Changes in Swimming

Because of better training techniques and new developments, swimming times have been able to drop.

Originally, the first four Olympic competitions for swimming were held in open water. In 1986 it was held in the Mediterranean, 1900 was in the Seine River, 1904 was in an artificial lake, and 1906 was once again in the Mediterranean.

In the 1904 Olympics, the freestyle had been measured at 100 yards for the very first and only time, rather than 100 meters. A 100 meter pool was built for the 1908 Olympics and was actually set in the middle of the main stadium’s track and field oval. In the 1912 Olympics, which was held in the Stockholm harbor, the use of electronic timing had begun.

Up until the 1940’s, males had actually worn full body suits to swim. This changed due to the fact that the body suits caused more drag than the modern suits we see today. Competition suits now include engineered fabric and designs to not only reduce drag, but also prevent athlete fatigue.

Not only have suits been designed to lessen drag over the years but pools, too, have been structured to make sure there is the least drag possible. Some designs of these pools allow for the reduction of swimming resistance which makes the pool faster. Many improvements have been made to pools such as proper pool depth, elimination of currents, increased lane width, and energy absorbing racing lanes and gutters. Other ideas have also proved to be very innovative in hydraulic, acoustic, and illumination designs.

The 1924 summer Olympics were the first to use the standard 50-meter pool with marked lanes. Before diving blocks had been invented, swimmers originally dove from the pool walls. But the creation of diving blocks was incorporated in the 1936 summer Olympics.

The flip turn was developed in the 1950s and goggles were first used in the 1976 Olympics.

Not only were the pools and suits improved, but technique was also improved in the late 20^th century. Breaststrokers are now allowed to dip their heads completely under water, which allows for a longer stroke and faster time. However, the breaststrokers must bring their heads up at the completion of each cycle. In addition, a split stroke in the breaststroke start and turns has been added to help speed up the stroke.

Very recent improvements to breaststroke have been the allowance of one butterfly kick for breaststrokers off of the start and turns. This has helped to speed up the stroke.

Backstrokers are now allowed to turn on their stomachs before the wall in order to perform a flip turn. Previously, they had to reach and flip backwards and a variation of it is sometimes used in individual medley events to transition from backstroke to breaststroke.