stride position- stand upright, one foot forward, one foot back, arms overhead, bend slightly at waist, try to touch surface of water, as you fall forward, lift back leg until it is in line with your torso, forward leg stays straight as possible. 4. Standing dive- feel shoulder-width apart, arms overhead, bend knees, focus on target 5 to 6 feet out from side, push off deck, lift hips, extend legs in line with torso. Springboard Diving: 1. Approach: at least three steps, taken slowly with good posture. 2. Hurdle: lift thigh to 90 degree angle to the body and the foot slightly back with toes pointed. Bottom leg is push leg, it stays straight and presses the board down, arms reach up during hurdle. Diver moves forward to near the end of the board, straightening hurdle leg midway through the hurdle so it meets the pushing leg, arms swing down and prepare for takeoff. Land on balls of feet and jump from board while lifting arms again.

PERSONAL SAFETY AND SWIMMING

BASIC SAFETY GUIDELINES: 1. Never swim alone. 2. Swim only in supervised areas. 3. Never drink alcohol or use drugs when you are swimming. 4. Always check the depth before entering the water. 5. Do not swim in a pool if you cannot see the bottom at the deep end or if the water is cloudy. 6. Know you swimming limits and stay within them. 7. Watch out for the “dangerous too’s” – too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much hard playing. 8. Stay out of the water when you are overheated or overtired. 9. Do not chew gum or eat while you swim; you could easily choke. 10. Learn the safe and proper way to dive and know when it is safe to do so. 11. Use common sense about swimming after eating. In general, you do not have to wait an hour after eating before you may safely swim. However, if you have had a large meal, it is wise to let digestion get started before strenuous swimming.

SURVIVAL FLOATING AND SWIMMING: Survival floating, also called “drownproofing,” is a face-down floating technique that you can use if you end up in the water in an emergency. Use face-down floating only as a last resort to save your self. When floating face down in the water, your body tends to swing down into a nearly vertical position with your head just below the surface. Survival floating is based on this tendency. It was developed to help a water accident victims in warm water conserve their energy while they waited to be rescued. Each move you make should be slow and easy.

1. While your mouth and nose are above water, breathe in, hold your breath. 2. Put your face in the water, and let you arms and legs dangle. 3. Keep the back of your head level with or just below the surface. 4. Allow yourself to rest in this position for several seconds. 5. Slowly lift your arms to about shoulder height and separate your legs with one leg forward and the other back in a stride position. 6. Tilt your head back to raise your face above the surface, but only high enough for your moth to clear the water. As you raise your face, breathe out through your mouth or nose. 7. Keep your eyes open so you can make sure that you don’t rise out of the water any farther than necessary for you to breathe. 8. When your mouth clears the water, gently press down with your arms, and in the same motion, straighten your legs and bring them together (scissor kick). This helps keep your mouth above water while you take another breath with your mouth. 9. Return to the resting position and repeat these movements. 10. If you sink too far below the surface while in the resting position, press down gently with your arms, or separate and then bring your legs together (scissor kick), to push yourself up toward the surface.

The survival stroke (survival swimming) is to be used in conjunction with the survival float in a warm water emergency only. It allows you, whether you’re buoyant or not, to cover a considerable distance with a minimal use of energy. Remember that swimming long distances to safety should be used as a last resort only to save yourself.

1. During the survival float, after taking a breath, bend forward at your wait, bring your hands up alongside your head, separate your legs in the stride position, extend your arms forward, and then bring the legs together again, propelling yourself diagonally toward the surface. 2. Sweep your arms out and back to your thighs and glide easily near and almost parallel to the surface. When you feel like breathing, bend your legs and draw them toward your torso and bring your hands up again alongside your head. If you do not float well, you may need to pull harder with the arms and then quickly assume the body position just described to prevent the body from sinking. 3. Extend the arms forward and separate the legs in the stride position once again. Tilt your head back and prepare to breathe out, as in survival floating. The full cycle is then repeated. If you are not very buoyant, these movements must be done more rapidly to prevent you from sinking before you breathe.