SWIMMING SPORT

Clara López - Francisca de Cabrera

SWIMMING SPORT

Swimming is a sport consisting of the displacement of a person in the water, without touching the ground. It is regulated by the International Swimming Federation. Offers a number of physiological benefits and also provides many positive effects on the mental health of its practitioners.

What are the advantages of swimming?

There are many well documented physical and psychological benefits associated with exercises and physical activity. Swimming causes an increase in your heart rate making you fitter. It exercises both your upper and lower body improving strength. You tone up your legs and arms and heart rate becomes better equipped for events such as running. Another advantage of swimming is that it has low impact on the body unlike running, or other forms of exercises on land, thus reducing physical stress on the body. That is why swimming lends itself so well to people with physical disability or injury, making the movements possible that would otherwise be difficult or impossible on land.

What do you need for swimming?

You need very little. Proper attire: speedo or swimming trunks, and a towel. If you have sensitive ears and/or eyes you can get ear plugs and/or swimming goggles. If you have long hair you may want to tie it or ware a swimming cap.

What are various swimming techniques?

Butterfly Stroke: it is the toughest and the most exhausting swimming stroke, encompassing windmill like arm movements and dolphin kick. While performing this stroke competitively, the swimmer should avoid underwater swimming.

Backstroke: One advantage of this style lie in the ease of breathing since the nose and mouth remain out of the water. The head is carried by the water, making the muscles of the spine and neck more relaxed. The movements are similar to the crawl. The legs are stretched out, feet move up and down and the arms are moved in similar manner to crawl. The head should not be lifted on the chest, because of the strongly increased stress on the cervical spine.

Breast Stroke: this is one among the different swimming strokes that involves arm movements on the front side, from your head to shoulder level. It is the frog kick that can be associated with this stroke. The swimmer should keep his/her head above the water surface, while carrying out this swim stroke.

Crawl: flutter kick and alternating over arm movements are the features that characterize crawl-swimming stroke. While doing crawling, the swimmer has to keep his head in the water, alternating the face side.

Dog paddle: it is one of the simplest swimming strokes, making use of modified flutter kick. In dog paddling, your forward motion takes place with your arms underwater. Usually it is the first swimming technique learned by new swimmers.

Can an adult learn to swim if they never learned as a child?

Absolutely yes; swimming can be learned at any age. Adults can however have a tougher time as we are more in tune with our muscles and how our bodies move and function. Water is a non gravitational environment so we are more likely to become tenser which can affect our ability to swim competently. The more time you spend in the water the more your body will get used to the new environment and the faster you will learn.

How does a pools temperature affect someone’s swimming ability?

If the water is too cold it can cause muscles to tighten making it difficult to swim. On the other hand if the water is too hot it cause muscles to overheat get tired.

What are recommended maximum pool water temperatures?

Competitive swimming & diving; Fitness swimming, Training: 27 deg C

Recreational, Adult teaching; Conventional main pools: 28 deg C

Children’s teaching; Leisure pools: 29 deg C

Babies; Young children; Special Needs: 30 deg C

KNOW	WANT TO KNOW	LEARNED	HOW TO LEARN MORE
- Es uno de los deportes más completos que genera grandes beneficios para la salud física y mental. - Se practican 4 estilos: crol, espalda, pecho y mariposa. - El estilo mariposa es el más complejo de realizar y el que requiere mayor entrenamiento físico. - Se puede entrenar para competir o realizar como actividad recreativa.	- ¿Por qué la natación tiene efectos tan positivos para la salud? - ¿Cuáles son los beneficios que produce? - ¿Es cierto que es más difícil aprender a nadar de adulto que de niño? ¿Qué entrenamientos se pueden realizar una vez que ya sabemos practicar todos los estilos?	- La natación tonifica piernas y brazos facilitando la realización de otros ejercicios de fuerza o resistencia. - Tiene menor impacto sobre el cuerpo, generando menor estrés físico. Por ello es beneficiosa para personas con lesiones o discapacidad. - Como primera técnica de nado, se considera un 5º estilo: “perrito”. - Si bien un adulto puede presentar dificultad para aprender a nadar por tener mecanizado el uso de los músculos, puede lograrlo con éxito. No hay edad para este deporte. - La temperatura del agua influye considerablemente en la habilidad del nadador.	- Recurriendo a otros lugares de búsqueda que amplíen información con respecto a posibles entrenamientos según las edades y la capacidad física. - Observando videos que muestren técnicas para la realización de estilos. - Buscando artículos que refieran específicamente a los beneficios físicos y terapéuticos de este deporte.