Overcoming fear is indeed a large part of learning to swim. But, with proper technique, patience, and practice, anyone can learn to swim. The sense of achievement will also be like nothing you've felt before.
Of course, before you take the first leap or first stroke as the case may be, you need to know exactly how to learn to swim in the best way. Without that, you'll waste your time and possibly cause an even bigger fear to develop, which will hold you back for far longer.
Can I Teach Myself to Swim?
For sure, you can, but you should never get into the water unaccompanied. The fact that you cannot swim right now means that simply getting into the water and attempting to learn to swim alone will put you in danger. Instead, swim with an experienced person. This doesn't necessarily have to be a swim teacher, it can be a friend who is a strong swimmer. However, having formal swimming lessons will help you to learn to swim much faster and allow you to build the proper technique. You can easily enroll in a swimming lesson programme with other learners or on a one-to-one basis. To minimise risk when starting to learn to swim you should also avoid swimming in open water. A swimming pool is always the safest bet, as it doesn't have the current that a river or lake has. Head to your nearest leisure centre and you'll find other people learning at the same time as you.
You should also stick to the shallow end until you have mastered the basics and then slowly move up to greater depths, as you feel more confident that you can handle it. The best rule of thumb is to stick to water that you can easily stand up in. Then, if you feel like you need to do so, if you become a little spooked for whatever reason, you can stand and take a moment.
Learn to Float First
The first step to building your swimming ability is to become used to being in the water and learning how to float. It's important to try and relax as much as you can, as trying to float when your body is rigid with worry is not going to help you to achieve your aim. Instead, you will start to dip under the surface of the water and that will make you panic even more. Stand in the water and face the side of the pool. Hold onto the side and allow your body to float upwards and for your legs to move outwards behind you. You will not always float directly on the top of the water, you may dip under ever so slightly, but you should never sink downwards. If you're doing that, you're not using the right technique and you're probably holding yourself too rigid.
The ZEN8 swim trainer is the ideal tool for helping you to get your positioning correct for floating before you actually start to swim properly, on your way to becoming a confident swimmer. This is a bench tool that will help you to build up your core strength and your confidence, before allowing you the opportunity to practice a wide range of strokes and leg positioning. Your swimming journey doesn't have to be confined to the pool only, as this tool allows you to practice away from it too.
When you feel confident floating by holding onto the sides with both hands, try to remove one hand from the side and hold it out to your side, so you're in a semi-T shape. Do not remove both hands from the side until you are confident and you've mastered floating. Also, learning to swim in shallow water will help you to stand up if you need to, as we mentioned earlier.
You also need to make sure that you remember to breathe as you learn to swim. It's easy to hold your breath because you're nervous but this will actually work against you. When you're floating, take a breath and place your face under the surface of the water. You can wear goggles if you feel more comfortable.
When you need to exhale, do so through your nose slowly and steadily until you've exhaled completely. Then, lift your head slowly out of the water, with your head to the side, and take a breath, before putting your head back under the water to exhale again. It will feel strange at first, but with practice, you will get used to it.
Practice Leg Kicks
While you're learning how to float you can also start moving your legs. The momentum will help you to stay above the water and give you more confidence while also allowing you to start learning proper techniques. You can also use a kickboard at this point, which helps you to move and build confidence, without having to keep your head under the water.Kicking is important in swimming because not only does it keep you above the water but it is also part of propulsion. That means you move through the water, propelling forward at a steady speed. Obviously, the faster you kick and the fast you move your arms, the faster you will move, but for now, simply focus on strong and comfortable kicking.
Remember to kick from your hips and keep your legs straight, although it's normal to have a very slight natural bend in the knee. You should also keep your toes pointed as this will help to reduce drag when you start to swim properly. Practicing this now will help you to master proper techniques and swim skills. Again, this is something the ZEN8 swim trainer can help you to do when you're not in the water.
Start to Move Your Arms
When you feel confident enough to let go of the side and you've practised moving with a float, you can start to move your arms and take your first movements in the swimming world. The front stroke is a good starting point and by taking your time slowly, you'll build up proper stroke technique. This means moving one arm out of the water as though you are trying to reach for something. Pull it back down towards the water and use your hand to push the water behind you. This is the first of your swimming strokes. Again, this is propulsion and will push you forward in motion. You would then do the same thing with the other arm and alternate from there.
Turn your head to the same side as the arm that's moving to take a breath and do the same thing you did when you were floating. Then, move your head to the other side and take your breath on the other side when you move the opposite arm. You will then take an inhalation every two movements of your arms, e.g. every two strokes.
Learning how to swim is all about confidence, patience, and practice. It's a life skill, that's for sure. And, with all of these things, and by making use of the ZEN8 swim trainer for extra technique and strength training when you're not in the water, you'll be swimming widths before you know it. Mastering the basic skills is the best foundation on which to build.