Learning to swim as an adult

[AndyBrad]

not read through all the posts...

basically get yourself in the pool, pop your head under the water a couple of times while your in the shallow end. that way its less of a shock if you get your face splashed etc.

now relax. theres no rush, things take time and dont set yourself limits (like i need to be able to swim 100m) just take it steady and enjoy it. its like riding a bike once it "clicks" you'll be fine and dandy. but if you push yourself and find it hard work then you'll just end up thinking its a chore. playing about in a pool is fab fun. just remember that you will have somone to help yu out if it goes wrong and its a damn sight safer than getting on the back of a bike :)

the scary part for most people is getting water in their face. get some goggles and it may help.

chill out, dont analyse it too much and enjoy. :)

[missyburd]

We missed last week but she did really well the week before, length where we go is 25m so she's been doing widths across a different part of pool, about 10m. She seems to be managing that with front crawl easily and managed to do breast stroke week before last too :-D

I can't o the breast stroke, I look like a frog drowning in peroxide... Not quite mastering the froggy kick yet but I suppose I'm getting there....slooooowly. and swim a bit face down in the water which is an achievement, still cr4p at breathing though! Most of the swimming water seems to be recycled through my nasal passages, completely intentionally of course ;-).

I'm kind of enjoying it now, having lots of fun winding YC up, he loves the attention :lol:

Rachetjob, thanks for the long post, you certainly don't have to worry about hijacking the thread, tis good to read about other people's experiences! Pretty impressive learning all that in a week though!

To be honest, I'm just glad I'm not scared of the water any more. I can be left alone to mess about and attempt to gain confidence at my own pace which is good. Once my breathing techniques improve I ma start firing on all cylnders and managing more than a few strokes at a time. My problem is wanting to do everything at once!

Thanks for the replies guys :-)

[Quiff Wichard]

you tube search

there are some good teaching vids on there of breastroke breath tis all push n stretch and breathe and rythmn

[johnnyrod]

I can't do breaststroke for anything, know what you mean. Mrs. Rod can do it without fins when we're snorkelling and I need fins to keep up, God knows how. Anyway are you having lessons? I had three lots in all, first lot I manages to get back in the water, second lot taught me the most, third lot even had me diving off the side. I had big gaps in between (2-3 years) and swam on my own, you need the practice as well as the tuition, but for me it helped a lot to have some tuition as well. There were things I was doing wrong that I didn't manage to figure out on my own. I do quite often need the bleedin' obvious pointing out though. Worth a thought anyway.

[missyburd]

Johnnyrod, nope not having lessons, just getting pointers from YC and his folks. I can swim and stay up in the water which is good enough for me really, not scared of the water anymore which was something I really needed to overcome. Lessons would have cost the M word, not something I like to part with lightly! :-P

[johnnyrod]

Sounds like you're doing alright then! Good on yer. My boss is about 58 and he can't swim (he'd never sink in a million years). Tell YC to get you a snorkel for Christmas...

Not one cut off an air filter either

[missyburd]

Not one cut off an air filter either

:lol: :D

[Quiff Wichard]

me just back- another 40 lengths .. 26 minutes 30 seconds..

[missyburd]

show off :-P I can't do one length yet!

[Woz]

show off :-P I can't do one length yet!

If you're doing widths, you can do lengths. In theory (stamina aside), if you can swim ten metres, you can swim ten miles :thumbsup:

[ophic]

If you're doing widths, you can do lengths. In theory (stamina aside), if you can swim ten metres, you can swim ten miles :thumbsup:
I can swim ten metres underwater. I struggle a bit with ten miles though!

[missyburd]

I can swim ten metres underwater. I struggle a bit with ten miles though!

I do seem to go further when swimming face down, but then obviously that's the more natural way to seem as you're more streamlined. I just need to hold my breath for longer and let it out slower while underwater. Strange though it seems, I actually like swimming underwater? Even though I hated the sound a few weeks ago and panicked when I went under? So I think that means I'm cured :smt041:smt041:smt041

[missyburd]

Ok so not been going to the baths for a few weeks but went back today. Managed to do several widths of the shallow pool then to finish off YC asked me to have a go at a length...

I managed 3 quarters before I lost me rhythm!!! Then I couldn't touch the floor on stopping (started from the shallow end :rolleyes:) and panicked for a few seconds, think it's going to take a bit more practice before I get used to that feeling :oops:

But hey ho. Need to get one of those nose clip thingys as I'm still swallowing a fair bit of water, chlorine burning the throat really isn't pleasant, even after the first 15 times of doing it :rolleyes:

[barwel1992]

well done sounds like your coming one well :D

just out of interest what stroke are you doing ?

[Quiff Wichard]

Ok so not been going to the baths for a few weeks but went back today. Managed to do several widths of the shallow pool then to finish off YC asked me to have a go at a length...

I managed 3 quarters before I lost me rhythm!!! Then I couldn't touch the floor on stopping (started from the shallow end :rolleyes:) and panicked for a few seconds, think it's going to take a bit more practice before I get used to that feeling :oops:

But hey ho. Need to get one of those nose clip thingys as I'm still swallowing a fair bit of water, chlorine burning the throat really isn't pleasant, even after the first 15 times of doing it :rolleyes:


are you allowed to finish him off in the pool? they have signs and my pool no petting..:nemo:

[missyburd]

well done sounds like your coming one well :D

just out of interest what stroke are you doing ?
cheers barwel :-) And I'm doing some version of the frontcrawl, techniques a bit crap but it gets me across the pool lol

Lol at Quiff, you're a naughty man :-P

[yorkie_chris]

It actually seems stopping smoking has made me worse at swimming, work that out.

[missyburd]

It actually seems stopping smoking has made me worse at swimming, work that out.
no you've just not been for a few weeks, stop blaming everything on quitting the fags :smt062

[yorkie_chris]

#grumblegrumble#

[barwel1992]

cheers barwel :-) And I'm doing some version of the frontcrawl, techniques a bit crap but it gets me across the pool lol

Lol at Quiff, you're a naughty man :-P

ahh good i thorght you were trying to do brest stroke..... i cannot for the life of me do brest stroke

front crawl is much easier

[missyburd]

ahh good i thorght you were trying to do brest stroke..... i cannot for the life of me do brest stroke

Tell me about it! I keep trying but just end up moving me arms and legs out at the same time and treading water :rolleyes: I need to remember to get on the bed and do the movements on land before going into the pool, see if that helps...and no, there won't be any pictures of me looking like a confused frog :king:

[barwel1992]

haha i dont want to know what freeky moves you and YC will try in bed :lol:

and i can swim very well and dive but i just sink when doing brest stroke :D