Interesting Facts about Swimming to Keep You Afloat!

Swimming has become one of the most popular sports, hobbies, and leisure activities that people have enjoyed for the past centuries.  People of all ages and across countries have learned to appreciate and love this activity --- because it’s not only fun, but also a healthy activity. 

For the past centuries and until now, so many things have contributed to the popularity of this sport, but this time, let’s take a trip down trivia corner to learn stuff and facts about swimming.  It would be fun to get to know swimming, so prepare your thinking caps and let’s see if you would be able to guess and answer some of these basic facts about swimming.

Well, swimming has started way back in the 1st century, although it was only in 1896 that it has become a sport in the Olympics.  When you think about it, how did man ever learn how to swim, what triggered human’s instinct to swim?  It’s believed that it’s through man’s basic survival instinct --- a person fell into the water and panicked, thinking only to survive and live, he used his hands and legs to stay afloat and “dog paddled” his way to land.  But even in the ancient times, thousands of centuries ago, there were already traces found that Egyptians were familiar with swimming through hieroglyphics --- pictures and symbols for swimming were discovered. 

One of the interesting facts about swimming is its strokes; do you know which swimming stroke is the oldest type?  Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly? If you said “breaststroke”, then you are right, this is believed to be the oldest type of swimming stroke.  Also, when you really observe swimming competitions, you would have noticed the swimmers attire, there’s one intriguing fact about swimming that most people wouldn’t really bother thinking --- the swimming caps and swimming suits --- why do they have to wear skin tight suits, and is there a need to cover the hair or head?  Actually, with a shorter hair, there’s a more chance for you to swim faster because it will only trigger less friction, so with the swimming cap (because of its material, and no hair friction), it’s likely that it will add more speed to your swim than without wearing one.  The same thing with the skin-tight swimsuits, it must hug the body to make it a “part” of your body, so it won’t drag and slow you down.  And a minor trivia yet important one is --- peanuts, because of its composition, is a good source of energy to give you more stamina and strength in swimming.

It’s really good knowing simple facts about swimming, it doesn’t only add information to your head, but it’s fun learning about these things.  So, next time you go swimming --- whether it’s for competition, pleasure, or survival, remember those swimming basics, it may just help you win the race or keep you alive.