There’s more to Competitive Swimming

The sport of swimming is peculiar and presumably so as being in against the nature of humans. To maintain buoyancy, swimmers modify their technique for each stroke based on their centre of gravity. Then, in order to continue ahead and establish a rhythm in their movement, they must summon the strength in their arms and legs.

Swimming competitively involves extensive training and the correlation of many factors and techniques to achieve that optimum mix to make it to the top.

More than just an individual sport.

While swimming may appear to be a solitary activity when you start off, once you begin training as a competitive swimmer, you realise the help and assistance from your fellow swimmers. They not only liven up and enrich your time in the pool and practice session but many a time make a difference to your life, and some of them will stick with you forever.

The only person who can completely understand what a swimmer is feeling is another swimmer. Swimmers in a team rely on each other throughout the most challenging time of the season. As a swimmer you may feel misunderstood while chatting with someone who is not a swimmer. You grow to consider your teammates to be more than a close friend, even as close as family. Competitive swimming creates that environment of bonding both in the best and most difficult times.

It’s not all about the water only: Land training.

Dry side training which targets the specific muscle groups involved in your chosen stroke and increases power and muscular endurance, can be equally as vital as training in the pool. Any activity you do at home or in the gym can advance your swimming training overall, whether you stick with bodyweight workouts or include resistance or free weights.

Resistance bands are an excellent tool for performing a short and efficient land training exercise. Any dry land training session can be improved by using a resistance band. Resistance band training imitate the natural water resistance you feel when you swim.

By increasing the resistance in your land workouts, you will be able to improve your speed, power, strength, and muscle endurance while swimming, which will help you set a new personal best.

Sleep More: Quality of sleep matters too!

Strange as it may seem, quality sleep is a simple way or approach to increase performance. Having a healthy pattern that includes regular wakeup and sleep times play a big role in performance. Habits like using the phone or laptop till the point where you got to bed, having heavily caffeinated drink before bed etc. can affect the quality of your sleep which in turn negatively affects your performance.

Nutrition: Not just about a big appetite. 

Swimmers who exercise hard for more than two hours each day should consume four to seven small meals throughout the day. Large meals or eating too much at once can make the swimmer feel sluggish and will hinder performance. It should also include simple-to-digest meals. Plan your meals so that they include modest amounts of protein to aid in recuperation and low Glycaemic Index carbohydrates for slow-release energy before any exercise or competitions.

In addition to preventing discomfort after workouts, protein rebuilds and heals the muscles. Amino acids, which are the primary constituents of muscle development and repair, are the building blocks of proteins. Other essential parts of a meal are healthy fats from foods like olive oil, nuts, avocados, and seeds, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, vitamins, and minerals.

Meditate: Breathing exercises make swimming easier!

Meditation is an easy, calming method excellent for encouraging a good outlook, providing time for reflection, uncluttering your thoughts, and lowering stress. During meditation, which is usually through a series of breathing exercises, you pay attention to your breathing.  By focussing on your breathing, you can become more in control of your rhythm which helps swimmers who tend to get more exhausted due to their unbalanced breathing techniques while in the water. By practicing breathing techniques through meditation, you can increase lung capacity and enhance your performance in the pool.

 

NB: Competitive swimmers should always consult with their coaches for their nutrition requirements and tips for training sessions and swim Meets. DSA provides  Competitive Swimming training programs and nurtures young champions through the DSA Swimming Team and DSA Swimming Club. For more information on competitive swimming or to be a part of DSA Swimming Team, please visit www.dsaswimteam.com

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