Swimming

what is swimming ?

swimming, in recreation and sports, the propulsion of the
body through water by combined arm and leg motions and the natural flotation of
the body. Swimming as an exercise is popular as an all-around body developer
and is particularly useful in therapy and as exercise for physically
handicapped persons. It is also taught for lifesaving purposes. For activities
that involve swimming, see also diving, lifesaving, surfing, synchronized
swimming, underwater diving, and water polo.

The earliest instruction programs were in Great Britain in
the 19th century, both for sport and for lifesaving. Those programs were copied
in the rest of Europe. In the United States swimming instruction for lifesaving
purposes began under the auspices of the American Red Cross in 1916.
Instructional work done by the various branches of the armed forces during both
World Wars I and II was very effective in promoting swimming. Courses taught by
community organizations and schools, extending ultimately to very young
infants, became common.

The early practice of simply swimming as much as possible at
every workout was replaced by interval training and repeat training by the late
1950s. Interval training consists of a series of swims of the same distance
with controlled rest periods. In slow interval training, used primarily to
develop endurance, the rest period is always shorter than the time taken to
swim the prescribed distance. Fast interval training, used primarily to develop
speed, permits rest periods long enough to allow almost complete recovery of
the heart and breathing rate.