Why Swimming Should be About More Than Times and Medals

Why Swimming Should be About More Than Times and Medals

Age-group swimming shouldn’t contain overtraining or pushing too laborious. The sport ought to deliver pleasure to swimmers’ lives, slightly than take away from it. The early years of a swimmer’s journey needs to be all about having enjoyable, creating new abilities, and forming new friendships.

Swimming supplies enjoyment whereas educating youngsters invaluable classes and offering experiences they’ll bear in mind for a lifetime. Every swimmer has their distinctive causes for collaborating within the sport, which is a part of what makes it so enjoyable.

Oftentimes, athletes who’re intrinsically motivated and pushed by inner targets and real enjoyment of participation usually tend to take pleasure in a sustainable and satisfying profession. Those who depend on extrinsic motivation typically discover it tougher when the sphere will get extra aggressive or the coaching load intensifies.

In summer time league meets, ribbons are assured for each swimmer, and medals are given out regularly. These may be enjoyable motivators for younger swimmers who’re new to the game, including pleasure to the expertise. They may also be an effective way to encourage new swimmers to attend extra practices or attempt a brand new occasion. 

Similarly, swim golf equipment typically supply clothes, towels, or backpacks to athletes who obtain new time requirements or different milestones. These sorts of rewards are nice at bringing consideration to the requirements and constructing pleasure round attaining them. However, as swimmers progress within the sport, it’s vital they proceed to search out enjoyment within the sport with out relying solely on these rewards.

Swimmers who “play for love of the game” usually discover it simpler to take pleasure in their sport, even when going through adversity. When development isn’t as linear as they’d like, they nonetheless discover pleasure within the course of. This sort of mindset is self-sustaining and results in better longevity within the sport, together with a deeper sense of happiness.

This strategy is particularly helpful in instances when an athlete is recovering from an damage or coming off a lower-performing season, when motivation is likely to be low.

Back to the Basics

Most younger swimmers see apply as a time to hang around with their pals, and that’s completely superb. They don’t must have their eyes set on the Olympics at seven years previous. Some of the very best swimmers began just because they favored being within the pool, spending time with pals, or taking a break from college work. Many most popular swimming over sweating exterior, and few had been fascinated about long-term targets once they first jumped in. What mattered most was that they genuinely loved it, and that enjoyment typically developed into setting targets and dedicating themselves to the game over time.

Children don’t should have a inflexible schedule or intense work ethic at a younger age to succeed, however the odds of reaching the next degree are a lot better when a swimmer actually loves what they’re doing from the beginning.

Many school or Olympic-level swimmers talk about “falling back in love with the sport,” or regaining their pleasure for the game after coping with setbacks or psychological challenges. Many athletes expertise this sense once they focus an excessive amount of on the instances and qualification requirements, shedding sight of what drew them to the game within the first place.

Swimming affords an unimaginable expertise to every athlete. It is a sport that gives a aggressive outlet, a way of group, and a possibility for improved bodily well being. For a younger swimmer, it shouldn’t be a supply of stress, however slightly of happiness and private progress.