The Benefits of Long Course Swimming
Most competitive swimmers choose to swim long course because they like the bigger pool. Swimmers can cover more ground and swim farther with fewer strokes in a long-course pool. Long course swimming also gives swimmers more space to execute the strokes and greater room for comfort and safety in the water.
The first competitive long course events took place in the 1960s, which is not very long in swimming years. Although the first national long-course championship was held in 1927, the swimming world did not recognize long course until the 1960s.
Most people think that long course is just for olympic pools, but that’s not true. In fact,a short course event such as a college championship is actually held in a pool that’s a yard longer than a pool used for a long course event.
Long course pools come in various lengths. The typical pool used in the Olympics is 50 meters, but you can also find long course pools that are 25 meters. Most of these standards have been in place since the first long course events were held.
If you’re a long course swimmers, you need to spend time training in olympic size pools. There are several advantages to doing this including:
You can practice your turns over longer distances, which will help increase your speed.
How to Train Long Course in a Short Course Pool
If you are planning to swim long races in the future or want to improve your technique and speed, you will need to train in a long course pool of 25 meters (long course meter). Ideally, the pool should not be longer than 25 meters.
A long course pool consists of more lanes, which means more opportunity to swim and increase your swim endurance, and it’s also more efficient if you don’t want to slow down when you turn.
In short, the key to becoming a better long course swimmer is to practice in a long course pool.
But short course pools are much easier to find. In addition, most swimmers start out in a short course pool. It’s what they’re familiar with. That’s why it’s so important to develop the right techniques in short course pools.
The key to mastering the short course pool is to take advantage of the longer walls. Use the walls as the main point of your propulsion when you swim.
When you practice, make sure that you use some wall push off to gain momentum when you start, and hold on to the walls to slow down. This will help you to develop longer and more productive swim strokes.
A lot of swimmers think that they should stick to aerobic swimming and avoid long, non-stop swimming, especially at sea level, because they worry it will cause the body to take on too much lactic acid. But that’s not actually true.
The body can produce lactic acid more quickly and in larger quantities than you could ever experience because of aerobic swimming.
In fact, the benefits of open water swimming are a lot higher than the risks. As an athlete, the benefits are more about your mindset than your actual physical health.
By comparison, when you do cardio, you're focusing on improving your body. In aerobic swimming, you're focusing on your mind.
And that's why doing continuous open water swimming is a smart choice to make. Most of the other benefits of swimming help you out with your physical activity. Improvements in your grip strength and upper and lower body strength give you more endurance and stamina in the water.
But the benefits that matter most to you on a more personal level are all related to your attitude, and aerobic swimming helps you strengthen these. Studies have shown that open water swimming can reduce stress, promote happiness, and help you see things from a new perspective. It can also make you feel more confident in yourself and your abilities.