Swimming is a recreational activity that involves propelling one’s body through water by combining arms and legs moving to activate the natural floatation of the body. In simple terms, swimming is the process of floating deliberately while moving from one part of a water body to another.
Swimming is a popular exercise for many people worldwide, while others see it as a means of relaxation. Whichever the case may be, swimming sure offers satisfaction.
It is noteworthy that swimming is used for therapy, too, in some exceptional cases, and several individuals have also taken it up in the past for survival purposes. Swimming is also a popular sport activity carried out in many nations of the world.
However, although there are evidence that swimming has always been practiced since the days of the early men, it was only until the late 1800s that it was identified and registered as a competitive sport.
Today, swimming is a registered sport in the Olympics, which is considered one of the greatest sporting festivals in the world. While you are only required to know the basics of this aquatic activity for relaxation and therapy swimming, competitive swimming requires that you know how to swim faster.
Regardless of your reason for taking up swimming, you must engage in regular practices if you wish to improve your skills. Thankfully, this article will teach you what you need to know about swimming and how to swim faster.
How To Swim Faster
How Fast Is The Average swimmer
How fast an average swimmer should swim is always a lingering question in the mind of many enthusiasts, especially the new and upcoming ones.
Even though there is no specific speed limit for swimmers, the average speed of an average swimmer is estimated to be around 2 miles per hour.
Professional swimmers can boast of a higher average when it comes to swimming speed, and they are known to have an average of just below 4 miles per hour. Fast swimming is a common skill that both athletes and leisure swimmers often look to develop.
Knowing how to swim faster makes swimming a more exciting activity for regular swimmers, and it is a significant requirement for professionals and competitive swimmers. Before we dive into the tips and tricks for swimming faster, here’s a summary of the hindrances to fast swimming.
Hindrances To Fast Swimming
While it is the dream of every swimmer to swim faster, many find it difficult to exceed a certain speed level, while some others struggle to even get off the mark.
Situations like this often precede many worries for these swimmers, and they are left to wonder why they swim so slow.
Some significant causes of slow swimming include:
– Friction and Drag in the Water: The most typical challenge that fast swimmers face is friction in the water. Also referred to as a drag, friction often acts against your body motion, and the effect slows you down.
– Water Tide: The water tide refers to the direction of the water flow. While the tide acts as an extra push for you when you are swimming in the same direction, it presents a massive setback whenever you swim against its flow direction.
– Body mass: Believe it or not, the weight of your body always has an impact on your speed in the water. And because swimming has to do with propelling your entire body through water, it becomes more difficult to swim faster if you have higher body weight.
– Inadequate practice: once again, good practice is the key to learning how to swim faster. Therefore, failure to practice regularly will only see you stuck on the same speed limit.
– Monospeed: Monospeed is a common challenge that swimmers face at certain times in their careers. It refers to the inability to accelerate due to insufficient momentum often caused by fatigue and other relatable factors.
Expert Tips To Help You Swim Faster
A swim coach once highlighted that ‘the only way to swim faster is to swim faster.’ This is quite funny because of the apparent nature of the quote, but it is more complicated than it sounds. Swimming fast requires a lot of effort both on and off the track.
Discipline and hard work are the key elements to help you improve your fitness levels and get you prepared enough.
But once you get into the water, it all boils down to your ability to decrease the drag and increase propulsion. Here are some tips to help you improve your swimming speed:
- Improve your body positioning, finding a balanced position can help to reduce the drag in the water. Keep your head facing down and maintain a vertical position in the water.
- Rotating can help increase your stroke efficiency
- You can reduce the drag in the water by making your kick smaller
- You can also increase your propulsion by controlling the way your arms and fingers catch the water.
Bottom Line
In addition to the physical benefits you get from swimming, swimming also has several health benefits and can help improve your state of mind. Learning how to swim faster may not be compulsory, especially when it is taken as just a recreational activity.
But fast swimming is essential for competitive swimmers, and it also promises more fun. Other advantages of swimming faster includes:
– Increases your heart rate and reduces stress levels
– It helps to improve your physique
– Increases your strength
– Help you work on your endurance.
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