How someone help me answer questions I have about swimming?
- Thursday Nov 12,2009 03:04 PM
- By diddy
- In Others
How can I be calm at the swimming pool while doing any activities? I always get nervous. Such as when I swim without holding on to anything. I can only do it for about 2 seconds then I have to stand up again. I find it very difficult to breathe under water.
I cannot even float,
Any tips on how to be calm and do these things properly: dog paddle, putting your head fully in water while being able to breathe and any other basics.
Also if possible, tell me how to do practise them at home 
Thanks.
Answer Questions, Dog Paddle, Home Thanks, Swimming Pool
2 Comments
You don’t know how to swim. You need lessons because it sounds like you’re very afraid of the water.
If you have a pool at home, I wouldn’t practice because you could drown. But if it’s very shallow you can practice breathing by standing on the bottom putting your face in the water, blowing air out, then lifting your head. Try to do this 20 times in a row.
Another way to practice is to take a shower facing the nozzle. When you need a breath, turn your face to the side to breath in then put it back into the water.
When you do these drills you can only take one breath at a time. You can’t do two or more breaths and then put your face in. It has to be one breath for each time your face comes out.
Getting used to having your face in the water and learning how to breathe is the first step. After that everything gets easier. No matter how old you are or how afraid you are, you can learn to swim. It just takes time.
Unless you have a swimming pool or a large bathtub, it might be hard to practice at home.
Do you know how to tread water? This helps a lot. Knowing how to tread water for even 5 minutes is very useful, because if you’re in the middle of the pool and need to take a break, you can stop without holding on to anything.
As for being calm, just trust that if you’re with someone, they know how to swim and can keep themselves above water, and that there are lifeguards (if there are any. If not, and you aren’t by yourselves, i’m sure someone would step up.)
And for breathing, if you’re doing free style/front stroke, start out breathing every third rotation. e.g. right arm, left, right, breathe, left, right, breathe, etc. I’ve been told to alter the side you turn your head to, but personally i don’t. I only find it to complicate things. Once you’ve got that down, you can change when you breathe to every 5, and then 7 when you’re ready.
Breaststroke is tricky, because to do it correctly, you have to have "frog legs", and coordinate it with your arms, which you base your breathing off of. I’m not going to go into detail, because i don’t know how to explain it without showing you…lol
Ditto for butterfly :]. Everything else is pretty much above water.
Also for underwater, take the biggest breath you can, and hold it while swimming under water. When you can’t hold it anymore, exhale. After that, just go up for water when you need to. If you want to hold your breath longer, when you get that tightness in your chest, hold it for 1-3 seconds longer than you originally would.
Finally, floating. You just have to stay…loose. It’s hard, and i hate it. You won’t completely be on top of the water, more like just below the surface except for your face and maybe a bit of your stomach. You can have someone help you with this, by holding you at first so you know what it feels like, and then have them slowly let go. In salt water, you can float more easily, but the waves make it difficult.
anyway, have fun, and i hope i helped!
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