1. Learn swimming for fitness, fun and safety
To learn swimming is, for both adults and children, the passport to a more fulfilling life.
Swimming offers opportunities for keeping fit, for having fun, and also helps to keep people safe
wherever there is water. Swimming is one of life's natural activities. Human beings have spent
time near or in water ever since they first evolved. Learning to swim properly can be a very
satisfying challenge in itself, but can also help people participate in a whole range of other
activities, such as scuba diving or canoeing.
Swim for health and happiness
The fitness benefits of learning to swim are also extensive. Swimming can help anyone lose
weight, as it burns fat and also strengthens muscles. As well as improving cardiovascular fitness
and muscle tone, though, swimming also reduces stress levels, and helps people cope with
conditions such as depression and anxiety more easily. It is possible for people of any age to
learn swimming, from very young children right through to the elderly. For children, swimming
gives them the chance to enjoy a social activity, challenge themselves with learning new skills,
and also means that they are safer around water. Being able to swim can save a child's life, as
well as give them the chance to participate in a wonderful sport for the rest of their life. While not
everyone will have enough ability to swim at a competitive level, being able to swim also helps
flexibility and muscle development, which can be important assets in a whole range of other
sports and physical activities, from dancing to playing rugby.
Where to learn swimming
So how should you or your child go about learning swimming? There are plenty of places where
people can learn swimming, but the more obvious place is at your local swimming pool. In most
countries, a good swimming pool will have a full staff of qualified instructors, who will run
lessons aimed at all age groups. There are other ways in which you can supplement these
courses, though. Using a DVD or online course is very useful as a means of preparing to learn
swimming. It is possible to gain valuable insight into the techniques and strokes that a
competent swimmer needs to learn. As with almost any sport, such as rugby or football,
research such as this helps the potential swimmer to identify areas of potential weakness, and
prepare both physically and psychologically for the challenge lying ahead. Using DVDs to help
learn swimming also prepares children for the challenges that they will face in the water. This
can make taking that first plunge into the pool so much less of a potential ordeal for them.
Adults can also use the videos as revision guides for the next time that they visit the pool,
indicating where their weaknesses are. Seeing competent swimmers in action can also provide
additional inspiration for young swimmers.
http://www.learn-to-swim.com