Frustrated older beginner...willing to try again

You might consider a swim program geared especially for adults who are afraid of water, like one from the Miracle Swimming Institute.

I agree with Jayhawk, you should get private lessons. The very fact that you still try is good, because it means that this is important to you. You have not given up on trying, so the only logical outcome is that you will face and defeat your fear. Water is your friend. If you relax in it, it will support you. Best wishes on your progress, we support and applaud your effort!

Thanks for the quick replies. I gave up on learning the crawl because it was too hard a struggle. I panic very easily. Although I could swim a passable backstroke, I was tense and I was very well aware that I could not stand up if anything went wrong and that therefore I was not safe. I took instruction for ten years before giving up. I have considered Miracle Swimming Institute, as well as other intensive programs for fearfuls. There don't appear to be many in the US and, unfortunately, none in the Midwest that I know of. They are costly and require traveling a long way, but they may be the only way to finally get the job done. Please comment on the Total Immersion program for teaching fearful nonswimmers, as I live a short way from my state's only licensed TI instructor, who has recommended private instruction with him as the best option he has. for I'm certain that he would be the best instructor I've ever had, but I'd very much like your opinion. I've been undecided about this for a long time. I long to feel comfortable and experience joy in the water, both shallow and deep. Is the TI approach as good as MSI's for this problem? Or is there another good local alternative?

It sounds like you need private swim lessons (as opposed to group lessons). That way you'll be able to go at your own pace. It also sounds like you never completely got over the "fear factor". Today everyone wears goggles, which makes it that much more important to get used to the idea of swimming in the deep end of the pool. Goggles allow you to see much better underwater, which means you're going to be able to see just how deep the water is.

Thanks for the quick replies. I gave up on learning the crawl because it was too hard a struggle. I panic very easily. I had a hard time learning to swim as a kid. I have no athletic ability whatsoever. I also grew up with parents who had never learned to swim and were totally afraid of the water. Believe me, that rubs off on a kid. I learned breaststroke first. That was all I knew how to swim until I joined a Masters team at age 26. I would recommend breaststroke for you. Not the modern, competition-style breaststroke (which is very tiring) but the old-fashioned, frog-kick breaststroke. Its advantages are that you can look forward instead of down, which may help alleviate your fear. You can lift your head out of the water with every stroke. Plus, it's a good stroke to know because if you ever get in a situation where you are in open water, you can see where you're going if you swim breaststroke. Anna Lea

TI is very thorough at all aspects of its training. They never speed ahead, they wait until you are ready to take another step in the learning process. If you have a TI instructor nearby and can afford the cost, I would recommend hiring him/her to help you. You obviously long to be comfortable in the water, I hope this will work out for you.

Dear Beginnner63: I really admire your willingness to persist. I think it's brave. Anna Lea's idea about breaststroke seems like an excellent place to start. I was a swimmer in high school and took twenty-some years off before coming back to the sport, and in the process I worked with a coach on some mechanics, which involved rebuilding my freestyle practically from scratch. Two years later, I am still drawing on those drills, which have some overlap with the TI approach. I would give the private TI a try. There is a very satisfying sense of balance that can be gained in the water, that makes it feel like a medium of support. Those TI drills helped me gain a better sense of balance, and I'm glad of it. It's true that goggles will reveal just how deep the water is. But they give a sense of perspective, too. Without them the water is something that happens to you--you're in it, and that's about all you can say. The perspective adds a sense of self-possession in what first seems like an alien environment. You can do it! Best of luck.

OK, now I am seeing aspects that I missed in your original post. You are correct that if you are not at least comfortable in the water, you cannot learn how to swim. I took for granted that you were OK with being in the water, just not comfortable swimming with your face in it. I now see that we need to back up a bit farther. The pools that you want are located in particular places. Therapy pools for disabled people are routinely kept at about 90 degrees because they cannot move very much at all , and lose body heat rapidly. They may even have a program that you seek. Pools that cater to senior citizens tend to be very warm also. You may be near a health club, they often will keep their pools at about 85 degrees for low impact classes and noodling. That should be warm enough for you to relax in without getting a chill. Public pools or school pools will likely be kept under 84 degrees for economic and health reasons. I recommend finding someone who is in a similar state of apprehension about water activities as yourself. Having a friend to learn with reinforces any new experience since it is shared. When you do things alone, you have no one to relate to and an unreliable sense of learning, since you have nothing to compare. Shared experiences are far more rewarding for everyone involved. There are many styles of goggles, take your time to find some that are comfortable on your face. Then when you are looking about underwater, you will not have the worry of leakage. A simple annoyance to most of us, but it could be more intense for you.

... I do not feel that trying to become an overall competent swimmer at this point is realistic. It makes more since simply to concentrate on becoming comfortable in the water and, hopefully, learning to have fun. Forget about learning to swim. That might come later. Trying to acquire swimming skills in order to be come be safe and comfortable is putting the cart before the horse. I feel strongly that, at least for people like me, a separate course in water adjustment should PRECEDE entrance into a beginning swim class. You cannot really learn even the simplest swimming mechanics without first learning to relax and be in control. Such a course must take an extremely slow and incremental approach, and be taught by a gentle, noncritical instructor. There should be NO emphasis on teaching swimming mechanics, but rather on being relaxed and in control. ... And why shouldn't the student not be taught to have fun in the water? The stress was always on the same grim series of drills attempting to teach basic swim skills. Making someone do something he does not want to do DOES NOT work. It can never work. Pupils must be allowed to view water as a wonderful source of pleasure and delight, even sensuality... Check out the "Happy Laps" dvd from the Total Immersion people. (NAYY) It is specifically for people who are afraid of the water or have just never learned to swim, and the earliest exercises are simple techniques just to get comfortable in the water. They encourage you to get a partner to help you learn. I so agree about the "grim series of drills". On Sunday mornings I go to the YWCA for my long swim and frequently take a lane next to two ladies who are trying to learn to swim. The instructor keeps saying things like "Now kick really hard! I want to see white water!" and as a result they don't seem to be progressing at all or enjoying the process one bit.

Thanks for the suggestion Re: learning the breaststroke. In fact, I was in the process of the learning the breaststroke when I had to stop swimming around 1982 due to a case of swimmer's ear. It was difficult but I was making slow progress when I quit. It was hard but at least seemed doable as compared to the hated crawl stroke, which I had worked on more than anything else. Coordinating all the elements of the latter stroke proved impossible to master, especially the breathing. I've wanted to get back into the water to complete this unfinished task of learning swimming ever since. I do not feel that trying to become an overall competent swimmer at this point is realistic. It makes more since simply to concentrate on becoming comfortable in the water and, hopefully, learning to have fun. Forget about learning to swim. That might come later. Trying to acquire swimming skills in order to be come be safe and comfortable is putting the cart before the horse. I feel strongly that, at least for people like me, a separate course in water adjustment should PRECEDE entrance into a beginning swim class. You cannot really learn even the simplest swimming mechanics without first learning to relax and be in control. Such a course must take an extremely slow and incremental approach, and be taught by a gentle, noncritical instructor. There should be NO emphasis on teaching swimming mechanics, but rather on being relaxed and in control. These skills should involve work in both shallow and deep water. And why shouldn't the student not be taught to have fun in the water? The stress was always on the same grim series of drills attempting to teach basic swim skills. Making someone do something he does not want to do DOES NOT work. It can never work. Pupils must be allowed to view water as a wonderful source of pleasure and delight, even sensuality. You cannot feel both pleasure and fear at the same time. Everything new that he wants to do should seem like fun to the student before he attempts it. Wearing a comfortable set of goggles is a great idea. Without them you can't really see, which feeds into your fear, and also your eyes can feel quite uncomfortable. Water temperature is critical. I found that a pool temperature of at least 90 degrees works very well. That is too warm for most people, but for me it feels great. I tried to learn swimming mostly in pools that were too cold. Trying to learn essentially blinded in cold, clammy water does not work. Just those two things--googles and warm water--would be a huge, huge improvement.