HOW TO SWIM

In this guide, you will discover how to swim, even if you are a complete novice without any prior experience in swimming or being in the water. This book aims to guide you from being a total beginner to feeling confident and secure both around and in the water. It is recommended to have someone nearby, especially as you progress to deeper areas of the pool, to ensure your safety. Learning to swim is more manageable and comfortable in a pool or calm lake rather than in the ocean with waves. Using a mask or swimming goggles can enhance your comfort by enabling you to see underwater, reducing any feelings of claustrophobia.

Let's begin with the first step:

1. Remember that when your lungs are full, you naturally float in the water. Stand in the shallow end of the pool, take a deep breath, and curl your body into a ball. You will feel yourself floating at the surface of the water. Exhale all the air from your lungs, and you will notice your body sinking. This exercise helps you understand that a full lung capacity keeps you afloat, while exhaling causes you to sink. Remember, you can always stand up if you feel uncomfortable; safety is paramount.

Practice floating for a few seconds, then stand up, breathe, and relax. Repeat this until you feel at ease floating with your face in the water. Once comfortable, try stretching your body out while floating. Mastering this floating technique leads us to step two.

2. Step two involves learning how to kick to propel yourself forward in the water. The kick consists of three parts: pulling your legs in, flexing your legs while kicking out, and bringing your feet together while stretching your ankles. These movements are essential for learning and becoming comfortable with kicking effectively in the water.

3. While practicing pulling your legs in, kicking, and collecting them repeatedly, you can hold onto the pool edge to build muscle memory and make the movements feel more natural. This practice may require some repetition to automate the process, but it is not overly challenging. Once you feel confident with the leg movements, you can use a floating board or any buoyant object, such as a large empty water bottle with a cap, to support your upper body and head above water while you focus on perfecting your kicks for forward movement.

4. After mastering the kicks with support, you can progress to floating on your back without assistance. While swimming on your back, it's not necessary to hold your breath; instead, take smaller breaths. As long as you retain some air in your lungs, you will remain afloat. When you feel comfortable with back floating, you can advance to step three, which involves incorporating arm movements.

5. Start practicing arm movements by standing with your head above water, extending your arms forward, moving them around while keeping them straight, and then bringing them together with palms touching and extending them over your head. Ensure you twist your palms outward when propelling the water around your body. Once you have mastered the arm movements, progress to lying on your stomach, extending your body, and using your arms to propel yourself forward by pushing against the water.

6. Step four involves combining arm and leg movements. Pull your legs in, kick while extending your arms, and glide forward in the water. Repeat this coordinated motion to start swimming smoothly. With practice, you should be able to execute these movements seamlessly.

7. It is typically more comfortable to swim with your head above water at all times; however, as you become more proficient, you can attempt to submerge your head in the water while kicking. When executing the breaststroke, as you pull your arms around, they will propel your upper body with your head emerging from the water. In this technique, breathe in when your head is above water, exhale while your head is submerged, and quickly inhale as your head resurfaces. Repeat this breathing pattern to maintain a streamlined body position, allowing you to swim faster compared to keeping your head above water constantly.

8. To start swimming the breaststroke, it is advisable to first become comfortable swimming without touching the pool bottom. Additionally, learning how to tread water and float on your back can be beneficial in case you tire while swimming. Consider enrolling in a swimming course to receive guidance from a swimming coach who can assist you with technique improvement, making you a more proficient swimmer who can fully enjoy the water. If interested, there is a link in the description below for tutorials on treading water and floating on your back. Don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell button for more videos like this in the future. Have a great day!