If you are on the verge of starting swimming in college or are simply encouraged to do it by your parents, think no more – you should! Swimming is one of the coolest activities and most relaxing sports you could be pursuing in college. And trust me, after all those hours of sitting down at your desk and studying, you need this type of relaxation. Water is very beneficial for your brain and for the new connections made by your neurological pathways, which is why swimming should definitely be something to consider, were you interested in this sport in the first place.
But maybe you’re already a swimmer in college and need a boost-motivation reminder. To train properly and gain the results that you expect, you should be acing your practice and improving it moment by moment, day by day. Here are some of my favorite training practices and ideologies you should get yourself involved in on the premises of college campuses! Check them out and, if you have something to add to help our other college student readers, go ahead and leave us a comment. We’re happy to listen.
1. Harsh kicking and rocking it!
As you might already know, swimmers are harsh kickers, which is why you should train for this part of your practice every single day. This should be on top of your toolbox for “things to do as a swimmer in college,†if you want to be successful. Here are some of the ways in which you can improve your kick and turn yourself into a better swimmer:
- Make sure you have ankle strength; if you don’t, build it up! One way in which you can do this is by adding skipping into your warmup.
- Pay more attention to the upward part of your usual kick and improve it by observing it and then, modifying it accordingly.
- Another important tip to consider is trying to kick down instead of kicking backward, which is something that most swimmers won’t do. To surpass them and become even better, try this out – it will improve your technique tremendously.
- Your angle flexibility is also important, so make sure you stretch every day.
- Practice kicking as much as you can, as often as you can, and be mindful when you do it.
2. Feeling the power of the water
Now that we’ve dealt with kicking, which is so, so important for you as a swimmer, let’s look at the power of the water. If you don’t feel the water, how can you play with it? And if you can’t have some fun while swimming, how can you win? You must be relaxed and understand the beauty of the water in order to perform well the same way in which you must understand the beauty of giving to provide your classmates with assignment help. Am I right?
A good method to start feeling the water more is adding sculling to your daily practice. If you practice long enough, you will start feeling the water truly, deeply there. You will then develop a familiarity with it and find it easier to focus when practicing. Don’t believe me, try it out for yourself.
3. Lifting weights consistently
This is probably already incorporated into your daily workout if you’re swimming professionally, but it not, start doing it. Weightlifting is an incredibly powerful way to stay in shape and cultivate the necessary force to become fast and strong. However, make sure that your weightlifting practice stays in the normal means and also, ensure that you don’t lift more than three to four times per week. “If you are, you can risk injuring yourself, which would be a shame for your swimming career, as you’d have to take time out for a while,†writes former college swimming coach and freelancer at AssignmentGeek, Coby Johnson.
4. Aerobics
Many people will tell you that this is not as important as other areas of improvement, but they could not be further from the truth. Water aerobics is important because it develops endurance and thus, allows you to swim for longer with less effort, according to academized reports at the University of Gainesville. Whether you are a sprinter or a long-distance swimmer, it really doesn’t matter – you should be striving to ace this part too if you want the best results. The first thing you should do is sign up for an aerobics class and see how that goes. If everything runs smoothly, start practicing on your own, at least 30 minutes per day to develop that strong endurance. It will play an essential role in your practice, I promise.
5. Relaxation
Last but not least, you should be concerned with your relaxation; if you don’t take enough time for yourself and for resting, your performance will drop, and you might end up losing more than you can imagine. I am talking from personal experience – you must leave room for relaxation, whether you want that or not. It adds to your performance, nevertheless. If you feel like there is not enough time for you to swim, relax, and do homework at the same time, you could reach out to any custom writing service online, as I am sure they will be more than happy to help out. In the end, you should not blame yourself for wanting some time for yourself and caring about your health status. If you feel like taking a break, take it, and come back to your work later. It’s all about balance.
In case you want to start practicing relaxation techniques, here are some cool ideas that college athletes have tried over the years (and they worked really well!):
- Developing a daily meditation practice
- Developing a constant yoga practice
- Practicing mindfulness in your daily life
- Developing compassion and kindness towards others
- Introspection
- Journaling
- Hanging out with your loved ones and making time for family
Conclusion
Taking up swimming in college might take a good amount of your time, which is why you should never strive to exhaust yourself. However, you should try to improve yourself every single moment and take on good habits to perform better. If you were not decided whether swimming was fit for you or not, I hope I was able to make that a bit clearer for you. Have fun and enjoy your practice! Good luck!
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