My coach today told me that cooling down at the end of practice was not good for the body. He said it could rip muscles that were just worked. I have always been taught that the cool down was important, especially after working hard and getting the heart rate up.
Keep in mind that this is an USA-S practice and those I'm swimming with are teenagers.
I'm curious what others think?
I know the few USA-S meets I have done there have been warm-up/cool-down areas and the coaches encourage them now.
That's not been my experience. I definitely remember being encouraged to warm up and warm down as a 10-year-old. But the number of such swimmers I see doing that at local USA-S meets is quite small.
The NOVA coaches actively discourage warm-up and warm-down for kids under 12, to the point where (if it is a home meet) they instruct the lifeguards to tell the kids to get out if they see them swimming in the warm-down area. I don't want to be a meddling parent -- and overall I am thrilled with the level of instruction from the coaches -- so I have never questioned the coaches about it. (Maybe I'll ask Mark if I remember.)
I have always thought the reason is logistical, rather than physical: they simply don't want all those kids messing around in the pool before or after their races.
It isn't just the NOVA kids, though; I rarely see youngsters in the warmup/warmdown pool, just older age-groupers.
I know the few USA-S meets I have done there have been warm-up/cool-down areas and the coaches encourage them now.
That's not been my experience. I definitely remember being encouraged to warm up and warm down as a 10-year-old. But the number of such swimmers I see doing that at local USA-S meets is quite small.
The NOVA coaches actively discourage warm-up and warm-down for kids under 12, to the point where (if it is a home meet) they instruct the lifeguards to tell the kids to get out if they see them swimming in the warm-down area. I don't want to be a meddling parent -- and overall I am thrilled with the level of instruction from the coaches -- so I have never questioned the coaches about it. (Maybe I'll ask Mark if I remember.)
I have always thought the reason is logistical, rather than physical: they simply don't want all those kids messing around in the pool before or after their races.
It isn't just the NOVA kids, though; I rarely see youngsters in the warmup/warmdown pool, just older age-groupers.
