Swimming purposes

 

PURPOSES

Some tasks require workers to swim. For example, divers looking  for starfish  for financial gain, as well as  spearfishermen .

Swimming is used to rescue other swimmers in distress from drowning. Most modern cities and countries have   trained  lifeguards , at pools  and  beaches . There are a number of specialized swimming strokes, especially for  rescue purposes  (see list of swimming strokes). These techniques are studied by lifeguards or members of the Coast Guard.

Swimming is also used in  marine biology  to observe plants and animals in their natural habitat. Other sciences use swimming, for example  Konrad Lorenz swam with geese, as part of his studies of animal behavior.

Swimming also has  military purposes . Military swimming is routinely performed by special forces, such as  Navy SEALs . Swimming with lifeguard training is used to get closer to a target, gather  intelligence , acts of  sabotage  or  combat , and to move away from a location. This may also include airborne insertion into the water or exiting a submarine while submerged. Due to regular exposure to large bodies of water, all US Navy,  Marine Corps  and Coast Guard recruits are required to complete basic swimming or water survival training.

Swimming is a professional sport. Companies  sponsor  swimmers who are on the international level. Many swimmers compete in order to represent their country of origin at the Olympics. Cash prizes for breaking  records  are also given out at many of the biggest competitions. Professional swimmers can also make a living as entertainers, in the case of  synchronized swimming .

as a way to travel

When there are no other alternatives, short distance swimming trips can be made. Countless emigrants swam across rivers and seas; the Rio Bravo and the  Western Bug River are famous for this  . There are known cases of political refugees who swam in the  Baltic Sea , and of people who jumped from boats to swim to destinations they were not planning to go. In the 1980s, thousands of retreating Iraqi soldiers swam across the  Shatt al-Arab River . US President  John F. Kennedy led his sailors swimming from one island to another after his torpedo boat was sunk in  World War II . His brother, Senator  Ted Kennedy claimed to have swum out of Chappaquiddick  Island   .

As exercise and playful activity

The most common purposes of swimming are recreation, exercise, and athletic and sports training. Recreational swimming is a great way to  relax while enjoying a full workout.

Swimming is an excellent form of  exercise . Because the  density  of the human body is very similar to that of water, water supports the body so  joints  and  bones  receive less impact. Swimming is frequently used as a  rehabilitation exercise  after injury or for people with  disabilities .

Resisted  swimming  is a form of swimming exercise. It is carried out either for training purposes, to keep the swimmer stationary for stroke analysis, or to be able to swim in a confined space for sporting or therapeutic reasons. Resisted swimming can be done against a moving current of water on a  swimming machine  or by holding the swimmer stationary with elastic straps.

Swimming is mainly an  aerobic exercise , due to the intrinsic characteristics of the exercise, which requires a constant supply of oxygen to the muscles, with the exception of short races, where intensity and speed prevail, and where the muscles work  anaerobically . Like most aerobic exercises, swimming reduces the damaging effects of  stress , can improve and correct posture, and develop a characteristic physique, often called a "swimmer's figure."

In recent years there has been a growth in the popularity of open water swimming, also known as "wild swimming" in part due to the publication of best-selling books by  Kate Raw  and Daniel Start. In this specialty, mention should be made of the Spanish swimmer David Mecca , champion and record holder for several crossings  .

As a sport

The aquatic sport in swimming implies the competition between participants to be the fastest over a set distance, exclusively by means of their own propulsion. This makes it an individualized sport, since even if they train as a team they will face each other. The different distances to be covered are established according to the different levels of competition. For example, the current Olympic swimming program contains   50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m  freestyle ; butterfly, back and chest of 50 m; 100m; and 200m; Medley: 200m (i.e. 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle); 400m medley (100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, freestyle and 100m), and medley relay, which means that each participant performs either a 100m or 200m event.

Most swimming schools cover the following distances: 50, 100, 200 and 500m freestyle; 100m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly; and 200 m styles. There are also team medley relays, which include races of different styles interspersed.

The different competitions will have to be held in  special pools  so that they can have either national or international validity. A swimming pool (also known as  pool  in  Mexico  and  Honduras , and  pool  in  Argentina ) is understood as an excavation in a certain area that has the capacity to store water, in order to develop aquatic activities. The walls of the pools are usually covered with special mosaics that prevent swimmers from slipping.

There are two types of pools: semi-Olympic or Olympic pool. The semi-Olympic pool is exactly half of an Olympic pool. Its measurements are 25 meters long by 12.50 meters wide. Its depth varies from 0.80 m to 2.70 m. The Olympic pools, which are generally the best known by the general population because the  Olympic Games  take place in this type of pool, measure 50 m long and 25 m wide. Its depth, like the semi-Olympic pools, can vary from 0.80 m to 2.70 m. In both pools it is necessary that there are between 7 and 8 lanes that will allow swimmers with American lifeguard vienna va to be separated with the same distance between them.

Every pool for competitive use needs to have: starting benches located at the beginning of each lane, two flags that will each be placed at one end of the pool (these are very useful in the backstroke style), with a height of between 1.80 m-2.5 m from the surface of the water and with a separation of 5 m from the end of the pool; false start rope placed at 15 m which will serve to stop swimmers in the event of a false start.

For many years there has been speculation and talk about the factors that could possibly affect the performance of swimmers in a pool. Great experts in the matter have concluded that the temperature of the water is one of them, since if the water is very hot, the wear and tear on the organism will be much greater. The ideal water temperature is around 24-28 degrees. It is also known that the type of swimsuit or the caps that are used can help the swimmer in his movement, so each participant is allowed to carry out his test with the outfit that he thinks best.

In competition and training the length of the course and the return to the starting point is called a  lap ; Thus, it can be said that two laps have been covered instead of 100 meters, in 25-meter pools. A  length  refers to the length traveled without turning around. Public swimming pools and training clubs often tend to have 25m pools, although some may be 50m; instead the Olympics are always 50 meters.