Everything to become a professional swimmer

Lifeguard UsaApril 18, 2022

0 325 3 minutes read

Have you been swimming since you were young ? Have you always loved swimming? Would you even like to turn professional ? Diplomeo explains everything to you.

Journey of a professional swimmer

The main mission of the professional swimmer is to win competitions with Lifeguard Training. From an increasingly high level as it progresses, they gradually become professional competitions .

Intensive sports training

After learning to swim from a very young age, young swimmers can join a swimming-oriented Sport-Studies section at college. He will carry out normal studies there , but will also follow regular lessons as well as intensive competitions in order to constantly surpass himself, motivate himself, to always progress .

It is a rigorous apprenticeship , which includes swimming pool sessions in addition to classic swimming lessons, and also bodybuilding, running, endurance, cardio-training… With a rhythm of two to three times a week throughout schooling, up to the baccalaureate.

Identifying talented young swimmers

During his studies, or especially during a competition , the child/adolescent can be spotted by a national sports technical director who is always on the lookout for young talent . Standing out in front of these people allows the child to go to school in one of the 13 hope centers of the centers for resources, expertise and sports performance (CREPS).

The child/adolescent will then enter a whirlwind of increasingly intensive training and competitions up to the national level, which of course requires great physical preparation . Ideally, he will still be spotted and taken under the wing of a trainer if his level and talents show excellent promise .

The trainer will carry out with the young swimmer a continuous and daily work , in order to guide him until his first rewards , until the first competitions of a professional level .

Qualities and skills of a top swimmer

Qualities are necessary for the young swimmer in order to always progress :

Stress resistance
Cold blood
determination, will
Competitive spirit
Perfectionist
… But also, skills are required to really become a professional swimmer :

Patience
Social skills
Sens of observation
And above all: a good physical and nervous condition
Training a professional swimmer
After the baccalaureate, the future professional swimmer can continue his studies in Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities (STAPS), where he can choose a specialization in:

education, motor skills
sports management
physical activities and movements of the disabled and the elderly
ergonomics
sports training
Or, for faster professionalization, he can do a STAPS pro license . Then, it will also be possible for the professional swimmer to do a STAPS master . These courses are also possible on a work-study basis . He will thus be able to aim for the improvement of his discipline.

Salary of a professional swimmer

Most professional swimmers earn nowhere near as high a salary as football players, for example. They essentially earn their living thanks to their advertising contracts and their performance bonuses and not only thanks to their status as professional swimmers.

As a professional club swimmer, swimmers may only earn a sum of around 2000 euros . However, each gold medal brought back can earn money in addition from the International Federation and the French Federation . And the advertising contracts are added to that if you shine a thousand waters in the basin.

Evolution of a professional swimmer

The evolutions of the professional swimmer are made especially as they pass the stages of the competitions : from the regional, to the national, to the international, to the Olympic Games… And, of course, to the medals brought back . And we can also add media coverage : as and when he is known, the swimmer acquires a certain reputation which is very useful to him to win more advertising contracts for example.