water's profound secrets and come to view it in a whole new light
to swim with composure, ease, and confidence at any age
in the water and bring your stroke technique to a whole new level
"Approximately 56% of the world's population cannot swim or lack the basic skills to swim safely."
This ghastly statistic needs to change. Being capable of performing basic swim safety skills is a LIFE SKILL. Everyone CAN and SHOULD learn how to swim. In regard to children, I highly recommend placing them in swim lessons and bringing them to the water under supervision regularly so they can build their confidence and ability in the water at a young age. In an attempt to help understand why so many adults don't know how to swim, and in my quest to help rectify the alarming statistic above, I have come to understand that only 2 things stand in the way of learning how to swim for adults with initiative who have access to a swimmable body of water. The first is FEAR. The second is lack of proper instruction/knowledge...
1.) Conquer your fear - I highly recommend watching Mary Ellen "Melon Dash" speak on this topic. She has an amazing online program with a near 100% success rate at getting individuals over their fear. Watch the video below of her introducing her 5 circles method...
2.) Learn the proper instruction/knowledge to start swimming in no time. There are really only 5 steps once an individual is over their fear of the water to take before happily swimming around...
A.) Breath Control/Nose Bubbles
Experiment with holding your breath as your face is in the water, and practice blowing bubbles out your nose as your face is in to prevent inhaling water through the nose.
B.) Learn your personal buoyancy level and learn how to keep your individual body afloat.
Everyone can stay afloat! Yes, there are some people (though not the norm) that are so muscle dense they sink without moving, but even those people can learn to stay afloat. Find your personal buoyancy level by holding as much air in your lungs as possible, laying flat on the surface of the water, arms extended out holding onto the side of the pool. Gently let go of the wall and allow your body to be held up by the water to it's greatest extent. ONLY DO THIS IN SHALLOW WATER NOT ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND WITH AN ACTIVE LIFEGUARD ON DUTY. If your entire body stays relatively close to the surface of the water, you have very good personal buoyancy. If your lower half sinks, but your upper half is still floating, you still have relatively good buoyancy. Some with dense muscle mass will completely sink though without any forward motion. THIS IS OK. Simply stand up and take a breath. If this is you, you can still learn to swim! You will just need motion to hold you up! Continue (everyone including those with good buoyancy) onto the next step to learn ways to propel yourself!
C.) Play with arm movements
Experiment with different arm motions. Learn through experimentation how your arms work in and with the water!
D.) Play with leg movements
Experiment with different leg motions. Learn through experimentation how your legs work in and with the water!
E.) WATER PLAY!
Learn how your entire body as a whole works in the water together! Water play is such a KEY tool in learning how to swim that so many instructors completely miss. Don't be afraid to frolic around and let your inner child come out. In doing so, you learn how the water works with your individual body!
Lots of exploration with all 5 of these steps is key. Go at your own pace! You can practice these on your own time, or hire an instructor near you to practice these skills with to speed up the process. I teach lessons locally in Warsaw, IN. Contact me if you'd like to schedule private or semi-private lessons with me. You can also follow me on social media for tips and ideas on practicing and conquering these 5 foundational skills! Once proficient in the foundational skills, if you'd like to become proficient in any of the 4 major swim strokes, book an online video stroke analysis with me or contact me for in-person stroke work.
DISCLAIMER: Until you are a very proficient swimmer, always practice these skills in a pool with an active lifeguard on duty. Always start in shallow water and where you can touch. Refrain from practicing these skills in open water. Once you are proficiently swimming, always swim with a buddy and a personal swim buoy in open water.
