The exhilarating feeling on the starting block before each swim, the dark line at the bottom of the pool that you chase back and forth, the water that embraces the body—swimming has always fascinated Arav Ahmed. Growing up in an athletic family, Arav started swimming competitively at the age of four, showing immediate promise. By the time he was a senior in high school, Arav had made records in the inter-school swimming competition, winning consecutive titles for the school. 

While Arav enjoyed the water, his teachers had been noticing a vital pattern in his academics. Aarav was successfully mastering the spirit of water, but he was also focused and observant in class, displaying a wide range of critical skills. Compared to other students who did not partake in any form of athletics, Arav showed consistent stellar performance in academic and non-academic activities throughout the years. Swimming has long been associated with building and enhancing essential skills, values and discipline. 

Children who learn to swim are more likely to develop movement skills and motor and cognitive skills early on in their lives. Eventually, they gain self-confidence that continues once they step out of the water and into other aspects of their lives. Swimming teaches values and discipline and is the most significant life skill that children retain for most of their lives.  

Swimming uses the entire body. As the whole body moves against the resistance of the water, it builds endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness. In short, swimming provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of the muscles are utilised in the movement. This develops a child's stamina, flexibility, and muscle strength using the water as resistance and also builds their concentration. Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke, and freestyle, despite the kind of movement in the water, swimming is a perfect sport offering so much more than physical wellness. 

Water can shape people's bodies and minds. Thus, swimming does much more than giving one the ability to manage oneself in the water. Psychologically speaking, it helps to overcome phobias, increases self-esteem, and generates social skills. Hence, it is safe to say that swimming can be categorised as a crucial life skill that helps us tackle the demands and challenges of everyday life. 

The 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 19th edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships, is right around the corner. This time it will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from June 18 to 3, 2022, and the competition provides a great opportunity for swimmers to showcase their swimming skills. Competitive swimming comes with various benefits, such as medals, records, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. However, the most rewarding opportunities are its many physical, psychological, social, and lifestyle benefits. Swimming competitions allow swimmers to develop key life skills and discipline while making a name for themselves and their organisations. Therefore, children should be encouraged to swim, while those who take an interest in it must be given the proper opportunities to further excel in the sport. 

It is needless to say that from stable health and overall fitness to strength training, swimming is the most exceptional sport. It offers physical benefits as well as fosters mental and emotional wellbeing. Swimming can be the most beneficial exercise to promote a healthy lifestyle. For this reason, as parents, guardians, and educators, we should start actively introducing children to water at an early age. 

The writer is a swimming coach at International School, Dhaka.