Learning to swim as an adult

After many years of failing dismally i finally learnt to swim at the age of 28. I too had been scared as a kid after several incidents.
I finally cracked it by using a tummy band, a rope that goes around your tummy with about 8 small square floats. Once i got confident with all the floats it was a gradual process to remove them one at a time until, hey presto, swimming unaided!!
In the end it only took me few hours. Im sure this wouldnt work for everyone but might be worth a try. Good luck to you xx

I learnt to swim at 22 when I joined the navy (they expect you to swim for some reason). I had to put on a boiler suit and boots and jump off the top board and then tred water for 10 minutes then pull yourself out the pool. I was terrified never even having jumped in from side. I stood on top board looked straight ahead at clock and was pushed in. Did a massive belly flop which caused me to turn bright red from chin to knees for 3 hours. I then managed to float about on my back and struggled but eventually hauled my carcass out the water. I can only do breast stroke but can swim for miles. I cannot put my face in the water unless Im in the shower (even then I hold my breath). I cannot go down flumes etc and hate when people jump in round about me. I dont like the water. I made sure all my kids could swim, becky started at 18 months and was swimming unaided by 4, connor started at 5 and was swimming by 7 and Libby passed her first swimming badge a couple of weeks ago and she is 9 months. I would say keep going with YC and once you have gained a bit confidence go for some adult lessons. good luck

[ophic]

Originally Posted by kitkat

Libby passed her first swimming badge a couple of weeks ago and she is 9 months.

crikey!

is it the "not doing a poo in the swimming pool" badge?

Originally Posted by maviczap

Well posting such a personal thing on an open forum is a brave thing to do

Is it? I don't see it as something I should be ashamed of or afraid of what people will think of me not being able to, at the end of the day I can't swim but desperately want to know how to so I can enjoy myself and mess about in the water with other people instead of looking forlorn at the side of the water. I'd also love to dive having a huge interest in all things under the sea and being able to swim kind of helps in that department

Originally Posted by maviczap

But keep going, as it'll probably just click into place one day

That's what I'm banking on!

Originally Posted by Foey

I went for my first swimming lesson Monday so i can't really help with suggestions, but i enjoyed it so much i went back yesterday & enrolled for the Friday course as well so i can go twice a week, like you i'm at the long float stick thingy stage but i thought i got on well with it considering it was my first time in a pool for 35 years, I especially like the feeling when she got me to lie on my back & swim along, felt so peacefull.

Foey that's just how I felt on Monday. I loved the feeling of "being weightless" as YC describes. And despite occasionally getting cross with myself I did thoroughly enjoy my time in the pool and am much looking forward to going back next week and hopefully improving more.

Originally Posted by kellyjo

I finally cracked it by using a tummy band, a rope that goes around your tummy with about 8 small square floats. Once i got confident with all the floats it was a gradual process to remove them one at a time until, hey presto, swimming unaided!!

YC's ma suggested chopping up a noodle thing into small sections and attaching them to me somehow (probs by putting them in my swimming costume lol) and then doing a similar thing. I think something like that might actually work as I am fine with a floating aid but when you take it away....


Thanks for all the replies guys and girls. I'm actually surprised at the number of you revealing your inabilities to swim well if at all, thankyou as it really helps to know there are others feeling the same way. As maviczap says it is brave of you to reveal such things on a public forum, (although as previously said I don't see it as brave that I should be doing so!).

Well done you.

I also need to learn to swim, i had never even submerged my ears under water until last month lol.

People say that when you go under water you naturally hold your breath, its opposite when i try it lol, i have a massive urge to breath!

The biggest issue i have is my nose, i have never submerged my head because i think its going to be painful, like when you get that stinging sensation in your nose, its really painful when in the past water has enter my nose involuntarily, i assume this is normal? does this happen when swimming?

what i did was go down the deep end then get in the pool and then try and swim on the spot until you can stay in one place and not sink this builds confidence up as you can now float when you start to pannic

basicly just kick with ure feet but do the brest stroke movments and you should stay afload with ure feet pointing straight down do it near the edge of the pool so if you start to go down you can grab on to the side, i could do this when i was 5 i think so easy to do, you will be doing lengths of the pool in no time

ps it gets harder when you do the length under water :P trust me hehe

good luck

Originally Posted by missyorkie_chris

looking forward to going back next week and hopefully improving more.

Just don't hope to improve too much too quickly hun, enjoy it all is the key, well so i've told myself anyway , i realise i will never be any Mark Spitz but so long as i can learn to swim well enough to get in the pool on holiday then that will be fine by me, i'll probably start to go regularly at home though from a fitness/weight loss point of view once the waterwings come off , i was the second oldest person in the class on monday but i didn't give a dam because we all had something in common, none of us could swim, keep up the good work & report back to compare notes.

Maybe we could start a "learning to swim" thread like the "running" one.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by beabert

i assume this is normal? does this happen when swimming?

No it's very rare. When submerged just blow a little bit of air out of your nose and it prevents this entirely. Or use a proper mask or nose clip.

Originally Posted by barwel1992

ps it gets harder when you do the length under water :P trust me hehe

I used to be able to do 2 lengths underwater on a good day. Considering my family pedigree with swimming it's embarrasing that I can't!

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

I used to be able to do 2 lengths underwater on a good day. Considering my family pedigree with swimming it's embarrasing that I can't!

That's cos your bellys stopping you getting your head under water as it touches the bottom

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah I've got to do widths in the deep end now