The History of Swimming Part 5

The lifebelt was invented in 1804 by W.H. Mallison (not sure if it was invented in America), although at that time it was called the "Seaman's Friend". The lifebelts took up lots of space on ships, and the United States Navy was worried the devices being used by sailors to desert. The first German swimming club was founded in 1837 in Berlin. a journal mentions what was then called "swimming skates" in France, which may have been an early version of a surfboard.

One watershed event was a swimming competition in 1844 in London. Some Native Americans participated in this competition. While the British raced using the breaststroke, the Native Americans swam a variant of the front crawl (freestyle), which has been used by people in the Americas, West Africa and some Pacific islands for generations, yet was not known to the British. As the front crawl) is a much faster style than the breaststroke, the Americans won against the British competition. Flying Gull won the medal, swimming 130 feet in 30 seconds; the second place was also won by another American named Tobacco. Their stroke was described as making a motion with the arms "like a windmill" and kicking the legs up and down. As this produced considerable splashing, it was considered barbaric and "un-European" to the British gentlemen, who preferred to keep their heads over the water. Subsequently, the British continued to swim only breaststroke until 1873.

The first indoor swimming pool was built in England in 1862. An Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain was organized in 1880 with more than 300 members. the main swimming styles were the breaststroke and the recently developed sidestroke. In the sidestroke, the swimmer lies on one side. Initially, the arms were brought forward under water, but this was soon modified to bring the arm forward over water to reduce resistance and to improve the speed, resulting in the overarm sidestroke. The legs were squeezed together in a scissor style. In 1895, J. H. Thayers of England swam 100 yards in a record-breaking 1:02.50 using a sidestroke.

Stay tuned for Part 6.

The History of Swimming Part 4

The first lifesaving group "Chinkiang Association for the Saving of Life" was established in China in 1708. Also, in Upsala Sweden a swimming club was established in 1796 which still exists today.

F.Y.I. - In 1716 Benjamin Franklin is credited with the invention of the swimming fins, he was just 10 years old. In 1739 Guts Muts (also spelled Guts Muth) from Schnepfenthal, Germany wrote "Gymnastik fur die Jugend" (Exercise for the youth) which included a substantial amount of information about swimming. Kanonikus Oronzio de Bernardi of Italy wrote a two (2) volume book about swimming, which included floating practice for swimming studies. However, Guts Muts wrote another book titled "Kleines Lehrbuch der schwimmkunst zum Selbstunterricht" (Small study book of the art of swimming for self study). This book recommended the use of a "fishing rod" device to aid in the learning of swimming. Guts Muts' books describe a three step approach to learn swimming that is still used today; (1) get the student used to the water, (2) practice swimming movements out of the water, & (3) practice swimming movements in the water. He believed that swimming is a essential part of every education.

In 1767 or 1768 (there is a misunderstanding about the accuracy of the dates) lifesaving groups were established in Amsterdam by the Dutch, 1772 in Copenhagen, and in 1774 by Great Britain. However, in 1768 a humane society was established in the United States.

Stay tuned for part 5.

The History of Swimming Part 3

In Japan swimming was considered a noble skill of the Samurai, and historic records describe swimming competitions in 36 B.C. organized by emperor Suigui (spelling not clear), which are known to be the first swimming races. The Germanic folklore also describes swimming, by the way was used successfully in wars against the Roman Army. Swimming comeptitions are also known from that time in history.

During the Middle Ages, swimming was considered to be one of the seven agilities of knights. this included the knights swimming in their armour. Swimming was done more nude than any other way, yet it became less popular as society became more conservative. Swimming was later opposed by the church at the end of the middle ages. In the 16Th century, a German court document in the Vechta prohibited naked public swimming of children. Leonardo Da Vinci made early sketches of lifebelts. Nicolas Wynman's book on swimming "Colymbetes" was not designed for the showcase of swimming as an exercise, rather to educate and reduce the dangers of drowning. The book also contained a methodical approach to learning the breaststroke, and includes swimming aids such as filled cow bladders, reed bundles, or cork belts. Around the same time that Wynman's book was written, E. Digby in England also wrote a book about swimming, however his book claimed that humans had the ability to swim better than fish.

Japan established the first national swimming organization in 1603 and emperor Go-Yozei declared that all school age children should learn to swim. "The Art of Swimming", written by the French author Thevenot described a breaststroke technique similar to the modern breaststroke. The book was translated into English and became the standard reference manual for swimming for many years.

Stay tuned for the history of swimming part 4.

The History of Swimming Part 2

More references to swimming is also found in ancient Babylonian bas-reliefs and Assyrian wall drawings that shows a variant of the breaststroke. Drawings that are considered the most famous of historic documents about swimming were found in the Kebir desert dating around 4000 B.C. The Nagoda bas-relief show images of swimmers that dates back to 3000 B.C.

Located inside the Indian palace Mohenjo Daro which dates around 2800 B.C. contains a swimming pool that measures 30m by 60m in length. Images of swimmers were also found in other civilizations such as the Hittites, Minoans, and other Middle Eastern civilizations.

The Greeks did not include swimming in the ancient Olympic Games, however they practiced the sport, often building swimming pools as part of their public baths. A common insult in Greece was to say that a person did not know how to run or swim (quite insulting, don't you think?)

FYI: the greek Scyllis was taken prisoner on a ship of the Persian king Xerxes I in 480 B.C. After he learned about an attack set for the Greek navy, he stole a knife and jumped overboard. At night Scyllis returned to the ships using a snorkel made from reed (very innovative there) and cut them loose. Also, it has been said that the ability to swim saved the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis, while the Persians all drowned when their ships were destroyed.

Finally, Julius Caesar was also known to be a good swimmer. There are a series of reliefs from 850 B.C. in the Nimrud Gallery of the British Museum that shows swimmers in a military context using swimming aids.

Stay tuned for part 3 of the history of swimming.

The History of Swimming Part 1

Swimming is one of the oldest sports around. It dates back to prehistoric times. Some drawings from the Stone Age were found in "the cave of swimmers" near Wadi Sora (or Sura) in the southwestern part of Egypt. there are written references that date from 2000 B.C. including Gligamesh, the IIilad, the Odyssey, The Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11) Beowulf and other sagas. It was in 1538 Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages, wrote the first book about swimming title "Colymbetes". Competitive swimming began in Europe around 1800 and the breaststroke was the premiere stroke used at the time. The front crawl (freestyle) yet at that time was called the trudgen which was introduced by John Arthur Trudgen in 1873. this particular style of swimming was copied by Trudgen from the Native Americans. However, in 1902 the trudgen was improved by Robert Cavill, using the flutter kick.

In 1896 swimming was made part of the first modern Olympic games in Athens Greece. the Butterfly was at first considered a variant of the breaststroke, but it was in 1952 that it was finally accepted as a separate swim style.

As you all can see, swimming has roots dating back to the prehistoric era. There is more to share about the history of swimming so stay tuned for part 2.