Swimming is one of the most peculiar sports. You can run, bike, weight lift, or do anything else, but unless you swim you will not be good. It is a unique skill that can only be obtained through hours upon hours in the pool. Another difficulty is that in order to be in the proper aerobic conditioning, swimming 6 days a week in 2-hour intervals is preferred. One hour and 15 minutes is probably the least amount of time one should spend on a training day. So you see the problem; it is very time consuming. However, if you can manage your time well enough to workout as a swimmer, there are a few things to keep in mind when training.
- Drills are the most important activity for swimming. This helps to get the proper form to swim the most efficiently as possible. If your stroke is sloppy, it doesn’t matter how hard you try. The guy next to you, if his stroke is how it should be, will go much faster with half the amount of effort. Generally in freestyle, drills are meant to elongate the stroke, engage the legs, or help with the pull of the stroke. There are numerous online sources that can help anyone find different drills that work specific parts of the stroke.
- Work all of the strokes. Even if you are trying to specialize only in freestyle, it is beneficial to work the other 3 strokes: butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke. This helps with diversifying the workout and with aerobic stamina.
- Swimming, unlike any other sport, requires doing strenuous activity under a limited amount of oxygen. When running you can breathe the entire time, but in swimming, the only time people breathe is when they actively turn their head to do so. However, that air comes with the price of speed. When taking the breath, the body alignment can change, causing the swimmer to slow down. That is why it is necessary to train with hypoxic sets. This may be taking only 2 breaths per length for 50 yards. Or potentially zero breaths sprinting 25 yards. The point is that no matter the skill level of the swimmer, it is necessary to get comfortable with less oxygen.
- In freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, the underwater portion of the swim is the fastest you can be in the water. You can look here if you aren’t sure what the underwater should look like. Being able to develop this part of the swim is what separates the good swimmers from the great ones. The best way to practice this is simply to do it thousands of times, but remember to engage the entire body from the chest all the way down to the toes. After doing this you will notice that it is tough to hold your breath long—another reason to work the lungs. But a good way to get around that obstacle in practice is to kick on the surface of the water as a drill.
There are a lot of things to keep in mind when swimming, making it one of the hardest sports. But through a lot of hard work and dedication, people can transform their swim from being mediocre to being competitive at any level in just a year.
Joseph Evans says
I have to say, I’ve never seen swimming in this light. Swimming, for me, involves either the ocean or swim class in high school. I always hated it in high school, but swimming in the ocean always provided me with a more energized version of swimming in something like a stagnant pool. “Swimming, unlike any other sport, requires doing strenuous activity under a limited amount of oxygen.” When you said that, something clicked with me. I don’t know why, because it seems pretty obvious, but it’s true. Swimming is the only activity that doesn’t involve full amounts of oxygen.
Your writing style allows for the reader to understand and comprehend the exact essence of swimming and the numerous tips you laid out. Nice job.
mkr5200 says
I used to swim competitively, but had to stop because of the huge time commitment you mentioned early in your blog post! It’s so true that if you really want to be good at it, you really need to take the time to train frequently. This post was very helpful and would be helpful for anyone who wants to get a better understanding on what it takes to be a great swimmer. I respect people who competitively swim so much just because of their dedication to the sport. I liked how in your post you included a youtube video and a picture for further explanation! The numbered “tip list” made for an easy read-great job!
Charles Lane Burrows says
I have a huge amount of respect for swimming as a sport and the athletes involved with it. I saw what the swimmers at my high school had to do for conditioning, and I did not envy them one bit. It takes true determination to stay with it and excel, but for those who do it speaks volumes on their character. I never realized how much went into one practice until I read your post, it was very informative and an interesting read.
ajm6349 says
I really like this post and thought it was very informative. I use to be on my school’s swim team and I hated when people made it seem like swimming wasn’t a difficult sport because I honestly think it is so incredibly challenging! Not being able to get oxygen whenever you want is the scariest thing! My swim team wasn’t super intense, so I can’t imagine practicing for that long each day. I wish you the best of luck in your future swimming endeavours, great post!
mlb5821 says
I have never swam competitively, but I like to do so recreationally, and I know several swimmers who swim competitively, including a close friend of mine who swims for Emory University and may even go to the Olympics. I would always make fun of this kid, and tell him that there is no actual strategy involved in swimming and that it is simply a test of who practiced more and who has more natural talent with regard to physique and conditioning. Little did I know that he had an entire spiel about strategy in swimming, and your blog only confirms what he told me. I don’t think swimming, at least on the extreme level, is really for me.
wqp5050 says
This post is very informative about swimming and the best way to maximize the workout you are doing. I like all of the recommendations you provide and how you go very in depth with some of the topics that may need a little more clarification. I also like how you call attention to many strokes and explain their importance. My only question after reading your blog would be why is swimming what makes you “good”? You state early in the post that you can run, bike, weight lift (I lift and run), but unless you swim you will not be good. I think if you could have explained a bit more what you mean by good and explained why swimming is what makes you good, your post would have been perfect.
Alexa Pauline Ain says
I used to be on a swim team as a child and let me tell you it was a lot of work. I completely related when you mentioned the outside training and how that doesn’t play a factor in the pool. Once in that body of water its all about out swimming your opponent and the only way to get better is to practice in that pool. I never spent that much time training – the two hours, six days a week, and I can’t imagine training, going to school, and having free time with friends. Swimming depends on the foundation – your stroke. Once you improve that your time will immediately decrease, with you getting closer to your goal. I never thought about how difficult swimming was until I read your article. I found it to be quiet interesting and eye opening.