Are you looking to improve your swimming ability? Listed below are 10 amazing tips that will take you from wearing arm bands to giving Michael Phelps a run for his money! But first, you need to pick yourself up and get in the pool!
Tip 1: You must fully stretch before any swimming activity! Stretch your key swimming muscles such as your arms, legs, shoulders, chest and lower back. If you don’t fully warm up and stretch before swimming, you could pick up an injury.
Tip 2: If you are constantly swimming loads and loads of lengths at a consistent pace, and wondering why you aren’t getting fitter or improving? The reason for this is this is not the way to improve! It may seem odd, but swimming fewer lengths at a higher tempo and having more rests in between provides much more impact on your fitness levels and swimming technique.
Tip 3: The key to a good backstroke or front crawl is to improve your kick. Are you thinking “what do you mean by this?”. Most swimmers tend to kick from the knees, this is not the correct method as you are not getting your full potential thrust from your legs. By kicking from the hip, with your toes pointed and knees hardly flexed you will increase the thrust coming from your legs greatly.
Tip 4: Do not dive into water when you are unaware of the depth. If you are uncertain of the depth of the water, either carefully get in the water or jump in feet first. If there are any “no diving” signs around, you must obey these signs, as these indicate areas that are unsafe for head first entries.
Tip 5: Focusing on rhythm and balance is the principal of a good swimming stroke. At first controlling these will be very tough, however, by regulating your breathing, you will notice a great difference in your technique and rhythm.
Tip 6: If you tend to swim more often in natural water sources such as a lake, a river or even the sea, you should take note of this tip the most. You must be aware of the 4 dangerous “too’s” – too cold, too much sun, too far from safety and too tired. The results could be fatal if you don’t take these factors into account when you have been swimming for longer periods of time.
Tip 7: The key to a good backstroke is a still head. You want your head to be so still, so that you could balance a hot cup of tea on there.
Tip 8: Cooling down after you swim is just as important as warming up. By cooling down after a workout, it allows your body to keep blood flowing to the muscles which prevents stiffness afterwards, not only this but it brings your heart rate down from high exertion to a temperate resting condition.
Tip 9: Here’s a fact for you; Water is 80 times denser than air. Therefore being stronger in the water won’t necessarily help. Ensuring that you are streamlined through the water is the single biggest improvement you can make.
Tip 10: Especially in public swimming areas, always remember that you are not alone. There are other swimmers around you of all different ages, shapes, sizes and swimming speeds, therefore awareness of other swimmers around you is essential for the safety of everybody.
