Swimming is a typical activity that people of all ages do in summer. Americans spend hours in the pool, sunbathing, floating in the water, or watching their children. These activities are usually the first things that come to mind when talking about swimming. Due to the hard days of training we put in each week, this was not the case for me or my teammates. By learning to swim competitively over many years of practice and experience, I was able to find something I loved to do and share it with others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Learning to swim recreationally is very different from learning to swim competitively. Swimming as a sport requires knowledge of different strokes, knowledge of how to manipulate them for exercises, and even some competition experience. Mastering all the different aspects of swimming takes in most cases several years. I started swimming for my neighborhood team when I was in third grade. At the time, I remember being very frustrated because I wasn't able to hold my breath as long as other kids my age could. I wanted badly to give up, but my father wouldn't let me. Looking back, I'm so grateful that he made me stick with the sport that brought me so much joy growing up. From middle school through my freshman year of high school, I continued to swim on my neighborhood team in the summer, but I also started swimming for the local club team. Swimming with Katy Aquatics made me the best swimmer I could be. I practiced six times a week for three hours at a time. We spent two hours in the pool and then an hour out of the pool doing various types of conditioning. The three years I was on that team were by far my hardest training years. When I started high school, I tried out for the team and made the varsity team my freshman year. This is my fondest memory of all my high school years because of the incredible amount of bonding that came from my teammates. The main way I learned to swim well was by practicing often. In high school, my coach was especially tough. Because we were older and most of us had a lot of experience under our belts, Coach Beck was relentless. A normal practice started at 6:00 am and lasted until 8:15 am. During this time we swam about 8,000 yards, which is about five miles. The coach would plan our workout in advance for each day of the week. These workouts consisted of several exercises and sets at timed intervals. I vividly remember some days being so difficult that some people, including myself, had to get out of the pool and run to the bathroom to throw up and get back in to finish the set on time. I think a lot of people underestimate the work that swimmers do because the sport isn't very popular. During practice, we performed many different drills to improve our technique for different shots. Freestyle is the most common style and is often considered the “default” style. The most popular exercise we have performed to facilitate this style is called a fingertip drag. This drill helped smooth out the effectiveness and amount of time needed for each shot. The 3/3/3 exercise is very important in the back. To perform this exercise correctly, you should do three strokes with your left arm, three strokes with your right arm and then three strokes with both arms together. This exercise also helps you shoot effectively.The breaststroke exercise, three strokes and one pull, helps with a more powerful kick. The 4-1 butterfly exercise works to improve the swimmer's straight line, which is the straight-line position swimmers have underwater after diving. All of these exercises, plus many others, help remind swimmers of techniques that need to be constantly worked on. In addition to exercises, race mentality is an important aspect of competitive swimming. I had to learn what to do differently at swim meets versus training to be successful. At meets, depending on how many events you were swimming, you could sit and wait for hours. To keep the muscles warm, we did a few laps of swimming about thirty minutes before the race. The race was followed by a cool-down period, which also consisted of a few slow-paced laps to distract from the euphoria of a high-pace race. Eating is also an important part of race day. Our coaches encouraged us to eat fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates so we would have enough fuel for the races. Depending on the race you swim, there are different paces to stick to while swimming. Another important aspect of competitive swimming is learning to pace yourself. When you swim in longer races, you typically swim at a slower pace than you would if you were swimming in a sprint race. While there are many aspects of race day to take into account when preparing, the only way to become familiar with racing is to gain a lot of experience. Even though I didn't like competitive swimming when I started, I'm so happy I continued with it. I had a really hard time getting started because I wasn't any good at swimming except for recreational purposes. I worked really hard for many years to get to where I am now. After overcoming the initial difficulties, it was a little easier to dedicate myself and not be frustrated all the time. One of the reasons I love the sport of swimming is that you are essentially competing against yourself and not so much the people you are competing against. This helps tremendously with self-improvement and it's very exciting to see how you improve over time. Swimming is a great way to unwind from my day and is a healthy way to relieve stress. When I swim, my mind basically goes blank and it helps me not think too much about what's going on in my life at that moment. It's so natural for me that I don't have to think about the way I swim or anything else while I'm in the water. Another reason why I love the sport of swimming is because thanks to it I had the opportunity to coach the kids on my neighborhood team for 3 summers. It was the best feeling to be able to give back to the sport and help other kids which reminded me of myself when I first started. I loved being able to see kids enjoying the sport I fell in love with years ago. It made me take a step back and realize that I could use my experiences to help other people and at the same time share my love of sports with others. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Over the years, swimming has meant a lot to me not only as a sport but also as a learning mechanism. It was a great way to practice and make friends, but it also required a lot of dedication. The sport of swimming has shown me what hard work looks like and that's one of the reasons I love it. Works Cited Armstrong, L. E. (2007). Performing in extreme environments. Human kinetics.Baker, J., & Cote, J. (2014). The evolution of professional skills in sport: a socio-cultural perspective. Routledge.Costill, D. L., & Kovaleski, J. (2000). Swimming over 50. Human Kinetics.Counsilman, J. E. (1994). The science of swimming..