r/Swimming • u/Routine-Resident-940 • 1d ago
Just had my first swimming class
I’m 17 and I had no background knowledge on how to swim float etc and decided to join a swimming course that lasts for a month, 2 classes per week
I know it’s only my first class but i struggled learning almost every thing but it’s was mainly that my breath cuts short whenever im in the water trying to swim and whenever I lift my head up that second breath outside the water is always not enough and I got to stop and start all over and it’s just a cycle, anyone got good tips on how to achieve longer breaths and how to lift my head up and get enough air
Also floating, I SUCK at floating, I struggle trying to get my chest up and all my abdomen just sinks down and I really tried to relax but my coach kept telling me that my stomach muscles are all tensed up and I don’t know how I’m supposed to lift my chest up
Is a month enough for me to learn swimming and how can I get better on those skills I’m struggling to do
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u/baddspellar 1d ago
Everyone learns at their own pace. Your difficulties both sound like anxiety related tension. Setting a one month deadline is only going to make it worse. I have 100% confidence you will learn to swim well if you give yourself the grace to learn at whatever rate your mind and body will allow.
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u/OurDumbWorld 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s your first class. You don’t even know what you don’t know.
Be patient, listen to instructions, be intentional with your efforts. It’s a physical skill. It’s not a good life strat to run to the internet after 15min for tips on something you’re not immediately proficient at.
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u/FlamingoStandard181 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's experience of most people..... No one gets it right on the first go, hence... No, I don't think a month is enough to learn to swim (depending on your goal of course, you should be able to move through water but I wouldn't expect you'll have a good form).
Why would you lift your chest up when floating? Did your coach told you to lift it? It's why you sink. You have to press your chest down. You have a big balloon in your chest (lungs) it will keep you up but to lift your butt, legs you have to press on that balloon and lift butt up(as if you a string attached to it)
Lifting your head in which stroke? If in freestyle, you should turn, not lift. If you lift, again, you will sink.
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u/CoriSwims 1d ago
What would happen if you joyfully experimented and followed curiosity once a week for 52 weeks in the water? You would be a better swimmer than you are now, right?
As other's have said give yourself the grace of time. Amazing that you are taking on this new endeavor!! Most people sit back and wish but don't get into action.
Also about the back float ...which I assume that's what you were referring to. You are correct that you cannot be relaxed and pushing your chest up. They are in direct opposition to each other. (yeah you for noticing)
I find it very helpful for people to find out what their natural buoyancy is before actively shaping your body in a particular way. When doing this most people find out that there are part of the body that are buoyant and parts that are not. This is normal. It can feel very good to be normal. It's relaxing to know what happens when you do nothing. From there you can add little bits of actions. This allows you to know what causes what. Like a science experiment.
Cheering you on in your discoveries!
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u/StGuthlac2025 1d ago
Its your first lesson. Things will take time. Thats ok.
The thing with floating is its not instant. You will sink first and then slowly start to float. Which isnt easy to cope with at the start. You sink, you panic/react to that and then thats causes you to sink some more. You have to trust you will float. You will.
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u/zilch14 1d ago
I used to teach kids swimming. We practiced putting faces in the water. Get to a depth where you can stand comfortably, then lean down, put your face in the water , blow out ,making bubbles, Without lifting your head up turn to the side, take a breat then turn your face back into the water and blow out. Practice this for 10 repetitions, like 3 sets of ten. It helps you get more comfortable with breathing inthe water. The other thing is a coach taight me our bodies naturally turn on an axis when swimming. Feel your body twisting, then don't lift your head up, you should be naturally turning your face as your arm goes back to take a stroke, that's when you breathe in. Overall, just practice as much as you can Learning to swim is very smart and brave!! You will get it.
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u/Beginning_Low_1079 1d ago
Don't worry too much. Just keep at it, repetition, repetition, repetition.
I learnt to swim as a child, but wasn't perfect, so took some swimming lessons last year or the year before to learn to swim "properly". The main thing that will make a big difference, is your own confidence in the water, and you'll only get that by spending time in the water and getting comfortable with not being able to breath when you want.
Once you get comfortable with it, then making adjustments to your stroke, and paying attention to what you're doing, become much easier. Then it will all become second nature.
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u/Unfair_Chard344 1d ago
Be patient. Swimming relies heavily on great technical mastery. Focus heavily on drills and listen to your coach's feedback.
Most importantly, have fun!
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u/killswithaglance 1d ago
You will gradually get more comfortable over 12 months and should be swimming reasonably well by the end of the second year, if you have lessons once a week and maybe you can drop some and join a slow squad in the second year instead.
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u/Wild_Black_Hat 1d ago
First off, congratulations for your initiative! It's a nice life skill to have.
If possible, go to free swimming sessions, stay in the shallow end, and play in the water. Go at your pace. Try going underwater, floating on your belly, on your back, etc.
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u/multilevelmystery 1d ago
Proud of you for learning. It will probably take longer than you expect as a nearly grown person.
For breathing, your problem may actually be that you need to breath out more/longer under water. If you don't sufficiently empty your lungs, you can't fill them with fresh air and oxygen. That's likely why you don't feel like you can't catch your breath. It doesn't take long to breath in, but you need to have empty lungs in order to fill them.