How to add variety to your swimming training

For swimmers of all levels, adding variety to their swim training is a challenge. Although establishing a routine is the essential step for a successful swimming session it is only natural that after some time there's a need to expand beyond that routine. Let's see how we can do it.

Why swimming is ideal for a variant training

Each sport has different elements that constitute its unique essence. The nature of each sport defines more or less the possibility of adding variety during the training sessions. When talking about individual sports it could be quite difficult to change drastically the structure of the training process. In shooting sports for example it is not possible to alter the training routine because there's a certain way to teach how to shoot. Swimming, on the contrary, is a different story. To begin with, there are numerous swimming styles to apply:

• Freestyle
• Backstroke
• Breaststroke
• Butterfly
• Sidestroke

Each of the above styles is different from the others and requires different techniques. Then, each style has its variations. There's the elementary backstroke which is a variation from the typical backstroke. Then there is the racing sidestroke as well as the Trudgen which are variations of the sidestroke. Additionally, there are numerous other skills, like the coordination of the body and breathing techniques that allow great variation during swim training. Swimmers can virtually perform a different training session daily, according to their needs and wishes.

Changing the scenery for adding variety

Another method for adding variety to the daily swimming training is to change the location. Again, there are many different choices for breaking the routine and making each day feel special. Of course, it’s very helpful that Australia has countless places to perform your swim training. Whether it's in swimming pools which is the standard process in most cases or in the sea, the lakes and the ocean, the options look very attractive. It's a consensus though that for beginners, it's better to take their first swimming lessons in swimming pools. It's safer and more effective to take their first steps in the world of swimming within a protected environment under the guidance of their swim instructors. On the other hand, when becoming more competent they could visit the open sea and enjoy a new perspective on swimming. The whole experience is stimulating and refreshing. Especially during the summer period, it can also be a social event by going to the beach with their friends. Australia has so many wonderful places to visit thus combining swimming with travelling and exploring.

Increasing your mental engagement in swimming

A crucial point in understanding why we tend to feel bored is the mental aspect of it. All of our emotions are based on our minds. What we think and how we feel depends on our mode of thinking as well as our dedication and passion. The same applies to our swim training. If we attend a training swim session and feel complacent chances are that we will quickly become bored. Similarly, entering the swimming pool and thinking about a stressful event or the difficult day we had will most certainly affect the quality of the training and our mood. This is why it's important to learn to focus on the swimming lessons and switch off our brain to external factors. Although this may sound like a difficult task for inexperienced swimmers, the fact is that swimming as an activity is ideal for letting all negative thoughts go. From the moment you step into the water, you can sense its healing qualities. And from the time that you start moving your body in the pool, a new horizon opens. Increasing your mental engagement can increase the intensity of the training and the distance you cover. Such a combination leads to effectiveness resulting in feelings of completion and fulfilment. Nobody feels bored when such feelings occur.

Creating the right combination for swimming

To sum up we shall point out that there are multiple options for adding variety to swimming training. Apart from the variety of training swimmers of all levels can enjoy they can also change their swimming equipment or change. From the swim cap to the swim goggles and from the fins to the swim snorkels, there is a great variety of products that can make you feel different each time you go swimming. The list gets even bigger if you add snorkelling to your swimming activities. Similarly, there are many different types of swimming pools: From the smaller lap pools for people with limited space in their homes and who just want to keep fit to the Olympic size pools for the people who can afford it and treat swimming in a more professional manner the choices are many. What is essential is that as you gradually develop your swimming skills and become more proficient and competent, the whole process becomes more exciting and challenging!