How To Become A Synchronized Swimmer?
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Just like with any profession, the best time to start is to begin young and learn the skills as a toddler. From there, the basic skills stay for a lifetime, and it will be a matter of drive for a person to reach the next level of talent.
From there, there will be a couple of routes to the Dancing pool, and the first will be to go through the high school sports coaches to reach a collegiate-level program.
At school, athletes will be exposed to coaches from every level of competition, including the Olympics teams. The next would be to purchase coaching from the Olympic team associates and give your aspiring athlete immediate exposure to the international community.
How Do You Get into Synchronized Swimming?
For those families that have been a part of the competitive dancing competition, it is a matter of pride for some and a proving ground for others.
However, those looking to get into the sport will have to work with their coaches to find the right people to get in touch with and begin training.
The first thing that is first will be to go and research the sport, find out the history, watch some clips on how the teams practice and work together to execute the perfect performance when it counts.
High school sports will be the easiest route for families with smaller budgets, but they are just as effective in getting there.
When Should You Start?
The best action plan for this would be to start a toddler by teaching them how to swim. The most important aspect of synchronized swimming is being able to control the body when in the pool.
This means working with a coach, possibly attending the classes as the parent, and getting the child comfortable in the water.
The next point to start practicing for the team would be to have the child learn to dance and ballet, possibly advancing their knowledge and skills in the pool.
Then, of course, there will be tryouts, just as with any athletics competition, but taking these simple steps will be a solid road to follow, allowing a chance for success.
Can You Be Too Old For it?
There are going to be certain folks that would debate the appropriate ages for swimmers to participate in this water ballet.
But, to start, to use the United States as a model, kids can start as early as twelve years of age, with certain talented individuals getting selected for the Junior teams at the age of fifteen to eighteen.
The Senior or masters’ divisions start with the ages over twenty years of age, and these will be the professionals that normally compete in the Olympics after having years of practice and chemistry.
There is no such thing as being too old to perform dancing in the pool, let alone doing it as a group.
What Skills Do You Need for Synchronized Swimming?
There are going to be a few obvious skills needed to be able to perform water ballet, which will be having the ability to swim for extended periods of time and having the rhythm to dance to music gracefully.
In addition, there will be a need for cardiovascular health and the disciplined breathing skills associated with being an athlete.
You will also need to have an ear for music, have the ability to move with the music, and have that knack to get in sync with your fellow dancers. Not to mention, doing this while in the pool requires a certain amount of balance and coordination.
How to Train for It
The most important thing to any athlete is cardio. Having the ability to go and go and go and go… is the difference between a champion and a chump.
This means getting into the pool and doing the laps to get into competitive shape or getting on the track or machine to get endurance training.
An athlete will have to choose between solo workouts or with a trainer, but with another person will allow for better timing and possible motivational benefits.
However, when it comes to the weight room, be sure to have cardio first. Otherwise, you will be out of breath more often than expected.
Final Thoughts on How to Become a Synchronized Swimmer
There are few athletic competitions that will have the degree of perfection required in synchronized swimming, but many will require the same amount of stamina as any sport.
This is acquired by putting time in the gym and building up enough cardio to maintain adequate levels of energy for the performance.
Many call it the water ballet, similar to the gymnastics performances that take place on the mat. The main difference is the multiple feet ‘ worth of water in which to swim around.