***Physical
Development***
Swimming is considered the ideal
activity for developing muscular and skeletal growth by many
physicians and pediatricians. Why do doctors like it so much? Here
are some reasons why:
--Swimming develops high quality aerobic endurance, the most
important key to physical fitness. In other sports, an hour of
practice may yield as little as 10 minutes of meaningful exercise.
Age group swimming teams use every precious minute of practice time
developing fitness and teaching skills.
--Swimming does a better job in proportional muscular development
by using all the body’s major muscle groups. No other sport
does this as well.
--Swimming enhances children’s natural flexibility (at a time
when they ordinarily begin to lose it) by exercising all of their
major joints through a full range of motion.
--Swimming helps develop superior coordination because it requires
combinations of complex movements of all parts of the body,
enhancing harmonious muscle function, grace, and fluidity of
movement.
--Swimming is the most injury-free of all children’s
sports.
--Swimming is a sport that will bring kids fitness and enjoyment
for life. Participants in Master’s Swimming programs are
still training and racing well into their 80’s.
***Intellectual
Competence***
In addition to physical development,
children can develop greater intellectual competence by
participating in a guided program of physical activity. Learning
and using swimming skills engages the thinking processes. As they
learn new techniques, children must develop and plan movement
sequences. They improve by exploring new ideas. They learn that
greater progress results from using their creative talents.
Self-expression can be just as much physical as intellectual.
Finally, their accomplishments in learning and using new skills
contribute to a stronger self image.
