Swimming is normal for me. I'm relaxed. I'm comfortable and I know my surroundings. It's my home. Michael Phelps
If you are considering taking up swimming training, perhaps it is because you have learnt of the many benefits of swimming. You may even feel that the added sense of confidence from staying afloat in the pool may mean added confidence in your everyday life. You may even be taking up swimming lessons to lose some weight. Whatever your reasons for considering swimming lessons in the first place, you must also know that you can continue with swimming training whether you are injured or not.
While you know about 10 other benefits of swimming, you may not have realised that swimming has other serious therapeutic benefits. In fact, swimming is often used as a form of treatment for injury rehabilitation.
For one, swimming is great on the mental health and also has immense benefits for your physical health, and that is why through swimming lessons injured patients feel better and when they feel better, they tend to heal better too.
From all of the benefits of swimming that you may have read about, swimming surely does make you feel more settled and relaxed and that is possibly one of the best benefits of taking up swimming lessons.
If you have experienced an injury, don't be afraid of getting into the pool and finding healing through the calm waters of the pool. We can assure you that you certainly will feel far more relaxed and calmer after an hour or so of swimming training. Drown all your fears of hurting yourself even more if you get into the pool while you are injured and get in the pool so that you can heal faster.
Now let us explore how swimming could be beneficial for rehabilitation.
Swimming Classes for Rehabilitation
Willing is not enough. We must do. Bruce Lee
If you are slowly recovering from an injury, it is hard to just start and get back into all sorts of physical activities again. There is the fear attached to being injured which makes us avoid strenuous activities to prevent getting injured again or to prevent further injury.
One way to heal from an injury is to try out activities again, under the supervision of your doctor. To get back into a physical activity slowly again, you might consider swimming classes. Swimming is considered to be a low impact activity that is great when you are trying to get back into the grove of things after either a minor or major injury.
Due to the buoyance effect of water, there is no stress placed on your ligaments and joints when you swim a lap. That is why you can work out your muscles without causing further injury to your ligaments and joints while swimming. Most instructors of swimming classes suggest that you take up swimming classes for rehabilitation purposes if you are trying to recover from back injuries, shin, or even knee injuries.
Yes, swimming is considered to be a safe and effective form of exercise for those suffering from injuries. We call the recovery that swimming in the pool offers aquatic therapy.
You don't have to be a competitive swimmer or an expert in the pool should you wish to gain the full benefit of aquatic therapy. If you are a beginner swimmer and you realise how relaxing the water can be, you can still reap the full benefits of aquatic therapy.
The best suggestion would be to reach out to a Superprof swimming coach from the onset and assert what you would like to achieve from taking swimming classes. If you are taking swimming classes for rehabilitation purposes so that you can recover from injury, you must let your swimming instructor know.
When your swimming instructor knows exactly why you are taking swimming classes, he or she can work with you so that you can reach your goals in no time. The best way to heal from your swimming classes is to be certain that the reason why you are in the pool is to heal. The rest will work itself out and flow as smoothly as water does.
Swimming Lessons with an Aqua Therapist
The right swimming instructor for you would be the one who is used to helping beginner swimmers to heal from injury in the pool. While we cannot deny the importance of physical therapy for people suffering from injuries, aqua therapy is a great alternate form to physical therapy. It can also be a complimentary form of therapy that you try out alongside physical therapy.
Water is able to keep one's body afloat while at the same time providing some resistance and restricting certain bodily movements.
All aqua therapists will tell you that swimming is a no-weight workout. A no-weight workout means getting in the pool is safe even if you are experiencing a back injury. Again, it is important to speak to swimming instructors about your goal of swimming for rehabilitation purposes in order to reap rehabilitation benefits. If your swimming coach knows what your injuries are and the extent of your injuries, then he or she can choose a range of strokes that would be best for you to do while preventing you from trying out any strokes that could cause further harm to your body or your injury.
The back stroke for example is the stroke that is best recommended for people facing back injuries as the back stroke enables you to stay afloat on your back without harming your back in any way.
You may be hesitant to take up swimming lessons for rehabilitation purposes if you feel that your age is working against you. Again, this is another reason why you ought to consult with an aqua therapist. An aqua therapist can provide you with some reassurance that swimming lessons with the purpose of rehabilitation can work for people of any age. That is another reason swimming lessons are highly beneficial.
The Role of The Swim Coach
Never underestimate the role played by the swimming coach. The swimming coach is the one person who can really work with a person recovering from injury and help her or him to heal slowly.
We cannot promise that through a few short swimming classes, you can be completely healed of all your injuries and that you won't feel any pain at all. That is not at all how swimming lessons for rehabilitation works. Swimming coaches have a huge responsibility on their shoulders and more so when they are fully aware of a beginner swimmer's injuries.
The role of the swim coach is such that they have the responsibility of:
- Determining a beginner swimmer's skills and abilities in the pool
- Curating swimming programs that will work on improving the beginner swimmer's skills without causing hinderance to the swimmer.
- Teaching beginner swimmers how to stay safe in the pool and save their lives should there be a danger of drowning.
- Deciding on swimming strokes, flips, floating techniques, and kicks that are best for the beginner swimmer.
- Improving the beginner swimmer's confidence in the pool while simultaneously helping the beginner swimmer to feel more comfortable when he or she is in the pool.
- Working with the beginner swimmer in terms of helping him or her realise his or her goals in the pool.
Inevitably, the swimming coach does shoulder a large responsibility. For this reason alone, we suggest that you work on finding the right swimming instructor for you should you be interested in taking swimming lessons for rehabilitation purposes.
If you look on the Superprof South Africa website, you will notice that there are about 35 swimming instructors offering their services. Most of these swimming coaches are accredited swimming instructors with years of experience to their name. There are many swimming instructors who are ever so ready to dive in the pool with you, so the choice is entirely yours as to who you choose to select to take swimming lessons with.
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Swim Coach Characteristics to Look Out For
If you are uncertain as to how to go about selecting the right swimming coach, you need to remember that it is of utmost importance to select a swimming tutor who is positive. If the swimming coach is positive, he or she will allow you to feel positive about your swimming journey as well. This is especially important if you are swimming with rehabilitation in mind.
In order for you to feel confident when you are in the pool, you need to be taking swimming lessons with a swimming coach who is competent. A swimming coach with many years of coaching experience will be competent enough to help you build your confidence in the pool.
Swimming is known as a relaxing activity, and it is the swimming coach who takes on the role of a counsellor as well. To be able to learn from a swimming instructor you must trust him or her wholeheartedly. For this reason alone, we suggest that you choose a swim coach who fits the above criteria as well as one that you can relate to easily. Read the reviews left by previous students about a respective swimming coach before you settle for the right swimming instructor to take swimming for rehabilitation lessons with.
Again, the above characteristics to look out for in a swimming coach is not only important when you are seeking swimming classes for rehabilitation purposes, but for whatever reason you have decided to take swimming lessons.
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Always remember, you will reap the most benefit from swimming lessons with the right swimming instructor when you love swimming.
A huge part of swimming for me is I love it, and it is so much fun. Missy Franklin
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