Sharks 'n Minnows

Ohes Noes!!!! He's doing a title post... What does this mean?

Nothing really.

Today I want to talk about the "X" factor in age group swimming. As I start teaching lessons again this year I find my inner age group swimmer wanting to emerge and take over.

The FUN factor is so crucial to developing a healthy love and relationship with swimming as a sport. If you don't want to swim, and I don't mean you're just having a day where it's not your top priority, but rather it's an up-hill battle to find the motivation to get in the water because it just doesn't make you happy, it may be time to find drier accommodations. Or it could just be you forgot why you got into the sport in the first place. Just doing it for health or looking great in a swim suit can be a great starting point, but there's a reason you chose to do an activity that's not natural for our species.

For me, it was just the sheer enjoyment of doing something different and being abnormal.

If you're really at a loss for recapturing your lost love of the sport, just take a day out of your normal workout routine and play around in the water. You can still get a great workout doing dolphin dives, sculling and body awareness play under water, or just goofing around a little while swimming. I don't suggest sacraficing good technique, but safe fun is always awesome.

As for the age-group swimmers in your life, if you have them, the greatest bit of advice I received from a senior group swimmer while in middle school was, "The minute it stops being fun, just walk away from it. Don't waste your life doing something that's unenjoyable." My mom promptly looked at me and told me that if I ever stopped liking swimming I was more than able to stop. She and my father would never be disappointed in me for making a decision like that. I just couldn't quit swimming to play video games though.

That's the big point for the day.

Parents, please do not force your children to swim if they don't want to. If they aren't enjoying it, they will make sure no one else does as well.

What I'd like each of you to do this weekend. Head to the pool near you (that is appropriate for the season) and rediscover the fun that first got you into swimming. After you've done this, I'd like to her about your experiences, so please comment on the post to let me know.

Fast Swims!

Flash