I learned to swim last March and I could atleast swim laps - although not correctly but I got from one end of the pool to the other. This year I decided to take lessons again to improve after losing 120 pounds and I just completely suck!!! I can't get my coordination together, I can't keep my legs afloat, and even my strokes are just aweful. Is it possible that I sucked all along and that the excess fat just kept me afloat in the water?
do you count your strokes? or do you just aimlessly struggle?if you need a coach ,get one...although i swim alone ..i had a swim coach when i was young,,without i would be fat and struggle seriously...no one is an island...get help,you already made the first step posting on here..good luk////////:p
Great job on the weight loss.
I agree with Aquageek - you may just be struggling to swim in a completely different body. Your whole center of gravity and buoyancy is different. Make sure you do drills to work on your balance in the water. There will be drills on this site and other's on the web. Plus there are great books - I like Emmit Hines Fitness Swimming . Or best of all get some time in with a coach - possibly with a Masters group.
If you have the commitment to lose the weight, you should be able to find the commitment to learn to swim better.:cool:
Originally posted by BeAmusedByMe
I learned to swim last March and I could atleast swim laps - although not correctly but I got from one end of the pool to the other. This year I decided to take lessons again to improve after losing 120 pounds and I just completely suck!!! I can't get my coordination together, I can't keep my legs afloat, and even my strokes are just aweful. Is it possible that I sucked all along and that the excess fat just kept me afloat in the water?
When your buoyancy changes that drastically, then in a way you need to learn to swim all over again. It certainly feel differnet, and it takes getting used to.
I don;t think you 'sucked' as you put it, yuo're just not used to swimming with a new body.
Brenda, I remember when you were posting questions about how to get use to swimming in water over your head. It didn't happen over night, you had to get use to it. Same thing with learning good technique. And yeah, you have a new body to swim in. Your fat may have been keeping you afloat, so I suggest you try some TI balance drills to find your new center of balance. The most basic one is to float face down, press your chest down into the water until you feel your hips and legs float up... it really happens... at that point notice how weightless your legs feel... and there you go, you've found your balance point. Have you noticed a poster with the website swimdownhill? Don't you feel like your are swimming down hill when you press your chest and your hips are high? That's the feeling you should be aiming for, you aren't dragging your legs and using extra energy in the process.
Wow your weight loss, what an accomplishment! Congratulations.
