Competitive swimming modalities

 It is said that swimming is a complete sport because it works many muscle groups and many other capacities and physical abilities. However, it is also in terms of its organization. There are several competitive modalities and athletes can choose according to their possibilities and preferences.

The styles

As every fan of this sport knows, there are four main swimming styles: front crawl, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke –also called breaststroke–. Basically, the difference between them is that a specific technique must be used in each one for movement in the water with an online lifeguard course.

The competitive modalities of swimming are classified by styles. Within each style, there are also tests of different distances. Likewise, it is also possible to combine several of them in a single competition. We will delve into these issues below.

Distances in competitive swimming modalities

The possible distances that a swimmer must cover depending on the test in which he participates are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1500 meters. It is worth clarifying that these last two only apply in freestyle.

Similarly, some styles have certain restrictions, given the difficulty involved in traveling long distances. For example, the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke styles are only contested individually up to 200 meters. They can, however, be part of a group-style relay event.

25 and 50-meter pools

Each swimming competition can be held in pools of 25 or 50 meters. In fact, there is a Short Course Swimming World Championship and another called, simply, the World Swimming Championship for 50-meter swimming pools, commonly called 'Olympic' and where the JJ is held. OO.

Although it seems that the difference lies only in the length of the pool and the final distances covered are the same, the truth is that this is a very important factor in this sport. In fact, it substantially modifies the preparation of swimmers, as well as their performance.

This is because the short pool requires a greater number of turns to restart the course in the opposite direction. The most powerful swimmers with the greatest speed in short distances are the ones who take advantage here; meanwhile, the most resistant ones perform better in the long pool.

When the swimmer returns to the starting point after having reached the other end of the pool, they are said to have completed a 'lap'. Instead, the total path of the pool from one end to the other is called 'length'. Therefore, a length in a pool of 50 meters is equivalent to one lap in a 25-meter pool.

Other disciplines

The World Swimming Championship, organized by the International Swimming Federation, also includes other sports disciplines, such as the following:

Jumps: can be from a trampoline or platform. The individual modality can be done from 1 or 3 meters, while the synchronized one —in pairs— is always from 3 meters.

Water polo: This sport is a kind of handball in the water. It is played in teams and with goals in which you have to introduce the ball.

Open water: Open water swimming can include courses of 5, 10, or 25 kilometers. This last alternative is included in the Olympic Games.

Synchronized swimming: this discipline is considered both sporting and artistic. It consists of performing dance routines in the water, it is in groups and is performed with music.

Combinations in competitive modalities

The different mixtures of distances and styles also give rise to the combined tests, also known as 'styles'. These can be 200 meters, in which 50 meters of each of the four styles are disputed; or 400 meters, which includes a length of 100 meters in each style of swimming.

Another of the competitive modalities is the relay, in which each competitor performs a length of 50, 100, or 200 meters freestyle. Thus, the teams made up of four participants carry out the entire distance scheduled for each test.

Finally, the relays can also be combined in a test called 'style relays'. In this case, four swimmers perform backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and front crawl sections, in that order. The distances are 50 and 100 meters in each length.

In short, there are many competitive swimming modalities. This helps all people who like water sports to choose the one that interests them the most. They are all fun and beneficial!