Introduction to My Version of Fitness

I've been an athlete all my life.  From a very young age, I have participated in sports like soccer, swimming, volleyball, football, running, and cycling.  At age eleven, my parents approached me and asked if I would enjoy swimming competively.  I tried out for the team and the rest is history!  I fell in love with the sport and made my way through endless practices, intense coaches, lots of pain, and intense competition.  Swimming in high school verses college was an entirely different process, but so worth it.  Especially at the end of my Senior year, when I had the priviledge of serving as team captain to the first University of Utah Women's Swim Team to win the Mountain West Conference Championship!  As a competitive swimmer and coach, I have been asked countless times about what goes into a swim practice, how long the pools are, and why do swimmers have to shave EVERYTHING?  My purpose in this post is to answer some of those questions and provide some insight to the sport that I love.

1) What are the different lengths of the pools?
       -When the pool is set to shortcourse, it measures 25 yards long.  This competitive distance is used primarily in the Fall/Winter season of USA sanctioned swimming, high school season, and college swimming.  When the pool is set to longcourse, the distance is 50 meters long.  This competitive distance is used for Olympic distances, and during the Spring/Summer season of USA sanctioned swimming. These measurements are used in the US primarily.  Throughout the rest of the world, instead of using 25 yards, 25 meter pools are the typical racing distance.

Freestyle

2)  What are the strokes used in competitive swimming?

      -There are four competitive strokes used in swimming.  The first and easiest stroke is freestyle, also known as front crawl.  This stroke uses the long axis of the body to rotate and move water most efficiently.  The body is in a balanced and comfortable position on the surface of the water, while the arms reach alternatively forward and pull the water towards the legs. The kick is a flutter-type motion that propels the body forward with much force.



Backstroke



The second most commonly used stroke in competitive swimming is backstroke.  This stroke, like freestyle, uses the long axis of the body to move through the water.  The stroke is performed on the back, which can cause some discomfort in some athletes because they cannot see where they are going.  Some, though, enjoy it much more because their face is out of the water and they have an easier time breathing during practice and competition.  The arms are straight and the body is balanced on the surface of the water.



Breaststroke



The third competitive stroke is breaststroke.  This stroke is considered to be the least efficient stroke because its movement is on the short axis of the body and does not provide a great amount of propulsion in the water.  The entire arm and leg movements stay submerged.  The arms reach forward and create a large circle in front of the breast and then is recovered to the front again.  The legs perform a "frog kick" just before the arms are recovered.



Butterfly



Finally, the fourth competitive stroke is butterfly. (My Favorite!!!)  Butterfly is considered the most challenging stroke in swimming.  The arms are recovered completely out of the water, a motion that takes a lot of energy and power.  The kick is a dolphin motion in which the legs are kicked together up and down and propel the swimmer forward.  Its the best!

3)  What goes into a typical swimming workout?

      - A general workout for swimmers consists of about and hour and a half to two hours of pool time.  They start with a warm-up set (a set is a specific distance of yards/meters that is geared toward particular focus, technique, or racing aspect).  Next swimmers will practice their stroke with drills/technique work, then move onto a kicking and/or pulling set, then a build-up set (to raise heart rate and prepare for the hardest part of their workout), then a main set.  The main set is the main focus of the day and is the most intense part of the workout.  After the main set, swimmers go onto a cool down and then exit the pool until the next practice.  Tough!

4)  Why do swimmers shave EVERYTHING?

      -Swimmers tend to go through their season of training with a lot of body hair.  They do not shave during the season (girls, too!) in order to build up resistance.  Once they go to their big meet (competition) during the season, they shave off their body hair in order to get a sleek, fast feeling in the water.  During the season they have built up their power with body hair and without that resistance they are able to go faster than they normally do.

I hope this answered some questions about the nature of my favorite sport in the world, Competitive Swimming.  Feel free to leave your comments and questions and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!