Swimming Tips

Posts Tagged ‘Edge’

Sports Conditioning offers an edge over the competition. The purpose of sports conditioning is to complement current sports training. Sports conditioning is more demanding than general fitness training. Sports conditioning is ideal for children who strive for greater performance in any sporting activity. It is meant to enhance an individual’s strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, speed, and power, which can be carried over into all sports.

Athletes perform exercises with weights, fitness bands, medicine balls, bodyweight, etc. Athletes and coaches are constantly seeking an advantage over the competition to help them achieve an edge. Many teams and athletes can gain an edge over the competition through intense sports conditioning programs. A good sports conditioning program incorporates specific skills into strength and conditioning to help athlete target specific performance requirements.

Besides improved performance, the conditioning program is an important step in injury prevention. Many athletes are not aware that sports conditioning is a necessity for injury prevention. Conditioning can help develop the strength, flexibility, and agility necessary to protect joints from injury. In recent years more coaches and parents have come to realize the benefits of a conditioning program. Proper training can reduce the incidence of injury in young athletes and also offers teams a chance to grow strong together. Teaching a young athlete proper technique will prevent injury and ensure results, but there is always a chance for injury, even if the body is properly protected and conditioned.

Sports conditioning helps prepare athletes to better able to apply their sport-specific skills. Traditional fitness training is great for helping people look good and achieve basic fitness goals such as weight loss, strength gain, cardiovascular endurance, and more flexibility. Athletes of all levels and abilities need a more sports-oriented training program besides general fitness. Young athletes must include unique exercises that feed into the skill requirements of their sports.

Sports conditioning should be directly related to the type of sport in which the individual participates. A good conditioning program includes strength, power, speed, quickness, agility, movement skills, deceleration, balance, reactivity and anaerobic capacity. The conditioning program should be specific to the sport and should meet the individual needs of the athlete.

The only way to train for peak performance is to have a plan. The conditioning should be complementary to the demands of practices and the game itself. The goal should be two-fold, peak performance in games and future goals. The intensity and extent of an individualized program should take into account the physical needs of the athlete and their goals after a careful evaluation, the time frame established to reach the goals, and the amount of hours each week an athlete can regularly devote to a program.

Sports conditioning is now a year-round commitment for many athletes. It often includes four training seasons each year: pre-season, in-season, post-season, and off-season. The most important aspect of sports conditioning is establishing a good fitness base. Once the athlete has a high level of general fitness they can begin to train with more advanced and more sport-specific exercises. Youth sports conditioning is a fast growing trend in today’s fitness industry. Keep in mind that sports conditioning should be directly related to the sport in which the athlete competes. Most sports conditioning programs are designed for athletes who are training to improve their performance, but they do offer injury prevention benefits because the athlete will become stronger, more flexible, and more ready to compete. Make sure you find a quality program with qualified trainers because your child’s health and happiness come first.

By Karen M. Goeller

There is a new swimming pool building technique that’s turning heads. It’s called a vanishing edge swimming pool. Actually, this style of swimming pool has been around for years but it is starting to gain popularity. Many of our customers are asking us about negative edge or vanishing edge swimming pools including questions about design, practicality, and if any home can have this type of pool. For the rest of the article, we will inform anyone interested in a new swimming pool about vanishing edge swimming pools.

The style of a vanishing edge swimming pool is unique. The essence of a vanishing edge swimming pool is making the swimming pool appear as though it is vanishing into the horizon. When the swimming pool contractor builds this type of pool, there is one end of the pool that that has no edges or walls. The water appears to be spilling off into the horizon which creates a beautiful look for any home. However, this type of swimming pool looks best in areas where the home or the swimming pool is elevated, such as homes built on a cliff, large hill, homes near oceans, or homes with open views in their backyard. The negative edge area will be overlooking the edge in your home. Water appears to spill over the side where it is captured by a ledge and recycled back into the swimming pool. This type of swimming pool is perfect for homes with overlooks as it doesn’t take away from the natural beauty.

People are choosing infinity pools and negative edge swimming pools because of their aesthetic beauty. And, because vanishing edge swimming pools can only be made with gunite, the swimming pool contractor can create any shape possible. This means full customization of your swimming pool so it will look great in your already beautiful backyard. And, even more than any other swimming pool, the negative edge pool will look great with exotic coping materials and swimming pool tiles. Because the vanishing edge type of swimming pool is more expensive than traditional gunite swimming pools, customers are typically prepared to spend the extra money on exotic stone and lighting to accentuate the vanishing edge pool.

As we stated before, infinity swimming pools can be installed anywhere in any backyard. However, we feel that these pools are best suited for homes with elevations and homes with open spaced views in their backyard. Great candidates that fit this profile are homes in the woods, homes at the shore, homes in the mountains, and any home with beautiful overlooks including homes in the city. As stated before, the negative edge swimming pool works best in an area where the swimming pool flows with the natural setting in your yard and your property. Location is the most important factor when you think about installing a negative edge swimming pool. If you are happy with your view, then a negative edge pool will work for you. If your view is of a cluttered neighbor’s yard or an overgrown area, you may want to think twice about a negative or vanishing edge swimming pool. The vanishing edge portion of your swimming pool will become the focal point of the area where your eye will visit each time you are in your backyard. You want to make sure that the view, the angle, and the location is something that you will never tire of.

Negative edge swimming pools require a swimming pool contractor who understands the pumps and technology involved and is also an expert in excavation and gunite swimming pool application. A negative edge swimming pool is one of the most expensive swimming pools you can choose to install, and if you have the money, it is one of the most beautiful and timeless investments you can ever make. When choosing the right swimming pool contractor for this, make sure they have experience in this medium and they will be a full service pool contractor. The last thing any homeowner wants is a beautiful pool with muddy landscaping surrounding it. Make sure your vanishing edge pool contractor is creative, experienced, and will leave your yard as pristine as it was before you installed your negative edge swimming pool.