JakeDentonPT

   As we enter the summer months, it seems like an ideal time to look into the benefits of water sports!    Water sports can cover a huge range of activities, including swimming, water polo, motor boat racing, water skiing, and, of course paddle sports, such as kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding.    I will mainly focus on paddle sports for this article. Any activity which involves using a paddle to make water craft move, is classed as a paddle sport.    Paddle sports has numerous health and fitness benefits, which means it can be used instead of the gym for many. Weight loss - As a full body exercise numerous benefits and adaptations contribute towards long term weight loss.  Cardiovascular fitness - Your heart can get a great workout from paddle sports.  Muscular Endurance - Your muscles will be able to maintain work for a longer period after time. Muscular Strength and Size - Complete some circuit training, yoga, or stretching to ...

  This article covers the top 8 tips I have found in my research to improve your longer, open water swimming speeds. Some of these tips may also be beneficial for shorter, sprint speeds and pool speeds.  A basic understanding of how the water acts upon our bodies when we are swimming is crucial for improving swimming. Some of the concepts may seem complex, although I will attempt to describe them as simply as possible, however the solutions are much easier to implement.  First of all, we need to be familiar with Netwon's Second Law: Force = Mass x Acceleration   This means that for a body of mass (in this case, you) to accelerate (move) you must be acted upon by forces. In the instance of swimming, the main forces are thrust and drag.    1) Drag  Drag is the force working against you. Within swimming, there is three types of drag acting upon us. These are: Pressure Drag, Friction Drag and Wave Drag.  Pressure Drag is caused by turbulent waters cre...