Advantages and disadvantages of club swimming

Thinking of joining a swimming club to improve your performance and swimming techniques? This is an excellent idea, since swimming is recognized as a complete sport with few drawbacks (although there are a few, let’s not lie!).

The benefits of swimming

Sport swimming is a popular activity because it’s complete and, above all, accessible to all ages. What’s more, the benefits are multi-faceted: swimming is good for both body and mind!

The benefits of swimming for the body

Like all regular sporting activities, swimming is an excellent way to keep fit, and even lose weight if necessary. In fact, the resistance of water requires a considerable expenditure of energy. Another positive point is that every muscle in the body is involved, and if you want to work on specific muscles, you can vary the type of stroke.
Swimming is a sport often recommended to combat joint pain. For example, it’s a great way to get back into the sport after an injury. Muscles can work without having to bear the weight of the body, protecting them from possible trauma.

A sport to get away from it all

Swimming promotes the production of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is responsible for mood regulation. A few hours’ swimming a week is an effective way of combating anxiety and stress. There’s a reason why you feel so relaxed after a swimming session.
Joining a swimming club is also a great way to socialize. In fact, you’ll be part of a group of swimmers, which makes it easy to bond, interact with others and build interesting relationships.

The disadvantages of swimming

Although swimming is a beneficial activity, it does have its drawbacks, such as possible skin allergies and the transmission of skin diseases.

A demanding sport

It’s important to remember, however, that club swimming is a demanding activity. This sport requires advanced technical mastery to achieve good performance. As the number of members grows, it’s not uncommon for clubs to ask you to take an initial test to validate your registration. This will also be the ideal time to form groups of different levels, so that everyone canprogress at their own pace.

A complicated winter season

Swimming’s biggest enemy, however, is the weather: rain, wind and cold reduce the number of people in the pool. Staying motivated isn’t easy, but the club plays a very important role. The group effect can be a real source of motivation: if you’re unmotivated, count on others to motivate you to come to the swim session. You can return the favor the following week!