"BLOG"

Breath control and expanded lung capacity are a couple of the secrets and wonders of artistic swimming.

How does an artistic swimmer build up their lung capacity to perform upside down for so long? Several ways to build up lung capacity include supervised underwater laps, lap sprints, multiple routine run-throughs back to back, etc. With these in mind, let’s review some of the Awareness and Safety Tips for Summer Pool Fun via videos.

This month we are encouraging awareness of shallow water blackouts. At the Aqua Angels, we believe it is vital to teach athletes while training to increase their lung capacity to NEVER ignore their urge to breathe while swimming underwater. Every swimmer is created unique; the composition of their bodies and chemical responses can be different from one day to the next, and when compared to their teammates, even more differences can be noted. The danger arises from athletes trying to beat teammates in breath-holding games by seeing how far they can go in underwater laps without taking a breath. The child may also simply be trying to impress their coach on how far they can go by ignoring the urge to breathe, which can lead to a shallow water blackout tragedy. This is why shallow water blackout can occur amongst competent, strong, elite swimmers.

Our head coach is vigilant regarding lung-increasing capacity drills because of her experience with shallow water blackout, which heightened her awareness. She delved into a study on the topic which revealed that some make light of the matter and feel the responsibility to monitor athletes rests solely with the lifeguards on duty, who are themselves possibly uneducated about the seriousness of shallow water blackout. She disagrees with that approach and has discussed it with some of the top synchro champions and coaches through the years, learning additional targeted strategies during her internship.

At the Aqua Angels, our head coach has years of hands-on experience discerning the unique differences between athletes and their ever-changing needs at the moment. Therefore, each athlete has personal goals to work through to achieve the lung capacity required of an artistic swimmer under the watchful eyes of the dedicated Aqua Angels coaching team. Because of its importance, coaches prioritize that proper rest is completed during training to balance out the CO2 and O2 levels in the athlete’s body and ensure they do not hyperventilate by taking extra deep breaths before continuing their lung exercises because safety comes first.

The Aqua Angels coaches believe learning in an atmosphere where athletes can enjoy their lives at the pool while increasing their skills is conducive to creating passion and inspiring the champion within. This allows the athletes to confidently relax and push themselves to achieve their personal goals, expand creatively, and explore their gifts and talents. 

So, as we launch into summer FUN AT THE POOL, be aware that you can have FUN while performing strenuous drills, but it MUST be coupled with AWARENESS and a mindset that SAFETY always comes first!

Please watch the following short videos and immediately learn about shallow water blackouts. Then, SHARE with at least one of your friends and family members. Together, let’s do our part in keeping everyone safe!