THE BENEFITS OF SWIMMING

 

WHY SHOULD MY CHILD BE A SWIMMER? 

  • Swimming is an outstanding activity for people of all ages.  
  • Swimming promotes fitness and teaches a child to strive for physical achievement. Many super-stars in other sports started out as swimmers and gained strength and coordination that helped them to excel. 
  • Swimming is an exciting individual and team sport. 
  • Swimming is a technical and specialized activity involving extensive skill development. 
  • Swimming is a healthy "lifetime" activity. Participants may be 1 or 101 years old. 
  • Swimming is relatively injury free in comparison to other youth sports. 
  • Swimming teaches the life lessons of sport and sportsmanship which include learning to deal with winning and losing, as well as working with officials, teammates and coaches. 
  • Swimming motivates participants to strive for self improvement and teaches goal orientation.   
  • Swimming cultivates a positive mental attitude and high self-esteem. 
  • Swimming can prevent drowning. 

 

DID YOU KNOW?

- Drowning is a leading killer of American children. 
- More than 30% of kids are at risk for obesity-related illnesses. 
- Swimming is a cure.  

 

KEY QUESTIONS

While winning is nice, while setting a record, getting a best time, or making a qualifying time feels good, we hope that our young athletes learn more than, “It is great to swim fast.”  No where in human history or theology do we learn that the ability to swim fast holds a very high priority in the grand scheme of the universe. From a practical standpoint, over-emphasis on speed, times and achievements will eventually end in frustration. No matter how fast a young athlete swims, there will probably be another swimmer in the next town, state, or country, swimming faster, if not now, then next month. So as coaches and parents, ask yourselves: 

  • Did the child learn to swim with more skill this past season so he or she is both stronger and safer in the water? 
  • Did the child learn to exhibit initiative, wanting to come to the pool and do the practice without having to be constantly pushed or prodded by parents and coaches? 
  • Did the child learn something about unselfishness, sacrificing his or her personal wants for the good of others or the team? 
  • Did the child benefit from the competitive experience, learning how to handle winning and losing in our competitive society? 
  • Did the child learn more patience in overcoming obstacles, setbacks and problems? 
  • Did the child learn empathy?

In a few years, the medals and ribbons will be laid aside and best times will be a hazy memory. The friendships that will develop and the life skills learned will carry on for a lifetime.

 

Link taken from http://www.usaswimming.org

8 Health Benefits of Swimming, According to Science, (+5 Tips to Help You Swim Better)

Have a look to the wonderful blog post of Jesse Miller on https://www.jenreviews.com/swimming/

 

1.    Swimming fights tiredness by improving oxygen intake and energy use in the body

2.    Swimming protects the heart and cardiovascular system

3.    Swimming provides social support and aids mental health and development

4.    Learning to swim reduces the chance of drowning

5.    The risk of contracting certain chronic illnesses drops with swimming exercise

6.    Swimming supports a healthy and longer life

7.    As a low-impact exercise, swimming causes less overall damage to muscles and joints

8.    A correlation exists between swimming and an overall decrease in body fat percentage

 

Overall

Swimming is a valuable life-saving adaptation and skill to learn. While any form of physical activity is markedly better than a sedentary lifestyle, swimming may be an easier choice for individuals at the start or in the middle of their respective fitness journeys.

Research supports that swimming is potentially less stressful on the body than high-impact exercises, increases oxygen capacity, improves cardiovascular function, helps protect against chronic illness, delays the effects of aging, and aids body weight regulation for its participants.

The social support and community one gains through swimming is also a great motivator for its participants, who are encouraged to maintain and continue its practice as they age, regardless of whether or not they do so for competitive purposes.

 

5 Tips to Help You Swim Better

1.    Learn to synch stroke movements for better control and speed

2.    Practice proper alignment and depth for each stroke

3.    Practice improving posture inside and outside the water to avoid strain and increase power

4.    Try tethered swimming to gradually relieve feelings of tiredness and quickly increase maximal oxygen capacity

5.    Keep a consistent swim schedule when practicing/training

PARENT WELCOME KIT

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE A SWIM PARENT

Parents contribute to the success experienced by the child and the team. Parents serve as role models and their children emulate their attitudes. Be aware of this and strive to be positive role models. Most importantly, show good sportsmanship at all times toward coaches, officials, opponents and teammates.

 

PARENT WELCOME KIT

The kit includes information on what to expect at a swim meet, how to interact with your child's coach & how to track times.  LEARN MORE

10 hidden benefits of swimming