Competitive Swimming

Competitive swimming is swimming with a purpose. Whether you enter a boy’s swimming competition or go to a competitive swimming camp, you have a major goal – to do the best you can against your peer group. A swimming competition is an excellent way to find out several things. Are you a competitor? Do you need too improve your swimming? In what areas are you strong? Do you like to compete? Do you have any goals in the world of competitive swimming?

The origins of competitive history go back to the Greeks and the Romans. The Greeks and Romans engaged in swimming as an integral part of their military training. A history of competitive swimming notes the first recorded incidence of competitive swimming occurred in Japan in 36 B.C. Modern competitive swimming, however, dates back to the 19th century in England.

The first major competitive swimming events took place n the 1896 Olympic Games. The swimming competition consisted of three races, all in the ocean. There was no pool of any size. There was no pool in the following Paris Olympics. The races took place in the Seine River. It was not until several years later that the swimming events had a pool.

In the meantime, swimming became part of a regulated sport. Aquatic sports fell under the jurisdiction of the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur or FINA created in 1908. FINA controls and standardizes four separate swimming fields. Today, there are also local or national sports groups to supervise various aspects of competitive swimming.

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USA Swimming, for example, controls the implementations and dissemination of competitive swimming rules in the United States. These groups dictate competitive swimming pool specifications as well as competition swim gear. USA Swimming also puts together a training and recruitment campaign directed at encouraging children and adults to swim for life. USA Swimming, for example, runs competitive swimming camps and provides all types of competitive swimming information to anyone who asks for it.

In competitive swimming, both the pool and the gear are significant factors and equipment. Competition swimming pools come in various sizes, but there are specific types preferred by the agencies and the Olympic and national committees. The ideal competition swimming pool is 50 meters, is a long-course pool and has lanes clearly marked, an accurate pace-clock and training devices. As for competitive swimming suits – the lighter the more streamlined, the better it is for the competitive swimmer.

In swimming in the Olympics or other events, there are certain competitive strokes a swimmer needs to be able to execute. Competitive swimming and the butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke are symbiotic. In swimming competitions, swimmers use these three strokes to the maximum benefit. In fact, some competitions restrict your usage to a specific stroke. There are also open or freestyle events, medley events and synchronized swimming. Some athletes master all types of swim strokes; other athletes shine in only one.