Sports Then and Now

When you’re in the water, you have no choice but to be in the moment. Aquatic safety depends on how you note your surroundings and react in time when something unexpected happens. That means that water sports can help increase not only your stamina and flexibility, but also your concentration. These four water sports aren’t just fun ways to pass time. They can also help you to improve your focus.

Swimming

Swimming puts you in water and requires you to make your way through safely. You can’t bring in your smartphone or a book while you’re in the pool or ocean. Research suggests competitive swimmers can have a major advantage in their cognitive function abilities. To be an effective swimmer, one has to work their mental and physical faculties in equal measure. This concentration can apply to all kinds of activities, like driving and cooking.

Rowing

Rowing is one of the most demanding water sports. If you’re rowing with others as part of a team, you need to depend on each other to navigate the boat and reach the end. Your motions need to be full and deliberate. It can also show the importance of consistency. One full rotation of oars might not do anything, but repeated over time, you can find great results.

Fishing

You might do it from the shore or in a boat, but fishing also requires concentration. Sometimes, you nab one within minutes. Other times, you could be waiting for hours with nary a nibble. Experienced fishers don’t bemoan having to wait, because they know that it makes the payoff all the greater when they do catch something. Try booking a sport fishing charter to enjoy the joy of fishing with others and develop your concentration and patience.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving takes the concentration principles of swimming and makes them even more crucial. You need to be totally focused on your swimming as well as what creatures and environmental traits could be around. It can be very peaceful to bring yourself away from the chaos of the world and just put yourself in the midst of the ocean. Even if you could speak clearly through your scuba gear, you would still likely be rendered speechless by the experience.

Greater concentration can lead to greater mental abilities, as you can filter out all the things that are distracting you and causing confusion. These water sports still require some existing concentration, but the way they exercise that trait is extraordinary. Whether you’re casting a reel or preparing for a dive, you can soon be in a state of higher concentration.

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan