4 Key Benefits of Youth Swim Leagues
YMCA OF GREATER WAUKESHA COUNTY
SWIFT STROKES, DEEPER CONFIDENCE
Friday, August 2, 2024
Whether your child enjoys swimming for fun, just finished swim lessons, or wants to be a fast swimmer, a swim league can be a great activity to dive into. The sport comes with a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional benefits for all ages, especially kids and teens.
Here are just some of the benefits of signing your kid up for a swim league:
We can't talk about the benefits of a swim league without talking about the physical benefits. Swimming is considered one of the best activities for cardiovascular and lung health. Swimming is an excellent full-body, low-impact workout, providing many other lesser-known health benefits: improved strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance. Different swim strokes, starts, and turns work other parts of the body. Unlike running or lifting weights, the low-impact nature on the joints and muscles makes it a sport to enjoy from youth to adulthood.
Swimming impacts kids' minds in more ways than one, improving overall brain function and mental health. Competitive swimmers become whiz kids when it comes down to breaking down splits and stroke counts. All that lap counting in the water, keeping track of times, and focus, helps concentration in other aspects of life. The natural buoyancy of the water also has a calming effect on the body, assisting kids in feeling confident and less stressed.
Training for swim meets helps kids strengthen water safety skills, an essential ability. The better swimmer a kid is, the safer they will be in a non-competitive setting, like when in the backyard pool or local beach. Learning swim skills young is especially crucial, as kids are at a higher risk for accidental drownings. Read more about water safety here >
There's no doubt swimming can be hard work, but it's also great fun. Swim leagues help build strong, healthy character traits from self-discipline and teamwork to perseverance. Training and competing alongside friends, with help from a dedicated coach, allows kids to set goals and achievements. As swimmers learn to work together, they build trust, strengthen communication, and encourage each other while developing life-long friendships. With every stroke, kids also gain the confidence needed for a happy life.