History of Swimming :: essays research papers fc

HISTORY OF SWIMMINGSwimming was invented before recorded history. Humans discovered how toswim by accident. A person probably fell into the water and struggled to shore using adog-paddle stroke. There was an Egyptian hieroglyph for swimming dating from 2500BC. The ancient Greeks and Romans do swimming an important part of their militarytraining programs. There have been known swimming contests that were organized inJapan as early as the 1st century BC.During the Middle Ages in Europe, swimming declined in popularity. People feltthat the water was contaminated and a source of disease. Not everyone feared the water,however, Louis XI reportedly swam daily in the Seine.During the early 19th century, swimming enjoyed a revival, especially in England,Lord Byron swam the Dardanelles river, to prove that the mythological hero Leandercould have done it. organized competitive swimming began in England in the 1840s.In 1844 the British were surprised when two American Indians demonstrated the efficiency of a method of swimming equivalent to the modern crawl. The British still swamwith the head above the water, a holdover from the days when people believed that thewater was contaminated. An overhand stroke was introduced into England in 1873 by J. Arthur Trudgen,who had seen second American Indians using this method to swim really fast. When theflutter kick was introduced, the modern "Australian crawl was born, and this stroke hassince become the closely common and most important swimming stroke.FITNESS COMPONENTSTo swim well u need to know how to coordinate your arms and legs to get youthrough the water. At first you pass on probably need to have lessons. Also to swim u needagility and just gravity. Swimming also requires balance and quickness in rough cases.Not much is needed to know if you want to swim.Swimming improves heart and lung efficiency, enhances muscle strength andendurance, improves flexibility, and reduces stress. Its easy on the joints, and uses t o a greater extentmuscles than most new(prenominal) forms of exercise. Although swimming burns a great deal ofcalories, recreational swimmers tend to lose less weight than would be expected fromother types of aerobic activity. Scientists ordain that cold water removes heat from the body,stimulating appetite to keep the body warm. Exposure to cold water may encourage thebody to maintain fill out stores for insulation. To lose weight by swimming, its necessary tocut down on the calories you eat, and to swim fast enough and long enough. Swimming can burn more than 660 calories an hour when performed correctly and causes less injuries to joints and muscles than aerobics or jogging.