Safety Ideas: Pool Swimming (for Mother and father) – Humana

Swimming is a enjoyable and usually protected sport. Follow the following pointers for an injury-free season.

What Gear Do Swimmers Need?

Here’s some primary swimming tools to consider:

Goggles. Swimming with leaky, uncomfortable, or foggy goggles will be powerful on the eyes. Get a pair of observe or competitors goggles that really feel good and suit your face. Some swimmers wish to have completely different ones for practices and meets.

Swimsuits. Choose a swimsuit based mostly on what’s most vital to you. If you need one thing that can make it easier to go sooner, analysis model names and see if they’ll again up the claims they make. If you desire a go well with for observe, select one thing made with high quality supplies that can final.

Swim caps. Swimmers don’t should put on a swim cap, however they’ll shield hair and preserve it out of the way in which. It would possibly even make you go sooner as a result of it cuts down on the drag attributable to the hair and ears. Most swim caps are constituted of latex or silicone. In basic, latex caps are thinner and more cost effective. Silicone caps are typically thicker, last more, and price extra. For swimmers who spend a variety of time in a heat pool, a silicone cap would possibly preserve their head too heat.

Ear plugs and nostril clips. Some swimmers like to make use of these to assist preserve water out of their ears and nostril. The ear plugs ought to be made to be used simply within the water. (Noise-canceling earplugs will not make a watertight seal, so water may get in.) Nose clips ought to be snug and keep in place throughout swimming.

How Can Swimmers Stay Safe?

To keep protected and assist forestall accidents throughout observe and meets, swimmers ought to:

• Get a sports activities bodily first to verify it’s protected for them to swim. The physician can test for any well being issues and discuss sports activities security. Most faculties will not let athletes swim except they’ve had a sports activities bodily inside the previous yr.
• Warm up and stretch earlier than swimming. Also test that the pool is deep sufficient earlier than diving.
• Wear waterproof sunscreen of SPF 30 or increased for outside practices and meets.
• Take break day from coaching in the event that they really feel shoulder, neck, or different ache. They can attempt a unique stroke or do one thing else out of the pool to remain in form. After the ache is gone, they’ll return to their common stroke.
• Never swim alone, and know what to do if somebody in or across the pool has a medical emergency.

Repetitive stress accidents (overuse accidents) are additionally a priority. These occur when somebody trains an excessive amount of or makes the identical motions again and again. Learning and utilizing correct strategies will help forestall these accidents.

It additionally helps to attempt swimming quick distances at first, then slowly improve distance and velocity. It might also assist to do different sports activities that strengthen completely different muscle mass, primarily core (belly) muscle mass, like operating or biking. 

Medically reviewed by: Melanie L. Pitone, MD

Date reviewed: August 2024