September marks the start of a new swim season in the UK. Coaches will be preparing their new sets to help swimmers get fit again ready for fast swimming. It is always important to start a new season as you mean to go on. It is an exciting part of the season getting to see your team mates again after the summer break, but also because getting back in the water and starting training again is a comforting and rejuvenating feeling. Being treated to a very exciting swimming World Championships over the summer should also boost your excitement to get back in the water. That feeling of something missing from your routine over the summer will very quickly vanish, replaced with the wonder of what your coach has dreamed up. With all that in mind her are a few pointers and steps to help you make the best possible start to the new swim season.

Check your equipment

There is nothing worse than turning up to the first session of a new season with broken, mouldy or just ill-fitting equipment. The first session back will always be tough; there is no need to make it harder for yourself by not checking your equipment is functional and fitting. It is likely that at the end of the previous season your equipment was just put away and forgotten about without cleaning or tidying. A few days before your first session back is the ideal time to get your kit back out and check it is all still functional and fitting. SwimPath has you covered for all your equipment needs in time for the new season with a large range of products to suit any budget, age and level of swimmer. 

Your body may have changed

It is quite likely that over the summer holidays you have grown in height, muscle mass or maybe even both. This will be helped by having the break from intense swimming training as energy that would normally go towards training can now go towards growth and repair. Pair this with on average longer sleep time during the holidays and some growth can be expected. This can provide extra strength and performance in the water once fit, but it can also provide challenges getting fit due to the extra size and weight requiring greater effort, appetite and coordination to get used to the increased size. To that end patience and persistence is key to push through the early challenges and reap the benefits come race day. This also links to the first point about your equipment because if you have grown then some new equipment may be required if your old kit no longer fits correctly. You can always find a great range of products to complete your equipment bags at SwimPath, catering to all budgets and swimmers.

Remember to help your teammates

Coming back after a summer break both you and your teammates will all be unfit having done varying amounts of training and relaxing. But it is important to remember that you are all sharing the same experience and challenges and working together and supporting each other will help everyone get to a stronger place for the rest of the season. Some will take longer than others to get to a comfortable place in training and that’s ok. Don’t get frustrated with yourself or your teammates, it is all part of the process of building fitness early in the season to build upon later in the season.

Focus on what you can control

Linking back to both points on changes to your body and preseason training rust that you and your teammates will be feeling, it is important to remember that building your fitness back up does not happen in one session, it will take time which can be frustrating. Which is why in the meantime, things you can control like technique and discipline will always be valuable skills in your training sessions that you can work on at any time in training, not just when you are fit and fast. Good consistent technique will make things much easier for you and working on technique when you are tired or unfit will always be a huge benefit to you, especially when you are back to fitness and you will feel more efficient and comfortable even when swimming faster.

Enjoy swimming again

Perhaps the most important point to remember is to enjoy what you are doing. Being back in the water and knowing that you are putting the work in to improve your performance come race day is a great feeling. Early season swimming can be a challenge but being positive about the challenge and having a positive attitude, helping your teammates and working hard can really help you to maximise both yours and your teammates performances and make the season a much more enjoyable experience for everyone.

We at SwimPath hope you found these tips and pointers helpful and we look forward to seeing you all on race day.