Lizabeth Hardman - Swimming

Other titles in the Science Behind Sports series:

Baseball

Basketball

Gymnastics

Ice Hockey

Snowboarding

2012 Gale, Cengage Learning

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Hardman, Lizabeth.

Swimming / by Lizabeth Hardman.

p. cm. -- (The science behind sports)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4205-0273-2 (hardcover)

1. Swimming . 2. Human mechanics. 3. Sports sciences. I. Title.

GV837.H357 2011

797.21-- dc22

2011015526

Lucent Books

27500 Drake Rd

Farmington Hills Ml 48331

ISBN-13: 978-1-4205-0273-2

ISBN-10: 1-4205-0273-5

Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15 14 13 12 11

TABLE OF CONTENTS

O n March 21, 1970, Slovenian ski jumper Vinko Bogataj took a terrible fall while competing at the Ski-flying World Championships in Oberstdorf, West Germany. Bogatajs pinwheeling crash was caught on tape by an ABC Wide World of Sports film crew and eventually became synonymous with the agony of defeat in competitive sporting. While many viewers were transfixed by the severity of Bogatajs accident, most were not aware of the biomechanical and environmental elements behind the skiers fallheavy snow and wind conditions that made the ramp too fast and Bogatajs inability to maintain his center of gravity and slow himself down. Bogatajs accident illustrates that, no matter how mentally and physically prepared an athlete may be, scientific principlessuch as momentum, gravity, friction, and aerodynamicsalways have an impact on performance.

Lucent Bookss Science Behind Sports series explores these and many more scientific principles behind some of the most popular team and individual sports, including baseball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, and skiing. Each volume in the series focuses on one sport or group of related sports. The volumes open with a brief look at the featured sports origins, history and changes, then move on to cover the biomechanics and physiology of playing, related health and medical concerns, and the causes and treatment of sports-related injuries.

In addition to learning about the arc behind a curve ball, the impact of centripetal force on a figure skater, or how water buoyancy helps swimmers, Science Behind Sports readers will also learn how exercise, training, warming up, and diet and nutrition directly relate to peak performance and enjoyment of the sport. Volumes may also cover why certain sports are popular, how sports function in the business world, and which hot sporting issuessports doping and cheating, for exampleare in the news.

Basic physical science concepts, such as acceleration, kinetics, torque, and velocity, are explained in an engaging and accessible manner. The full-color text is augmented by fact boxes, sidebars, photos, and detailed diagrams, charts and graphs. In addition, a subject-specific glossary, bibliography and index provide further tools for researching the sports and concepts discussed throughout Science Behind Sports.

A Sport for the Ages

I t was 480 b.c. Naval forces of the Persian Empire, under the command of Emperor Xerxes I, had invaded Greece for the second time, hoping to expand their empire. In two battles, the Greek navy, heavily outnumbered, had been soundly defeated by the Persians. But the Greek general Themistocles somehow persuaded his sailors to engage the Persians one more time. Xerxes, too, was anxious for a final battle that would finish his conquest once and for all.

The Greeks managed to get the Persian navy to sail into the narrow Straits of Salamis, where their hundreds of ships became so crowded that they could not maneuver. The Greeks took advantage of this and sunk or captured over two hundred Persian ships. It marked a turning point in the struggle between Greece and Persia. After more defeats the next year, the Persians made no more attempts to invade Greece.

In his most famous work, The Histories, Greek historian Herodotus (484425 b.c.) describes the battle:

There fell in this combat Ariabignes, one of the chief commanders of the fleet, who was brother of Xerxes; and with him perished a vast number of men of high repute, Persians, Medes, and allies. Of the Greeks there died only a few; for, as they were able to swim,

The Persians lost the Battle of Salamis and ultimately the conquest of Greece, in part because they could not swim.

A Useful Activity

Today, people swim for many reasons. First, swimming is a very popular form of recreation. It can be very relaxing to spend some time in a swimming pool filled with cool water on a hot day. Swimming provides an opportunity for family and friends of all ages to socialize and have fun by engaging in an activity that they can enjoy together.

A family enjoys a fun day in a swimming pool. In addition to its recreational aspects, swimming is popular for its health benefits and as a competitive sport.

Swimming has significant health benefits. It is an excellent form of aerobic exercise. It requires the use of a lot of oxygen, so the heart and lungs are given a good workout, and muscles are strengthened and toned. Swimming burns a lot of calories, which can help a person to maintain a healthy weight. Water supports the weight of the body, so there is very little stress on the joints, which makes swimming a good choice for the elderly or those with disabilities who wish to exercise. Swimming is also commonly used as a form of rehabilitation for athletes with injuries.

Competitive swimming is a very popular sport, especially at world-class events such as the Summer Olympics. Todays competitions include races of varying lengths, for both individuals and teams, using several different types of swimming strokes. There are also competitions in diving; open-water racing, such as triathlons; and in team sports, such as water polo and synchronized swimming.

Swimming is also a needed skill for several occupations. Lifeguards at pools and beaches must be excellent swimmers and have a thorough grasp of rescue swimming techniques. Swimming and diving are used by biologists and environmentalists to study aquatic plants and animals in their natural habitat. Some forms of entertainment, such as water ballet, require swimming skills.

Swimming Strokes

There are four main kinds of swimming strokes, or styles, used in swimming, particularly competitive swimming: the front crawl, or freestyle; the breaststroke; the backstroke; and the butterfly. All four are made up of five general parts: the arm stroke, the leg kick, breathing techniques, coordination of the movements of the body parts, and the position of the body in relation to the surface of the water.