Advice on swimming?

Do you need to learn from a instructor to be good at it? Or can you just swim good naturally?

Went swimming today, haven't been in around 10 years time.

I was shockingly bad, though I was going to drown.

Can't swim properly, I swim for just one length, and was out of breath. I was at the deep end, and had to rest for a long time. The guy there said I should stay in the shallow end as I can't swim.

Also, I kept on bumping into people.

I was using those things you hold onto, but I still couldn't swim properly.

I see little kids swimming really good, and people doing length after length.

I think I should just give it up, its well hard

Reply 1

Mr.God

7

I haven't been swimming for quite a few years, but I was always a pretty good swimmer and I'm in good shape, so I'm pretty sure I could do pretty well if I went swimming these days.

I believe I was taught to swim by an instructor, although the memory eludes me.

Reply 2

notts

one of my 20 yr old housemates cant swim at all.
his mum never took him to a pool.

it must suck

Reply 3

--

3

I went swimming a couple of months ago after snapping my shin bone in two, it bloody hurt.

Reply 4

Mr.God

7

notts

one of my 20 yr old housemates cant swim at all.
his mum never took him to a pool.

it must suck

My sister is 20 and she can't ride a bike.

Lolocaust!

Reply 5

lilac!!

15

i cant swim, eventhough we used to have classes in year 4 and went a cupple of times with my friends

i dont thnik you should give up! :smile:

have a friend to take you and who knows how to swim, even if he/she doesnt then theres no biggi because you can have a laugh and eventually learn

Reply 6

guest1984

I can't swim either

Reply 7

notts

Mr.God

My sister is 20 and she can't ride a bike.

Lolocaust!

this same housemate cant tie his shoelaces

your-mum-didnt-teach-you-any-valuable-lifeskills-so-she-could-control-you-ocaust

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

OP

It was scary when the water was above my head, and I didn't realise you can hold onto this thing, I had to swim back to the shallow end as fast as I can.

When you in the deep end, and your beneath the water, and you can't swim.

Its dangerous

Reply 9

notts

its not that dangerous. they do have lifeguards.

Reply 10

andy5788

14

It's not naturally easy no.

I used to play Water Polo, took a year out after getting lazy following a shoulder dislocation. Went back and felt like I was going to drown.

It takes practice. Though a few lessons can help iron out bad stroke technique which can make things 10x harder than they need to be..

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

OP

andy5788

It's not naturally easy no.

I used to play Water Polo, took a year out after getting lazy following a shoulder dislocation. Went back and felt like I was going to drown.

It takes practice. Though a few lessons can help iron out bad stroke technique which can make things 10x harder than they need to be..

When you play water polo, don't you have things to hold onto?

How is that possible without things to hold onto?

Reply 12

Enchanté

14

Go to a swimming club and explain your problem. it should help you restore your ability again, you've just lost it but not completly you can still swimat least, if not very well try some lessons. :smile:

Reply 13

Subbacultcha

i've swum every week for about 13 years give or take... but, if you already have learnt to swim, albeit a long time ago, it should come back naturally... like riding a bike i should think.

your problem could be that you've just lost a bit of confidence and need to get used to it again. Or, i find that, although i may be genrally fit through other sports, if i havent swum in a while, when i do, i feel really tired - its a unique type of fitness - maybe if you persevere? youll get fitter AND more confident?!!

oh and if you dont want to do lengths can you do widths in the shallow end till you're more confident?

good luck!! :smile:

Reply 14

jaamis

You're right about the fitness... I've always been a swimmer, but whenever I take time out, even if i stay fit in other ways, I find I get winded very easily. I recently took about a year out from the pool - when I came back, it took a long time to get back to the fitness level required to swim lengths well. But a few months on and I'm swimming just short of 2km several times a week. It's worth it - great exercise and I find it clears my head.

I've found quite a few adult learn-to-swim classes in different places, if you cant swim you must look out for something like this - it's invaluable!

The "swimming widths" idea sounds like a very good one - exploit the shallow end!!!

Reply 15

coni

You need to take proper swimming lessons. :smile:

I work as a lifeguard an see people trying to teach themselves how to swim an its shocking how bad they are.

Reply 16

The_Bear

13

MUST be a joke thread. Either that or you are REALLY unfit.

How can you forget how to swim?

Reply 17

Goldenratio

2

Some people arent lucky enough to live near a pool.

One of the most important things is to make your strokes fluid and slow... pull through all the way and dont wriggle or writhe if you feel you're going under. Use long strokes. that's all you can really do. keep your fingers together

Reply 18

britishseapower

14

I only learnt to swim when I was 13/14, was applying to join the Royal Navy when I left school so I went lessons, took me about a year and even then I could only do front crawl, I can't do that breast stroke or whatever it's called

Reply 19

Helenia

20

Anonymous

When you play water polo, don't you have things to hold onto?

How is that possible without things to hold onto?

Unless you're really really muscular, you will naturally float when you are in water. And once you know how to control your body position (by treading water or by swimming) it's incredibly natural.

I've been able to swim since I was about 5, and had several years of lessons, so I don't think I'll ever forget how to do it all, but of course you do lose technique and fitness over time. If you really don't know what you're doing, rather than terrifying yourself and getting in other people's way (and not getting any effective exercise done), ask at your centre if they do adult swimming lessons - lots of places do nowadays.

Though I have to say I fail to understand why any parent would not want their child to learn to swim.

Advice on swimming?

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