Safety Tips: Pool Swimming

Swimming is a fun and generally safe sport. Follow these tips for an injury-free season.

What Gear Do Swimmers Need?

Here's some basic swimming equipment to think about:

Goggles. Swimming with leaky, uncomfortable, or foggy goggles can be tough on the eyes. Get a pair of practice or competition goggles that feel good and fit your face. Some swimmers like to have different ones for practices and meets.

Swimsuits. Choose a swimsuit based on what's most important to you. If you want something that will help you go faster, research brand names and see if they can back up the claims they make. If you want a suit for practice, choose something made with quality materials that will last.

Swim caps. Swimmers don’t have to wear a swim cap, but they can protect hair and keep it out of the way. It might even make you go faster because it cuts down on the drag caused by the hair and ears. Most swim caps are made from latex or silicone. In general, latex caps are thinner and less costly. Silicone caps tend to be thicker, last longer, and cost more. For swimmers who spend a lot of time in a warm pool, a silicone cap might keep their head too warm.

Ear plugs and nose clips. Some swimmers like to use these to help keep water out of their ears and nose. The ear plugs should be made for use just in the water. (Noise-canceling earplugs won't make a watertight seal, so water could get in.) Nose clips should be comfortable and stay in place during swimming.

How Can Swimmers Stay Safe?

To stay safe and help prevent injuries during practice and meets, swimmers should:

• Get a sports physical first to make sure it’s safe for them to swim. The doctor can check for any health problems and talk about sports safety. Most schools won't let athletes swim unless they've had a sports physical within the past year.
• Warm up and stretch before swimming. Also check that the pool is deep enough before diving. 
• Wear water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher for outdoor practices and meets. 
• Take time off from training if they feel shoulder, neck, or other pain. They can try a different stroke or do something else out of the pool to stay in shape. After the pain is gone, they can go back to their regular stroke.
• Never swim alone, and know what to do if someone in or around the pool has a medical emergency.

Repetitive stress injuries (overuse injuries) are also a concern. These happen when someone trains too much or makes the same motions over and over. Learning and using proper techniques can help prevent these injuries.

It also helps to try swimming short distances at first, then slowly increase distance and speed. It may also help to do other sports that strengthen different muscles, mainly core (abdominal) muscles, like running or cycling.