Swimming Tips

Swimming, self-propulsion through water, often as a form ofrecreation or exercise or as a Swimming Tips competitivesport.

Swimming calls more muscles into play with exact coordinationthan most other sports, and its high repetition of movement makesit extremely beneficial to the cardiovascular system.

Check these Tips that will help you in your Swimming escapades....

Last Updated - 8th October 2005

Basic Swimming Tips

Swimmingstrokes should create the least possible water resistance; there should be a minimumof splashing so that forward motion is smooth and not jerky.

The strokemost commonly used to attain speed is the crawl

You may think youknow how to swim the crawl because you learned many years ago, but are you doingit right? Do your hands trace an "S" pattern through the water? Do youkick from the hips, not the knees? Can you breathe on alternate sides? What aboutthe other strokes? The point is, swimming is a skill that involves hand entry,catch, pull, exit and recovery, plus kicking and breathing! A few lessons canreally make a big difference in how you benefit.
Don't just dive in thepool and start swimming. First, take a few minutes to fully stretch your armsand shoulders, chest, lower back and legs. And have a plan for your workout. Justswimming lap and after lap, mile after mile, is not a smart way to build strengthor endurance.
Try interval training to perk up your workouts and boostyour fitness. You can choose from many plans and schemes, but basically, breakdown that mile you usually swim into a series of wind sprints, followed by briefrests. To get started, swim five lengths as fast as you can, then rest 15 seconds,then swim another five lengths ... Keep resting and repeating until you've done10 sets. Make a game of it. Alternate easy lengths with fast lengths. Be awareof working your muscles against the resistance of the water. Be playful. Havefun.
Swimming is only one way to get fit in the pool. More and more, peopleare doing deep-water workouts to build strength, boost endurance and rehabilitateafter injury. The secret to success is a buoyancy vest that keeps you suspendedin deep water as you run, walk, kick, twist, imitate cross-country skiing, etc.Exercising in water gives you 12 times the resistance of exercising on land, sobe careful not to overdo it. But try it! It's a great workout.
Swim fins,hand mitts, paddles, and kickboards are all ways to make your swim workouts morefun and challenging. You can even swim to music these days, with a specially designedradio that fits into a waterproof bag. The idea is to be creative, keep improvingand enjoy your workout.
Always swim with a buddy - never alone.
Knowyour swimming limits and stay within them. Don't try to keep up with a strongerswimmer and keep an eye on weaker swimmers.
Alcohol and swimming don'tmix. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance and coordination. It affects yourswimming and diving skills and reduces your body's ability to stay warm.
Swimin supervised areas only.
Watch out for the dangerous "toos"- too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun.
Do not chewgum or eat while swimming. You could easily choke.
Obey "No Diving"signs which indicate the area is unsafe for headfirst entries. Always enter thewater feet first if you don't know the depth. In addition, learn the correct wayto dive from a qualified instructor
Play catch up. Catch up is the kingof swimming drills. Kicking strongly, with arms outstretched in a long streamlinedshape, pull with one arm and recover fully. Once you have finished one completearm cycle, start with the other arm for a complete cycle. Swim the length likethis, one arm at a time, then swim a length normal front crawl, then rest andrepeat.
For the breaststrokers, swim two leg kicks for every one armpull. Try to concentrate on the following pattern: kick pull kick, pause, kickpull kick, pause. Remember to stretch out with the arms during the pause.
Oncein a while, have fun by forgetting about style and getting stuck into some allout sprints. Do four lengths as fast as possible with as much rest as you likeafter each length until you feel ready to go again. Really go for it! It willmake your ‘normal’ swimming feel so much easier.
There is noneed to embarrass yourself with a fancy flip turn that goes wrong. A touch turnis just as good. As you touch the end, the secret is to keep your eyes fixed onthe wall in front of you as you bring your knees up sharply to your chest. Whenyour feet hit the wall, make that tight arrow shape as you push off for the nextlength.

Tips to develop your swimming

Here is our simple guide to help you improve your swimming.

Startand finish each session with a smile on your face.
There are two importantprinciples that apply to everyone in the world who swims in water.
- Wateris 80 times more dense than air, so being stronger in the water will not necessarilyhelp. Being streamlined through the water is the single biggest improvement youcan make. Streamlining is the holy grail of all swimmers, skiers, Formula 1 carsand America’s Cup yachts.
- Swim faster than you normally do and takemore rest! If you are doing more than 4-6 lengths without stopping, you are doingtoo much! Swim two or four lengths at a time, harder than usual, then rest.
Thereason people feel frustrated with swimming is because they don’t know howto improve. Swimming requires skill and that skill needs to be practiced.
Itappears odd, but swimming fewer lengths, with more rest, but at a slightly higherlevel, will have a far more beneficial impact on both technique and general fitnessfor the period of time you are in the water, than just swimming up and down nonstop.
Remember it’s nothing to do with how far you swim, but howwell you swim.

Swimming Tips for Beginners

Stretch out in the water and make as long a streamlined shape asyou can. On all strokes, lengthen the arms, shoulders, back and point your toes.Each time you make a stroke, concentrate on stretching out the body and reachingfor the end of the pool before making each arm pull. This is especially true inbreaststroke.
As an exercise, push off the wall in a tight arrow - astight as you can - and float as far as possible in this position. Do it againand aim to go further each time you do.
Use breathing to help you relaxand bring rhythm and balance to the stroke. When you breathe on front crawl, yourmouth should more or less follow your shoulder. Swim gently and breathe everytwo, then three, then four strokes. For a challenge, swim eight lengths continuouslyusing this breathing pattern.
Good front crawl and backstroke swimmingstarts with improving the kick. Kick from the hip, with your knees hardly flexedand your toes pointed. If you can swim 4 lengths non-stop, you’re not kickinganywhere near hard enough!

Tips forAdvanced Swimmers

Once you have mastered the catch up,add this variation: Still doing the catch up drill, as you recover each arm, touchyour hip, shoulder, and head as you do so. This drill will give you the classicbent elbow recovery, which separates the super stylish from the wannabes.
Getyour hands on some Zoomers. These short flippers are fantastic for building upleg and stomach muscles, will enable you to move faster through the water andallow you to concentrate on that perfect arm action.
Good swimming isabout using the core of the body; your hips, stomach, lower back, and chest. Topswimmers roll the core of the body from one side to the other, while keeping thehead fixed, as if rotating the body on a spit. When you rotate like this, youcan reach further forward on each stroke and maximize your stroke efficiency.
To practice, keep your left arm stretched out in front and your rightarm by your side, and kick along strongly on your left side for a length. Keepyour head locked onto the shoulder and facing down! On your second length, switchto your right side, right arm outstretched, left arm by your side. (Note: youwill always be looking to the same side of the pool each length.)
Countyour strokes. In a 25m pool, if you count every arm stroke, you will see peopledoing 20 or 30 strokes. Good swimmers will do 10-14 strokes, so you should aimat no more than 20. Count the number of strokes you do in an average length. Nowsee if you can do two strokes less. Remember, efficiency is the key.
Thekey to good backstroke is a still head. You should be able to balance a cup oftea on there. For this exercise, balance your goggles, or a plastic cup with somewater in, on your forehead and swim slowly for five minutes.
Finally,for those who just can’t resist it, the key to a good flip turn is to geta bit closer to the wall than you feel comfortable doing. Put your chin on yourchest and curl into as tight a ball as you can as you roll over in one continuousmovement. Your feet should start the push just before they touch the wall so you‘bounce’ off the wall in that tight, streamlined shape.

HealthySwimming Tips

DO NOT enter the water if you have diarrhea.(People can spread germs in the water even without having an "accident.")
DO NOT swallow the water! (Remember: it's everybody's bath water andchlorine does not kill all germs.)
Wash your hands and bottom thoroughlywith soap and water after a bowel movement or changing diapers. (Germs on handsend up everywhere, including the water.)
Notify the lifeguard if yousee fecal matter in the water or if you see persons changing diapers on tablesand chairs.
Take your child to the toilet for bathroom breaks often.(Waiting to hear "I have to go" may mean it's too late.)
Changediapers in a bathroom, not near the pool or shore. (Germs can contaminate surfacesand objects around the water.)
Wash your child thoroughly (especiallyhis or her bottom) with soap and water before swimming. (Everyone has invisibleamounts of fecal matter on his or her bottom that ends up in the water.)
DONOT count on swim diapers or pants to keep fecal matter from leaking into thewater. (These products are not leak-proof. Remember to take your child to thetoilet often.)
Keep an eye on your child at all times. (Remember, kidscan drown in silence.)
Protect your child against sunburn by using asunscreen with at least SPF 15 and both UVA and UVB protection, and be sure tore-apply it after swimming. (Even a few serious sunburns can increase the riskof getting skin cancer.)
DO NOT allow your child to chew gum or eat whileswimming or playing in the water. (Chewing or eating while swimming could causechoking).