Getting Out of My Swimming Pool Comfort Zone

This subject has become dear to me as daily I see how many children and adults are unable to truly enjoy the water due to fears. If you or your child suffer from this overwhelming fear, taken myriad swimming lessons and have been disappointed in the results, don't despair. There is hope and you or your child can overcome this hinderence. You are not alone - some believe that up to 36% of the adult USA populationhas fear of submerging thier face underwater! The secret to success is not ignoring the fear, but dealing with it with patiently and systematically. The fearful student needs a patient guide to allow them to experience the water in a safe and nurturing environment. The instructor guide must break down each skill in the teaching progressions into much smaller increments than usual. Example: Most instructors take for granted a student knows how to "right" themselves from a prone float position. However, a person who is fearful and in a state of anxiety needs to have that skill (reach for the bootom with one foot, push down slowly with arms, lift head slowly) taught to them, patiently. In short, in order to overcome fear of water you will need an instructor who has the knowledge, patience and time are needed to desensitize the fear and replace it with confidence and skill. The Transpersonal Swimming Institiute has a video that has helped me understand my swimmers fear-of-water. Which, by the way, affects ~ 50 of the adult population in the USA. The link is below. www.conquerfear.com/index.html

I learned to swim as an adult, after a lifetime of being terrified of water. So, I know what you're going through. First, as a swimming teacher pointed out, swimming in deep water is just like swimming in shallow water, except you can't put your feet on the bottom. These words weren't exactly comforting, but he was right--the big deal isn't the technical stuff (there's a bit of that, I guess), it's the irrational fear. Once you can swim a decent distance in shallow water, you can swim in deep water. You might start by building that distance if you don't have it--I think I was able to do well over 200 yards non-stop before I went into deep water for the first time. However, I was warned that you have to be comfortable with water in order to be able to tread water. It's also comforting if you have a lifeguard keep an eye on you. You might try to get someone to go into deep water with you (sort of like "the buddy system" mentioned in school safety units). I know of another "fearful" swimming program. See www.adultswimminglessons.com (also see an older site www.beafish.com). However, I think regular teachers should be able to deal with fear issues. If they can't, they shouldn't be in the business. For me, the transition to deep water was pretty fast and sudden. A lifeguard I knew suggested one night that I might think about going off of the diving board some time. I thought he was crazy--I'd thought that lifeguards were supposed to save lives, not endanger them. He twisted my arm, and did convince me to swim in deep water for the first time. About a month later, I had gotten confident enough so that I could jump off the diving board. During that time, I spent a lot of time swimming in a diving tank, and working on trying to go under without TOO much terror. Going under was the hardest part (although swimming across a diving tank wasn't exactly easy, either.) Ironically, though, that working on going under was the most helpful thing for me. Once I realized that I could go under water (which is the last place someone afraid of water wants to go) and then get back up to the surface on my own, much of the fear went under control. Your approach will vary. Everyone is different, and I'm sure that I had A Plan before I got started, which probably changed many times. (Actually, my original idea was that I'd swim in deep water enough so that I knew I could take care of myself, and then retreat to the shallow zone for good.) One problem is that I think it can take a long time to get comfortable. It probably won't happen the first time you hop into the deep end. Take it one step at a time. The time range is hard to predict. It took me a month before I was willing to go off a diving board. But, even then, I still had a dislike of deep water. But, even now, I have occaisional twinges of fear--although I just ignore them. One thing in your favor is that it sounds like you're ready for change--you're sick of the status quo. Good luck!

I've never had problems with deep water, but I do have fear of submerging myself in water when I don't have my goggles on... With goggles I am a good amature swimmer, without goggles I am mentally like a drowning person (afraid to open my eyes..etc), except that my swimming experience helps me to keep everything under control, at least physically speaking... So, I do not completely share the same fear, but fear nevertheless... And it surprises me how my fear is almost irrational, since the water doesn't get any more dangerous with or without my goggles on, and neither does my swimming ability... And it is in this situation that I think there's the parallel of our fears... shallow/deep water, goggles/no goggles, provided one can already swim/float decently when under a comfortable mentality... I dunno if this'll help, but my suggestion (after this long rant) is to slide down the deep end from the deep end, holding onto the edge. First, try to submerge yourself with both hands holding firmly onto the edge, so you know you can pull up any time you want/need to. Then, let go on one hand. After that gets comfortable, let go of both hands, and submerge yourself slightly deeper and deepr everytime (keeping right beside the wall), knowing that a few kicks can get you to the surface of the water. Once that gets comfortable, back away so you're an arm's length from teh edge of the pool, and repeat the above steps... Repeat as often as needed...

just take it one step at a time...before you realise you'll be comfortable at any depth!!oh it's true!!!!!!

Light, the reason that you feel like you are going to drown without goggles is probably related to your fear of opening your eyes. Why can't you open your eyes. Exposure therapy is generally not succesful in situations where there is a real threat. For example, hanging out with cobras is not going to lesson my fear of them. Being afraid of deep water is rational. Personally I would not recommend ocean swimmng to anyone who refers to freestyle as "the front crawl."

a couple of years ago, I was hanging out in the deep end of our pool (a beautiful 12 feet deep) waiting for the deep water aerobics class to start, when I noticed a guard/swimming instructor talking to a woman who was clinging to the side of the pool (they were also in the 12 foot water). The reason I noticed them was because the instructor was pointing me out to the woman. I allowed myself to drift a little bit closer so I could hear what was being said. What the instructor was asking the woman to notice about me was the fact that I was RELAXED, not paddling, not treding water, etc. and I was floating in an upright standing position. What I was actually doing was allowing the movement of the water in the pool and the natural bouyance of my body to move my legs and arms. When my arms floated up I moved them back to my sides, when my legs floated out of verticle I moved them back to verticle IN SLOW MOTION. I was also making SLIGHT sculling motions (figure 8's) with my hands. You might want to try this in water that is slightly (an inch or two) over your head so you can get the feel for it.

lefty, you're completely right, I do have the fear of opening my eyes under water! I can force myself to open it, but it takes "forcing" to do... I think it's the uncomfortable blurred vision, along with the feeling of water touching my eyeballs... I don't know... I actually wonder if this phenomenon is common amongst swimmers....? and, btw, my suggestion is completely restricted to the deep end of the pool, where it's relatively safe with life guards and no underwater currents... :P it's funny how I used the term "freestyle" exclusively before, and was laughed by friends who told me it should really be called "front crawl" (but since almost everybody does the Australian front crawl in freestyle races, they become synonymus)... But from your wording, front crawl actually sounds like an amaturish term?

I arrogantly and unknowingly assumed that you were my age, and live in the same part of the world as I do. My apologies. As for your eye problem: I am focusing on your statement about not liking the water touching your eye balls. My first reaction was that you were afraid of the stinging (which I find nonexistant myself), but when you asked if this was common I realised that is porbably not what you were saying. Some people are afraid to expose themselves to water because of GERMS! Fear of Germs is quite common. Complete speculation on my part, but is that what makes you not want to open your eyes?