Here is my story:
I am a 63-year old male who is looking to started swimming instruction. I was very afraid of the water growing up and avoided swimming lessons througout childhood and adolescence, although my two younger siblings learned without trouble. I was the typical shy, glasses-wearing nerd-type, tall and thin, with mostly intellectual interests. I did try several sports when young but didn't do well at any of them. I gave those up by tenth grade and have only walked for exercise since. I had zero water experience exxcept for some summertime wading in lakes.
I didn't learn to swim in high school, since none of the local high schools then required it. I often wonder what I would have done if they had.
After watching the 1972 Olympics, I finally decided to face my fear and, at age 27, enroll in an adult swimming class. Despite a humiliating experience in the first session ("OK, let's everyone swim down to the end of the pool and back.") I persevered and kept coming. That first session I submerged for the first time, simple but very scary. We worked on very basic skills. It took some courage just to open my eyes underwater.
I worked on the basic stuff, but never enjoyed it. There was minimal emphasis on building confidence and relaxation before moving on to stroke mechanics. We were introduced to deep-water adjustment skills, which I was not really ready for. They included descending the ladder to the bottom in the deep end, deep-water entry, and jumping off the diving board. The last two were terrifying. All I could think of was to get back and grab the side as soon as I could.
I never got totally comfortable with my face in the water. Every time I was in a prone in the water I thought of what it was like to drown.
Being in the prone position in the deep was especially scary. I just couldn't do it.
I took swimming classes off and on for about ten years with only modest success. I did learn the elementary back stroke and back crawl, but couldn't do any storkes on the front. I was given a kick board to practice the flutter kick but, despite much trying, couldn't move an inch. Strangely enough, I could kick across the pool, slowly, without using a board.
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Former Member
Yesterday, August 6, I completed my eleventh lesson, a total of ten hours of instruction. Unfortunately, my instructor is leaving to get ready to go to college in the fall, no one at the YMCA where I have been taking lessons is available to take over and the facility itself is closing at the end of the month.
In that time I have learned the folllowing:
--Floating on back in shallow water
--Floating on back in deep water
--Floating on front in shallow water
--Floating on front in deep water
--Standing up in shallow water from either face-down or face-up position
--Moving around periphery of pool holding onto edge
--Elementary back-stroke in shallow, then deep water, progressing from swimming across pool in shallow water to swimming across in deep water to, finally, swimming lengths, first along side, then down the middle.
--Treading water in deep end
--Rhythmic breathing at side of pool
--Bobbing at edge from shallow to deep, pushing myself down as far as I can go
--Swimming on back in deep water, then repeatedly going into vertical to tread water, then resuming swimming until having swum entire length
--Stepping off resting step in deep end to plunge into water
--Swimming on front across pool while holding breath
--Swimming across pool in shallow doing the *** stroke
--Turning around in deep while treading water
I spent much time in each lesson working in the deep end and my fear of deep water has gradually lessened, I am happy to report. I am gradually learning the skills of swimming, though it is a slow process. Learning breathing has been the hardest skill to master, but it is coming. I am learning to relax in the water and, the more I do, the easier swimming becomes. Learning relaxation wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Floating in deep water has turned out to be no different than floating in shallow water.
I am so grateful to my wonderful instructor, who has been patient and supportive all the way. I have started to learn a face-down stroke (*** stroke), something I thought I might not be able to do.
My instructor had me learn that because I had so much trouble learning rotational breathing, required for freestyle. She has never had me do anything I wasn't ready to do.
Swimming is indeed getting easier and more fun. There is nothing like a little success to serve as a motivator. I really want to continue taking as much instruction as I can until get really good at this. Thanks to all for the helpful comments.
Yesterday, August 6, I completed my eleventh lesson, a total of ten hours of instruction. Unfortunately, my instructor is leaving to get ready to go to college in the fall, no one at the YMCA where I have been taking lessons is available to take over and the facility itself is closing at the end of the month.
In that time I have learned the folllowing:
--Floating on back in shallow water
--Floating on back in deep water
--Floating on front in shallow water
--Floating on front in deep water
--Standing up in shallow water from either face-down or face-up position
--Moving around periphery of pool holding onto edge
--Elementary back-stroke in shallow, then deep water, progressing from swimming across pool in shallow water to swimming across in deep water to, finally, swimming lengths, first along side, then down the middle.
--Treading water in deep end
--Rhythmic breathing at side of pool
--Bobbing at edge from shallow to deep, pushing myself down as far as I can go
--Swimming on back in deep water, then repeatedly going into vertical to tread water, then resuming swimming until having swum entire length
--Stepping off resting step in deep end to plunge into water
--Swimming on front across pool while holding breath
--Swimming across pool in shallow doing the *** stroke
--Turning around in deep while treading water
I spent much time in each lesson working in the deep end and my fear of deep water has gradually lessened, I am happy to report. I am gradually learning the skills of swimming, though it is a slow process. Learning breathing has been the hardest skill to master, but it is coming. I am learning to relax in the water and, the more I do, the easier swimming becomes. Learning relaxation wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Floating in deep water has turned out to be no different than floating in shallow water.
I am so grateful to my wonderful instructor, who has been patient and supportive all the way. I have started to learn a face-down stroke (*** stroke), something I thought I might not be able to do.
My instructor had me learn that because I had so much trouble learning rotational breathing, required for freestyle. She has never had me do anything I wasn't ready to do.
Swimming is indeed getting easier and more fun. There is nothing like a little success to serve as a motivator. I really want to continue taking as much instruction as I can until get really good at this. Thanks to all for the helpful comments.
