Best way for an adult to learn how to swim?

[justint]

Anyone have any suggestions on where to look for adult swimming instruction? It is for a young adult who never learned how to swim.

 

[pyonir]

i never learned either.

You should just have someone leave you in the middle of a lake. you'll learn fast or die.

 

[justint]

Originally posted by: pyonir
i never learned either.

You should just have someone leave you in the middle of a lake. you'll learn fast or die.

Thanks, any suggestions that do not involve dying??

 

[tontod]

Check out your local town pool. When I go there, I usually see an instructor there training children, though I'm sure they would train adults too.

 

[LuNoTiCK]

Originally posted by: pyonir
i never learned either.

You should just have someone leave you in the middle of a lake. you'll learn fast or die.

I need to learn, I'm 17 and can't swim. Knowing me I'll die fast. I almost drowned in the beach when the riptide pulled me in this summer, my friend saved me. Heh, I need to learn o well.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: justint

Originally posted by: pyonir
i never learned either.

You should just have someone leave you in the middle of a lake. you'll learn fast or die.

Thanks, any suggestions that do not involve dying??

just jump in a pool and get used to it. make sure it is shallow enough to stand up, and just try different things, ya know. I've done that and i can at least get from one end of the pool to another. Don't you have any community rec classes you can take?

 

[badluck]

teach yourself....watch some other people swim and copy them....of course you should do it in very shallow water.....it should only take you 5 minutes if you can take the fear of it out of the way.....

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

I would bet you could go to any public/community pool offering lessons and arrange for a few private lessons w/an instructor. An adult will learn very quickly, especially if they are motivated and really wanting to learn.

 

[chansen]

Good for whoever wants to learn. Swimming is a basic life skill.

Just like any activity, you've gotta get your muscles firing in the correct sequence. The problem is trying to translate words into actions. Tell a kid to kick his/her legs, and they do it. Tell an adult to kink their legs, and they ask, "How?" I've had friends who taught swimming pull their hair out over how best to explain the procedure for kicking one's legs.

Anyway, there will be lessons at any local community centre with a pool, or the YMCA.

Craig

 

[blahblah99]

first step in learning how to swim is NOT to panic when your in the water.

I learned how to swim by going into the deeper area of the pool until the water level is near my neck and just try to kick with your legs and arms to stay afloat. After you learn how to stay afloat try dog paddling around the pool.

 

[BD2003]

Swimming is easy. Just dont panic. Jump in the deep end, and be absolutely, 100% still, and you WILL float...

 

[burnedout]

Adult swimming instruction could probably found either from the YMCA, local Red Cross chapter, local Boy Scout troop, community college/college, local lifeguard or, in some extreme cases, a dive shop.

The first thing required is confidence in yourself and knowing your own physical limits. Most non-swimmers freak when they get water up their nose or mouth. Practice breathing techniques. Then learn basic floating techniques because if you get into trouble, you can at least float. Afterwards, there are basic strokes to learn: The elementary backstroke, the breaststroke and sidestroke. Practice, practice, practice the basic strokes and floating in chest deep water. One can swim quite a distance using the elementary backstroke while expending a minimal amount of energy.

<edit>edited for clarity</edit>

 

[kt]

As strange as it sounds, thef people, who have been saying to just jump into the deep end of the water are right. I never really learn or know how to swim until this one incident when I fell off a boat. I've watched people swim and I guess when it comes to life and death, I am pretty good at mimicking. I instinctively sorta dive and swam my way back to the shore. I was only about 30-40 feet out. After that one incident, I just kinda got over the fear of sinking. I am not by any means a good swimmer still, but I manage to swim at least a lap or two without sinking.

 

[B00ne]

good question. have missed ur first schoolyears or how come u cant swim? Anyway its easy just go in the water and move ur arms and legs in a way that u move water backwards - and u swim....

if u want to get out of the water looking like arnold, just try to swim fast with just using your arms - when u get out of the water ur muscles will be so pumped up its hard to use the towel try it it feels funny....

 

[Peetoeng]

Try learn how to float, that'd give you confidence and leave no reason to panic. It's easy to do, just kick or do it like you are pedalling on bicycle. Have a friend nearby just in case.

 

[jjones]

As strange as it sounds, thef people, who have been saying to just jump into the deep end of the water are right.

Yep, sink or swim. The only way to learn.

Seriously though, this is correct. Just learn in the pool by copying what you've seen others do. You'll get the hang of it. If not, it's been nice knowing you.

 

[IGBT]

Check with a local swimming club or do a google search. I know adults that never learned to ride a bicycle and droole over the mt.bikes at costco..they wana learn sooo bad so they can get one of those bikes...wonder if I can get training wheels for their mt.bike.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Put them on an island with Richard Simmons. It's either swim or him!

 

[skace]

Thanks, any suggestions that do not involve dying??

Lol! I agree with the suggestions to teach yourself although it is always safer to have someone nearby supervising. Basically go into the shallow end of a pool and get used to it there. Kneel down and walk underneath the water holding your breath and get used to the feeling. Then try to swim along the bottom of the shallow end underwater. Make sure it is shallow so that you can just stand and be above the water again. Once you can swim underwater you have basically nothing to be afraid anywhere in the pool. So you can work on specific techniques above water using the entire length of the pool.

I used to swim everywhere underwater, so maybe thats why I recommend it. My 2 favorites were either swimming underwater or floating on my back.

Whatever you decide, have fun and good luck!

 

[ErmanC]

I've heard those Scooby Doo arm floats work really well.

Water is your friend, don't fear it, respect it. If you get over the fear of not touching the bottom then you'll learn how to swim easily enough just by flapping your arms and legs and trying to look like you're swimming. The more you do that, the better you'll get and you'll eventually be swimming. It can be hard to get over that, but well worth it.

Good luck.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: pyonir
i never learned either.

You should just have someone leave you in the middle of a lake. you'll learn fast or die.

:Q how come you dont know how to swim?

 

[Wheatmaster]

first step of swimming, is getting use to the water, u have to get use to its temperture and most importantly, be able to put ur whole head into the water, including the ears. When i was learning to swim, i was too afraid to put my whole head into the water, because water would get in or at least thats wat i thought. after a while, i said to myself i was goin to do it, and i did it and i was fine. Just take the first few steps at an easy pace and u'll do fine

 

[vi edit]

Probably the easiest way I can think of, is to buy what's called a "kickboard". It's a piece of foam in the shape of a tombstone(bad comparison I know! ). You can lay down on your belly with the board under you and it'll hold you up while you use your arms and legs to move you around. When you get the feel of it down, you can put the board out in front of you(think of superman flying) and use your legs to propel you.

Once you get comfortable with the water, and familar with the motions needed for swimming, you can get rid of the kick board and try swimming without it.

I've found that kickboards are the best way to learn things since they are less cumbersome than most other flotation devices.

 

[notfred]

How can you not know how to swim? That's like not knowing how to run. Swimming is not hard. Kick with feet, stroke with arms. It took me a few hours to figure it out when I was 5 years old.

 

[Moonbeam]

You can easily learn to swim with some sort of flotation devise and supervision. A life jacket, or better still the air rings that go around your upper arms, the saltine sea, etc any way that makes it easy to float and you can get in and learn to kick around and navigate in the water. As you start swimming with flotation, you can reduce the air in the arm rings and gain confidence and ability. Eventually you will be able to take them off completely. It's nice to swim in the ocean because it's easier to float. But if you get in the shallow end of a pool even without a float aid you can teach yourself to swim under water first. Another good way to learn is to use fins. They make swimming super easy. The only problem is that they have such resistance in the water that it can sometimes be difficult to get your foot under you to stand on the bottom. You need to hold your breath sometimes for a few seconds. That can be freaky at first. With fins and floatation you will be racing about in no time. Without the fins, though, you'll quickly see why we are a land animal.