Why do we swim?
Swimming continues to be one of the world's greatest participatory sports; it is one of the few sports in which people in nearly every country take part. It is hardly surprising that new ideas and improvements take place regularly. It is also a basic of all aquatic adventure. 70% of this planet is water. You'll discover so much health & fitness benefits through swimming. It's a healthy thing to do! Ask any doctor and they will undoubtedly say that swimming is one of the best exercises for young and old bodies. It is also a low injury rate sport.
It encourages a more rounded social development. This is partly related to the above paragraph and swimming becomes a family type activity involving other swimmers, coaches, and parents. It leads to a much wider circle of friends. A swimmer learns to deal with pressure and stress, sometimes self-imposed, sometimes applied by others. One learns to deal with success and failure. One learns teamwork and discipline.
How swimming started :
Only vague records of early swimming exist but they indicate that swimming grew up with Man from the early stages of his appearance on Earth. When early Man needed to move on land he either walked or ran; when early Man needed to move across water he probably waded, and then eventually swam by watching the example set by other primarily landbased animals.
The word need is used somewhat cautiously here because there must have been long poerods when the climatic conditions made it impossible fo poeple to swim. The ability to swim, however poorly, would probably have been part of the dexterity of early hunters, and the need to hunt would certainly have been a reason to swim. |
