Swimming Safety Tips (for Teens)

Swimming is a fun and generally safe sport, but it’s important to know how to avoid getting hurt. Here are some tips to help you have an injury-free season.

Staying Safe & Preventing Injuries

What Swim Gear Do I Need?

Before jumping in, make sure you have what you need to stay safe:

Goggles

Swimming with leaky, uncomfortable, or foggy goggles can be tough on your eyes. Be sure to get a pair of practice or competition goggles that feel good and fit your face. Some swimmers like to have different goggles for training and meets. Practice goggles tend to be more comfortable and competition ones may reduce drag.

Swimsuit

Choose a swimsuit based on what’s most important to you. If you want something that will help you go faster, research brand names and see if companies can back up the claims they make. If you want swimwear for practice, choose something made with quality materials that will last. Make sure your suit meets the requirements of your swim league.

Swim Cap

You don’t have to wear a swim cap, but caps can protect hair and keep it out of the way. A swim cap might even make you go faster because it cuts down on the drag caused by your hair and ears. Most swim caps are made from latex or silicone. In general, latex caps are thinner and less costly, while silicone caps are usually thicker, last longer, and cost more. If you’ll be spending a lot of time in a warm pool, a silicone cap might keep your head too warm.

Earplugs & Noseclip

Some swimmers like to use these to help keep water out of their ears and nose. Earplugs should be made for use just in the water. (Noise-canceling earplugs won’t make a watertight seal, so water can still get in.) A noseclip should fit comfortably and stay in place as you swim.

How Can I Stay Safe While Swimming?

From warming up to learning proper techniques, these habits can help keep you safe.

Getting Ready to Swim

To stay safe and help prevent injuries during practice and meets, you should:

Get a sports physical before starting any new sport. Most schools won’t let athletes swim unless they’ve had a sports physical within the past year.
Always warm up and stretch before swimming. Also check that the pool is deep enough before diving.
Wear water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher for outdoor practices and meets.
Follow your coach’s guidance on any practice equipment, like fins to build stamina (or endurance) and speed. Well-fitting fins are more comfortable and less likely to cause foot sores.
Take time off from training if you feel shoulder, neck, or other pain. You can try a different stroke or do something else out of the pool to stay in shape. After the pain is gone, you can go back to your regular stroke.
Never swim alone and know what to do if someone in or around the pool has a medical emergency.

What Else Should I Know?

Repetitive stress injuries (overuse injuries) are a concern for swimmers. These happen when someone trains too much or makes the same motions over and over. Learning and using proper techniques can help prevent these injuries.

It also helps to try swimming short distances at first, then slowly increase distance and speed. It may also help to do other sports, like running or cycling, which strengthen different muscles, mainly core (abdominal) muscles.