Swimming competitions began in Europe around the turn of the Nineteenth Century, but there are sure to have been swimming competitions long before that in Europe and in other continents in the world. John Arthur Trudgen made the front crawl famous in 1873, although it is likely that this style was being used in other parts of the globe.

Until 1873, the breast stroke was the favourite style of swimming in Europe and America. The crawl, which was first known as the Trudgen, became an Olympic sport in 1896, the first of the modern Olympics, which were held in Athens. The butterfly stroke was introduced in 1952, before which it was considered as a variation of the breast stroke.

The vast bulk of our bodies is composed of water and there is a lot of oil too. This means that the body is less dense than water, which also means that the human body floats under regular circumstances. So, the body will float in fresh and salt water at or 50%-ish below the surface.

You can go above this level by paddling water downwards, which will push the body up or you can go forwards by pushing water behind you. A combination of both of these actions will propel a swimmer forward at or above the surface of the surrounding water.

It is easier to swim in salt water than fresh water, because the salt makes the water denser which means that your body will float higher in it. Decent swimmers or rather fast swimmers have subtle hips.

Swinging from one arm to another in the crawl, which is the fastest stroke, depends on hip action not on substantial arm muscles. After all, the amount of water that you can move with your hands is not that heavy.

Thigh muscles are significant for a continuous, rhythmic beat and co-ordination is equally important. There are diverse styles of swimming the crawl, some swimmers like to to draw the water back with cupped hands, others with flat hands and yet others with fingers slightly spread.

Breathing is essential for any form of continuous exertion. It is better to control the breathing so that you breathe in on one stroke, hold it for a stroke and breathe out during the next two strokes. This means that you only have to raise your mouth out of the water every four strokes.

Swimming is an excellent exercise because it exercises numerous muscles at the same time, but does not put pressure on hip, knee or ankle joints. It also raises the amount of oxygen in the blood., as do most exercises, but swimming encourages the partaker to hold in breath which means that the swimmer gets all the benefits from that air.

One thing you should always remember is to never, ever, allow your children to be alone near your pool. Children tend to be drawn to water and all it takes is a second for them to fall into the swimming pool. If you and your children are at your pool side and you have to leave the area for a second, you should always take your children with you.

To be completely safe, you should always make sure that you have loads of safety gear around your pool at all times. Safety items are a necessity to have around, as they could save the life of a child or in fact, anyone else who can't swim.

You should invest in a shepherd's hook too, as you can use it to pull someone out of the water. Having a phone at your pool is also a good investment, as you can easily call for help in the event of an emergency.

If you don't already have a fence around your pool you should think about making one right away. A fence is a useful way to keep children away from your swimming pool. If you have a protective fence up, you won't have to worry about little children falling into it, while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence up, you should always ensure that it's at least six feet high with a locking gate. In this way, no one can get into the pool without a key, which you have to keep with you at all times.

You could learn CPR as well. Even though you hopefully will not ever have to use it. It is always good to know artificial respiration in the event of someone falling in your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have children you know can't swim at your pool, you should always stay near them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A minute can be all it takes to save someone's life.

Always keep in mind that swimming is fun, although you have to always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for the day, make sure that you secure the poolside well - and padlock the gate tight so no one can get in too.