The Five Greatest Sports You Can Do In Your Swimming Pool

1. Swimming

The sport of swimming has been recorded since prehistoric days. Stone Age paintings nearly 7000 years old depict swimming. Swimming is written about in such early literature as the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Bible. In both ancient Greece and Rome, swimming was considered a necessary part of boy’s education. At this time pools were also used by the Greeks and Romans to physically train for battle.

Competitive swimming was first introduced in England during the 1800′s. At that time, several indoor swimming pools were built in London and used by the National Swimming Society for swimming competitions. In 1896 swimming became an Olympic event.

Swimming pools, once a luxury reserved for the wealthy, are common place today. They are available in an endless variety of shapes sizes and materials. Some are specifically made for exercise, such as a resistance pool. In a resistance pool you swim or exercise against a smooth current that can be adjusted to any speed or ability. These pools can be much smaller than traditional swimming pools since you basically swim in place against a current.
Traditional swimming pools can be used to swim laps, learn new swimming styles, or time yourself to improve speed.

Swimming is a low-impact activity that gives you the benefits of two types of exercise, muscle toning due to the effects of resistance from the water, and at the same time you can get the cardiovascular benefits of aerobic exercise. One of the reasons swimming is a popular exercise is that it won’t cause the same amount of wear and tear on your joints since the water supports much of your weight. It’s also a great way to workout in the summer without overheating.

2. Exercise

Many of the same exercises you do at the gym can be done in your pool. Due to its low impact, almost anyone can the benefit from water aerobics. Water aerobics is beneficial to individuals with a number of health conditions, such as fibromyalgia or arthritis. It is also used in physical therapy for individuals recovering from an injury or who need to increase their flexibility. Water aerobics is a good exercise to increase strength since the water provides resistance that helps to strengthen muscles.

Try jogging in your pool. It will burn more calories than jogging on land while avoiding the stress injuries associated with jogging.

To tone the arms, instead of lifting weights try pressing empty plastic bottled down against the resistance of the water.

3. Snorkeling

Snorkeling is a sport that allows you to enjoy the undersea world. You can see the marine life underwater as you float on the surface without having to come up for air.

To learn how to snorkel, it is advisable to learn to use the snorkel in the still, shallow waters of a swimming pool.

A swimming pool is also the place to practice scuba diving, but you will need professional lessons and equipment before trying that.

4. Diving

Diving, like swimming can be done for fun, exercise, or competition. The most important thing about diving is safety. Never dive into shallow water. Only dive into a residential pool if it has an area expressly made deep enough for safe diving. Always dive with your arms and hands stretched out over your head. Diving injuries can be extremely serious!

There are many diving games that you can play. You can purchase dive rings that are made to sink to the bottom of the pool and then see how quickly you can retrieve them. You can also compete with others to see who retrieves the most rings.

5. Games

Many games that you enjoy playing on land can be adapted to the pool.

You can purchase either a stationary or floating basketball hoop. Play using the same basic principles as regular basketball, but since you can’t dribble passing and shooting are the best moves.

Volleyball is also a great pool game. Following the same basic concept as indoor court volleyball, two people or two teams compete against each other, volleying the ball while trying to keep it from hitting the water or going out of the pool(out of bounds).

These are just a few suggestions to stay in shape while keeping cool and having fun. With a little imagination the possibilities are endless.

Published By:

Malibu Pool Service and Repair – Kevin Swafford
2338 W. Lindner Avenue, #28
Mesa, Arizona 85202
Office: (602) 748-0544
Email: [email protected]