The Most Useful Information on Synchronized Swimming

The main task of the given swimming variation is to perfectly perform swimming movements and create ideal routines of different difficulty levels. All these movements should be synchronized between the athletes and with background music. Every routine has its own theme that is to be revealed through particular music and movements.

Besides, another task for synchronized swimmers is to create immobile pictures on the water. There should be a few pictures in a single routine, and athletes should keep showing them like a kaleidoscope. Thus, below is comprehensive information on this kind of sport.

Equipment

Synchronized swimming events may take place in pools that meet the following criteria:

• at least 12 meters long;
• 6 meters wide;
• 2 meters deep;
• water should be clear enough to make it easy to see the bottom.

Sound System

As has been stated, background music is required. As soon as these competitions take place in large spaces, particular attention is paid to a sound system that is to play this music. Thus, every team of athletes should present their track that can be played on a particular sound system.

Uniform

Synchronized swimmers’ uniform consists of a dark swimming suit that should meet the official requirements and a white cap for performing an obligatory program. In addition to that, the athletes should have the second set of uniform for performing free routines.

Scoring System

Seven judges award scores according to the 10-point system. In some cases, judges can give even half a point for a routine. When it comes to the synchronized swimming obligatory program, a team should choose 5 of 100 routines to depict.

However, it does not mean that athletes are free to make this choice by themselves. A coin toss is organized before an event to distribute the routines among competitors. At the same time, three routines should not exceed a 1.7 degree of complexity, while the other two must be more difficult than this degree. Once in four years, all the routines should be checked and approved by the International Swimming Federation.

Every particular routine should be performed separately and without background music. Each of them is then evaluated by judges, and the final result is as follows: the highest and the lowest points are excluded, while the rest five points are used to identify arithmetic mean. This value is then adjusted to a corresponding degree of complexity to see the final point achieved by a particular team.

It is much more difficult to evaluate a free program that is accompanied by background music. Each of seven judges should pay attention to the degree of synchronism, the complexity of separate movements, expression, quality of showing the program, level of teamwork, coordination of actions, quality of developing a topic, uniform, general impression, and originality.

A free program may not last for more than five minutes. If it contains some introductory movements on the firm ground, they may not be performed for more than 20 seconds.

In general, however, synchronized competitions are evaluated according to performing the program of eight separate routines, prologue, and epilogue. There is a special routine catalog to choose from, and particular requirements are paid to the overall complexity of the routines to be chosen. When a team of eight athletes is performing, this complexity should not be higher than 16.5 points. At the same time, a maximum of 20 points is allowed for 12-member teams.

Technique

Synchronized swimming technique is a general term consisting of swimming styles, paddling, performing obligatory figures, and creating pictures. And now, let us consider each of them in details.

Swimming Styles

Synchronized swimmers should master the following swimming styles:

• crawl stroke;
• backstroke;
• breaststroke;
• butterfly;
• sidestroke;
• combinations of the abovementioned styles.

Athletes should perfectly master these swimming styles to start performing in synchronized swimming. However, these styles are a bit different when it comes to this kind of sport. The differences are as follows:

• athletes’ faces should always above the water surface to make it possible to hear background music, preserve spatial orientation, and coordinate movements with the partners;
• if a swimming style requires an active legs work, it should be done deep enough to prevent splash from appearing on the surface;
• hands work depends mainly on background music.

Paddling

Despite the fact that paddling is not considered as a separate swimming style, it is of crucial importance in synchronized swimming. Paddling is represented by small movements of hands and wrists to increase flotation. It, in its turn, provides athletes with the opportunity to perform various movements in the water.

Paddling on the back is commonly either an initial or final position in performing synchronized swimming figures. In this case, athletes take their wrists close to their sides.

Figures

According to the international classification, synchronized swimming figures are divided into five groups:

• ballet position;
• dolphin;
• counter-dolphin;
• sault;
• diverse.

Each of these groups is then marked with a corresponding number.

As for a ballet position group, its characteristic feature is the vertical leg with pointed toes above the water surface level. In an initial position, an athlete is on her back on the water surface, the body is straight. Separate figures are performed by rotating vertically and horizontally and can include various dives and resurfaces.

As for dolphin and counter-dolphin groups, they mean athletes should swim circles that start from diving and ends in resurfacing in the same position. The main difference is in the fact that dolphin figures are performed with heads first, while counter-dolphin ones – feet first.

These groups include much more than just ordinary circles. To make their elements more exciting and sophisticated, it is possible to bend a leg, point toes, rotate vertically, swim two circles at once to create an 8-like figure, and to swim a single circle by two or even more athletes at the same time.

While other kinds of sport indicate that a sault occurs when an athlete performs at least one full rotation, it is enough to make an only quarter of a turn in synchronized swimming. Thus, one of the most popular figures from a sault group means athletes should dive, their heads first, from their backs and lift their legs bent in pelvis joints above the surface level.

This group, among others, includes also rotations with the legs bent in knees and pelvis joints at the same time or only in pelvis joints. These rotations are then followed by a movement that is to lift the legs vertically above the water surface. However, it is not necessary to make the legs freeze in this position above the water.

All the other moves are included in a diverse group. These movements include handstands, turns, rotations on the water surface, and various figures.

Making Pictures

The technique of making pictures in synchronized swimming does not mean that athletes should masters numerous moving forms. The main requirement is that an athlete should be able to stay on the water surface, her body straightened. She should be able to be in this position for a long time without moving her hands and legs. In this case, it is possible to strain the hands to the body, move them a bit down, place them aside, or lift above the water surface. Besides, it is necessary to tense pelvic muscles. As for the lower body, toes should be pointed, while it is possible to take legs close to each other or apart.

Pictures are usually based on triangles, squares, and circles that can be then transferred into crosses, stars, and others. To make these figures united, the athletes grapple one another. There are various kinds of connection between the athletes in while in figures. Thus, they are hand-to-hand, foot-to-foot, foot-to-head, foot-to-hand, and other types. By occluding and moving apart their hands and legs, the athletes make their pictures move.

It is possible to intensify the overall impression by creating circles. A wheel is an outstanding and difficult element of synchronized swimming. To explain, it is not an immobile figure on the water surface. Instead, it is a figure that is on a constant state of moving. Thus, all the athletes of a single team are on their backs in a line; every athlete touches her partner’s head with her own feet. The first athlete dives, her head goes first as in a figure of the dolphin group, and swims below the rest of the athletes. She is underwater unless she reaches the first partner, resurfaces, and touches her partner’s feet with her own head.

History

Circle dances with flowers, flags, and other items were a basis for synchronized swimming to appear. These events attracted spectators thanks to colors and excitement. Synchronized swimming was popular in American before the Second World War. These competitions were rather beneficial events.

As a separate kind of sport, this activity started developing after 1945; it happened in the USA first, then it came to France and the Netherlands. Nowadays, it is an obligatory part of various sporting events in more than 50 world countries.

This discipline was always being developed, improved, and changed thanks to numerous possibilities and opportunities present. It was in 1956 only when this sporting discipline obtained the status of an official kind of sport. Synchronized swimming events are a part of the Olympic Games since 1980.