Swimming engages a broad spectrum of people with varying backgrounds in pursuit of varying objectives. Swimming is a versatile and an age-old pastime. It’s been around for as long as there have been bodies of water and the versatility of the sport suggests that it will be an undisputed favorite for ages to come (unlike those sports like wrestling that are subject to disputes and debates). The sport is still being revitalized: swimming experienced a bit of a shake up when some people took it upon themselves to take underwater moves to a new level. Remember that phase in 2013 when everybody started dancing to the Harlem Shake? You can dance; er, move erratically, under water as the Ball State swim team proved during the Harlem Shake craze.
Swimmers and their tricks. They should stick with flips and backstrokes and leave the dance moves to the pros.
Why is dancing so popular? Well, that answer is going to differ from person to person. However, there are benefits to swimming regardless of whether the people engaging in the sport realize it or not.
The key to swimming might be body size. Of course there is more than one way to open a door, as burglars well know, but bells and whistles such as keys do make the whole process a lot smoother. This fun infographic details the body size of swimmers. The trend is: taller is better. We all know that Michael Phelps is a towering giant and have heard the legends about his dinner plate sized hands. Both he and Nathan Adrian certainly don’t disprove this theory.
A Norwegian study took a look at mini-swimmers: babies. The study compared babies that were exposed to swimming earlier to those that were not. They resolved that the babies who took swimming lessons had improved balance compared to those who did not. The goals of this study were more closely aligned with an interest in the development and maturation of children than creating children with superior athletic prowess but it does speak to the link between balance and swimming.
For older swimmers, the proper techniques of swimming are reliant on the premise that the swimmer has balance control. Without training, it is natural for a swimmer to swim through the water with the hips submerged at a depth lower than the shoulders and head. While this is the natural reaction when first placed in the water this habit creates drag and resistance for the swimmer. It is better if the swimmer raises the lower torso, hips and legs so that they are parallel with the shoulders and surface of the water. It is not natural and requires conscious focus and balancing skills for those who are new to the sport.
Training with the BOSU® Balance Trainer leads to a stronger core, increased trunk control, and improved balance. For the competitive or leisurely swimmer, from the high school athlete to the Olympian powerhouse, a taller build might be key to having natural talent, but that talent can only be unlocked with diligent training.
If you’re looking for training to compliment your swim workouts, try the BOSU® Balance Trainer. I would recommend that you use it as a dry land workout. The swim world was shaken up enough with underwater Harlem Shakes.
Harlem Shakes go underwater.
BOSU® Balance Trainer workouts stay above ground.
This entry was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.
