Sporting Swimming

The sporting Natation consists in as soon as possible traversing in a swimming pool a distance in a style codified by the International federation of swimming, without the assistance of any accessory.

Since September 2004 and medals brought back by French swimmers such as Laure Manaudou to the Olympic Games the number of bachelors in sporting swimming to the French federation of swimming to increased considerably.

Sporting swimming can be practiced at any age, but beyond 25 years the candidates have the possibility of taking part in competitions known as of main independent of those of sporting swimming.

This activity classifies its practitioners according to some five years categories of age thus making it possible any candidate to confront itself with adversaries of a nearly identical age throughout their life.

Swimming practiced in lake, river or sea, generally at larger distances (a few kilometers) is called Nage out of interstitial water, a test of 10 km interstitial water will appear in the program of the Olympic Games of Beijing in 2008.

The synchronized Swimming nautical, in the past ballets, the dive, the Water-polo are the other disciplines gathered with sporting swimming and the Masters by the French federation of swimming (FFN), the European Ligue of swimming (LEN) and the International federation of swimming (FINA).

Basins

The tests of sporting swimming proceed in general in basins of 50m (known as large basins), often discovered, during the summer, and in basins of 25m (known as small basins) during the winter. It should be noted that with the the United States there are also competitions in basins of 25 Yard S (either approximately 22m86). For the same distance, times are faster in small basin than in large basin, because the push on the wall at the time it turn makes it possible to increase the speed of propulsion.

Styles

The styles regulated in the competitions are the following:

the freestyle: the swimmer swims as he wants it. In practice, the tests of freestyle are always swum in Crawl.
the back: the only constraint imposed to the swimmer is to be on the back permanently (except at the time of the turns), if not its style is free. In practice, the tests of back are always swum in Dos-crawlé.
the brews: contrary to the preceding ones, this stroke is very regulated. It is characterized by a symmetrical action of the arms and legs. To touch the wall with the two hands is an obligation with the turn as on arrival
the butterfly: this stroke also is very regulated. It is a symmetrical stroke as the pitch-stirrer, but the arms return forwards above water surface, which makes this style faster than the pitch-stirrer, but much more tiring, and asks for a certain time of drive before being able to control it.

The fastest stroke is the crawl, followed stroke butterfly, backstroke and finally of the pitch-stirrer.

Tests

The tests consist in of a distance always traversing either in the same style, or by using the 4 styles of stroke (tests known as “of 4 strokes”). Canadian uses term “QNI”: “four individual strokes”, to distinguish these tests from the relay four strokes.

The distances used are the 50 m, the 100 m and the 200 m for the back, the butterfly and the pitch-stirrer, and of 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m for the freestyle.

For tests of 4 strokes, swimmer must to swim initially butterfly, then back, then pitch-stirrer, then freestyle (with the additional constraint in these tests which the part of freestyle must be swum in a style different from the first 3 parts), at equal distances. These tests are practiced on 100m (in small basin), 200m or 400m.

There are also tests of relay, by team of 4, which are practiced either in freestyle, or in 4 strokes. In the tests of 4 strokes out of relay, the order of the styles changes compared to the individual tests, indeed the swimmer of back must leave in water, and he thus swims the first relay. The order becomes: back, brews, butterfly, freestyle.

Records

History of the records and their officialization by FINA

The International federation of Swimming Amateur was founded in 1908 in London and it is on this date that effect the first records of the monde.
took

At that time, the world records could be established in any swimming pool, provided that the latter is a length higher than 25 yards.

Moreover, all the distances lower than the swum total distance could be the subject of world records. Thus, the Danish swimmer Ranghild Hveger established not less than 42 world records between 1936 and 1942 by using this process (she sprang to swim one 1000 m NL and beat in the passing the 100 yards, the 100 m, the 220 yards, etc).

In 1948, a first removal of records eliminated good number of races (the 300 yards, 300 m, 1000 yards, 1000 m freestyle, the 400m back and the 400 m and 500 m brews).

In 1952, they are the 500 yards and 500 m freestyle, as well as the 150 yards backs and the 3x100 m3 strokes which disappeared, this last distance leaving room to the 4x100 m 4 strokes thanks to the separation of the pitch-stirrer and the butterfly in 1953.

It is as into 1952 as the United States of Americas and Japan proposed with the congress of the FINA that are separate the records swum out of basin of 50 meters those swum out of basin of 25 meters. But the congress was opposed to it and it four New Year's Days had to be waited so that the things were clarifissent, the congress deciding to retain like world records only the races swum out of basin of 50 meters.

Evolution of the records

Great competitions

Champions

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