The one book every swimmer will want his parents to read. The one book every swimming parent will want to read. Swimmers train harder than any other athletes in the world. That is not to say that athletes in other sports do not devote as much time and attention to their sports as swimmers do.
Swimmers train as hard as they do because they can.
They can, because there is virtually no risk of injury in swimming. They train lying down, cushioned, cooled, refreshed, buoyed, and caressed by the water. In order to swim, swimmers must merely strive to grab this elusive liquid and propel their bodies forward through this forgiving substance as it gracefully yields to their momentum and moves aside to let them through. While other athletes frequently face the damaging effects of heat overheating with effort, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sometimes even flirting with heat stroke the cool water serves as a buffer against these dangers. Even in the hottest of swimming pools, the water is significantly cooler than the body's natural state.