The Circle of Connection

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Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

By Jamie Kolar, Swimming World College Intern.

Swimming is a work-intensive sport. You normally get out what you put in. You put in hours of work to drop maybe a tenth of a second in any specific event. That small margin of time makes a huge difference, but is not proportional to how much work went in beforehand. Our work is done by hitting our pace in practice, completing our lactate sets well, attending dryland and working hard. These are all vital pieces of the puzzle to have a great end result.

However, to be a great swimmer requires more than just great effort in the pool. It requires us to be well rounded in all other aspects of our lives so that we may understand ourselves in the water a little better. While outside activities may not have a direct connection to the water – and are few and far between because of our commitment to the sport – there is always an underlying benefit if you only look deep enough. Here are some outside activities that can translate to benefits in the water.

Choir.

Choir is a great thing to do outside of the water. It’s a fun activity that allows you to meet people who you might not get know otherwise. It allows you to explore a creative art that delves into different parts of life outside the water.

The connection to swimming

Choir has two connections to swimming: the first being breath control. While singing, it is important to be able to control your breath and support your breathing properly to maintain good singing technique. Proper posture is key to using your diaphragm, and it forces swimmers to utilize proper postural muscles rather than the “swimmer slouch.” This allows outside practice for holding and maintaining your breath in the water.

The second connection is performing in front of others. It is not an easy to get up in front of a group of people and sing – it is certainly nerve-wracking. It is very similar to getting up and racing in front of a large group of spectators, which is also quite nerve-wracking. The more you practice standing up in front of large groups of people and doing something outside your comfort zone, the easier it will become over time.

Participating in Other Sports

pickup-basketball-tony-alter — Photo Courtesy: Tony Alter

Participating in sports other than swimming is a fun way to show off and develop your athleticism on land. Swimmers aren’t necessarily known for this, but it’s good to sharpen these skills and have some fun outside of the water. It also may allow you to learn and appreciate athletic skills outside your own.

The connection to swimming

Playing another sport for fun really allows your competitive spirit to come out in a different way. You are not racing the clock; instead, you are going right up against another competitor and keeping a specific score. No one likes to lose, and playing another sport allows you to compete in an entirely new way. Athletes are athletes no matter what arena they are in. Playing other sports allows you to discover all of your athletic abilities that you might not otherwise see.

It can also be a team-building exercise if it’s a team sport such as basketball. You will have to work together and trust each other in order to achieve you end goal of winning the game.

Debate club

desk-discussing-discussion — Photo Courtesy: mentatdgt

Debate is a fun way to challenge your mind and compete mentally with others. It allows you to compete in a different fashion than swimmers are used to and forces you to think outside the box as well be fully informed about a specific topic.

The Connection to Swimming

Debate is all about the way you look at an issue. It forces you to see things from different angles and defend your stance to the best of your ability. This is applicable to training, as there are many different styles of training that may or may not work for you. To understand any style completely, you have to look at them from every possible angle and try to understand issues from different perspectives. If one style is not working for you, then researching another may be beneficial. Then you can understand the basis of the theory before jumping right in, and you can also present your findings to your coach and discuss it further.

Debate also forces you to think outside the box. Swimming is not a one-size-fits-all kind of sport. Some people require different means to the same end that may need some creative thinking along the way.

These are only some of the many activities that you can participate in outside the water, but any other activity that you participate in is an added bonus that will in some way help you in the water as well. Everything is connected in some way in this great big circle of life.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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