Swimming Reflection

Swimming was first documented during the time of ancient civilizations and has continued to evolve over time to become one of the most competitive and universal sports in the world. The breaststroke was the earliest recorded stroke and since it was developed so early in time there in not one single inventor. However this stroke was first described in one of the earliest written works on swimming known as The Art of Swimming, written in 1969 by French Author Thevenot ("The Development of the Modern Stroke"). He described the breaststroke by saying it is a stroke that gives the swimmer effective stability, even in rough water. In continuation, while performing the stroke the face stays above the water and there is a time of underwater arm recovery where the arms and legs will return to their starting position ("The Development of the Modern Stroke"). Although, this stroke has evolved in order to be more efficient and faster, but the basic aspects of the stroke, that was the standard in swimming for centuries, remains.
When thinking about the greatest and most well swimmer in any stroke, one’s mind will usually go strait to Michael Phelps, which is not a surprise considering his …show more content…
Coming into this class I was sure that I was a good swimmer and knew exactly how to complete the most basic strokes with ease. I learned very quickly that was not the case. One the first day of class I was very disappointed that I struggled swimming only 25m and I was worried that there was no possible way I could make it through the semester. I have come so far since then and surpassed my goals I set for myself in the class. I now enjoy swimming for longer distances and become more confortable in the water. I hope to continue swimming as a form of exercise in the future and use the skills that I learned in class to continually improve my abilities as a