Shambhu Datta Mishra
Swimming is an individual or team sport. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sport with many events including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. In addition to these individual events, Olympic swimmers also participate in relays and medleys.
Evidence of recreational swimming in pre-historic times has been found, with the earliest dating back to Stone Age paintings from approximately thousands of years ago. Swimming emerged as a competitive recreational activity in the 1830s in England.
Competitive swimming became popular in the 19th century and since then the world has seen legends of the pool like Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe (popularly nicknamed Thorpedo). Their deeds and that of many others have become a folklore in swimming.
The practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition is called tapering. A final stage is often referred to as ‘shave and taper’: the swimmer shaves off all exposed hair for the sake of reducing drag and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water.
Swimming is an event at the Summer Olympic Games, where male and female swimmers compete in 16 events in each segment. Olympic events are held in a 50-metre pool, called a long course pool.
But forget about swimming as a sport. It can be done as an exercise on a regular basis simply because it gives one the chance to lead a healthy life. It builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness. It also can decrease the risk of chronic illnesses, help in restricting high blood pressure and also act as a balm for muscular pain.
Surendra Kumar Naik, joint secretary of the Orissa Swimming Association and head coach of the Biju Patnaik swimming complex at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, is of the opinion that the sport can be hugely beneficial in this stressful society.
“Most importantly, it is an injury-free sport. If you know swimming then you won’t drown and can save others in an emergency. Water is used as a therapy (Hydro therapy) for different kind of injuries. Swimming helps in increasing stamina, builds strength as well as improve breathing problems,” informed Naik.
Coming back to swimming as a sport, Naik feels that both the central and state governments should give a proper boost to it. “I can’t talk about other states in detail,” says Naik. “In Orissa however, we have some talented swimmers. But then after a while they desert the sport. Probably, the lack of facilities as well as the absence of a leader in the sport forces them to seek glory elsewhere.
“For swimming, infrastructure is very important. You can learn how to swim anywhere – in lakes, ponds or any deep water body. But to develop as a competitive swimmer, you need to have a proper swimming pool because the sport demands strength, flexibility and endurance,” Naik adds.
The coach, however, lamented that even though in summer, the swimming complex at the Kalinga Stadium is crowded, very few are keen to take it up as a sport. “Yes, April to June, this complex is full. But then once the temperature drops, the numbers diminish,” points out Naik.
However, he is quick to point out that if swimming is done the entire year around, it will be very beneficial. “It’s the best all-round exercise,” he asserts. “It is a sport that activates and strengthens all the muscles of the body. No other discipline is so beneficial,” he adds.