Artistic Swimming Fitness Recipe

What does it mean and how do we achieve it? Before we dive into deep learning about fitness, let’s consult the good ol’ dictionary for a little vocabulary review …

Fitness – (noun) the condition of being physically fit and healthy.

Fit – (adjective) in good health, especially due to regular physical exercise.

Healthy – (adjective) in good health.

Health – (noun) the state of being free from illness or ailment.

Does anyone else find it interesting that none of these definitions give us a clue as to what to do or how to become fitter or healthier? This intrigued me and called for further research, I took a deep dive for both personal and professional reasons to craft nothing less than the perfect plan for artistic swimming World Domination and beyond (Muah Ha Ha!). I found myself enthralled in an exercise physiology-compiled list. 10 General Physical Skills by Jim Crawley and Bruce Evans, providing the exact answer to my quest; the recipe for the perfect, well-rounded athlete. Interestingly enough, in a sport as unique as artistic swimming, the research I found speaks in direct correlation to the demands of our sport; vastly different movement qualities in multiple planes at different velocities, in and out of the water. Wild.

Now, will most of the items on this list also make you fitter and excel to high levels of achievement in other athletic ventures? Without question! But the remarkable crossover between the validity of these characteristics of athleticism and artistic swimming components is quite astounding. So back to our point, what does it take to be artistic swimming ‘fit,’ you ask?

According to Dictionary.com, you need nothing other than good health and a body free of injury or ailment. According to Jim Crawley and Bruce Evans of Dynamax (and Barb Nesbitt), you may need a few other things as well …

10 General Physical Skills (Borrowed from Jim Crawley and Bruce Evans, Dynamax)

1. Cardiovascular/Respiratory Endurance

• The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.

2. Stamina

• The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.

3. Strength

• The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.

4. Flexibility

• The ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.

5. Power

• The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.

6. Speed

• The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.

7. Coordination

• The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.

8. Agility

• The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.

9. Balance

• The ability to control the placement of the body’s center of gravity in relation to its support base.

10. Accuracy

• The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.

In our Artistic Swimming Fitness Recipe, we will refer to our 10 General Physical Skills as our ‘Meat and Potatoes,’ the bulk of our meal.

Athletically speaking, I would have to agree with the knowledge, research, and science behind Crawley, Evans, and the list they have assembled above. It is also a notable topic to discuss further how to achieve these skills with the use of training and practice. Perhaps a blog for a different day! Digging a little deeper into this concept, it is important to understand the difference between training and practice. You may be thinking the two are one and the same.

In order to fall in the training category, the body must undergo measurable organic changes that improve performance. The endurance, stamina, strength, and flexibility of the body are all items that can be changed through training. Conversely, improvements made in coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy come through practice or repetition. In order to improve these physical skills, the practice must focus on changes through the nervous system. Power and speed, arguably the two most important items on the list in regards to artistic swimming, are adaptations of both training and practice involving both the neurological and biological systems in the body.

So, what does this mean? According to Crawley and Evans, our ‘Meat and Potatoes’ List gives us a decisive ideal training outline of our perfect athlete. Acquiring, practicing, training, and perfecting these skills will create and improve fitness, artistic swimming skills (in our case), and further our advancement in athletics across the board.

In looking at the list, there may be areas where we may see we are underdeveloped as athletes. Maybe as coaches, we are seeing we need to focus more time on certain skills in our future plans. Perhaps we are feeling a heightened level of confidence in our current planning, practicing, and training regime and will continue in the same manner.

Lastly in our recipe: Although ‘Meat and Potatoes’ are great, there are plenty of other nutritious necessities that are essential to your plate — a positive attitude, motivation, being a team player, consistent work ethic, etc. Becoming a well-rounded athlete is not just about physical fitness; athletics should help develop, and require, positive, healthy traits that are used for life, both in and out of the sport. Without all the ingredients, our recipe falls flat and leaves us feeling less than satisfied. Come back for another post on some of these life-skills characteristics that can be developed, without a pool or gym, and will help a novice-level athlete take another step toward their elite-level goals!

Resources:

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf

https://wikidiff.com/training/practice

https://www.dictionary.com