What did you struggle with when you started swimming?
Former Member
Basically, what did you struggle with when you started swimming and how old were you? I kind of want to see if others have had the same troubles as I.
I just started swimming recreational this year. I am 20 and started due to my knees starting to bother me more by running, which I usually do.
There are a few things I can't seem to get the hang of:
1.) I can't last very long in freestyle. I can only do 75 at most before I have to stop. I think this is due to my breathing pattern.
2.) My kick is pretty weak, when I use a kick board I don't go fast at all. Due to being a runner before I guess this is a common problem.
3.) I'm trying to get the hang of flip turns but my push off is the problem. I'm trying to push off with my head faced up but I always seem to suck in some water for some reason and have to re-surface fast for air.
4.) I'm also having a hard time with the fast dolphin kick that most people use when coming out of a flip turn.
I was just looking for ways/drills to improve in these areas. I just want to be able to swim at length instead of stopping constantly.
Feel free to share. Also, any help would be greatly appreciated:afraid:
I was 5 or 6 and I struggled with cold water ... so I quit.
I came back the next year, maybe a little fatter.:)
Former Member
I heard flippers also help with ankle flexibility and strengthening the muscles used when kicking, is that correct?
As for the dolphin kicks out of the flip turn, I watched my college swim team a couple times through the season and most of the summers used it. Also, some of my friends that were swimmers in highschool do the same when coming out of flip turns so I figured it was a good practice.
There is a thread "HELP! My kick is horrible." that outlines how to make your kick better. I did a variant of that until my kick was strong enough that I could do kick sets and keep up without fins. I never got much benefit from fins, and only use them now when I am short on time. Other people have gotten a lot of benefit from fins.
Dolphin kick off the wall is good to have, but it can wait until later in the grand scheme of things. Worry about your flip turn and endurance before you start adding dolphin kick off the wall. It is a real energy consumer, so it may slow down your overall progress.
Former Member
Considering I am still starting swimming (at least, in my view), I have a number of things I am struggling with, to different degrees, but one really big struggle that I'll mention exclusively is my breaststroke kick.
It's horrible. When I *** kick with the kickboard, I literally brake every kick. I've been told... "one continuous motion, not two", "knees facing the bottom of the pool", "out with your feet", etc.... and it's the latter two things I find exceptionally difficult to do at the same time, knees facing downwards and feet somehow pointing outwards.
Breaststroke is the only stroke that makes me feel like a marionette, and I consciously have to "puppeteer" myself for every single pull and kick.
Former Member
My Mom used to teach kids, including babies, how to swim. I could swim before I could walk. And tomorrow she ages up to the 90-95 age group.
When I see newer swimmers, I think the biggest concept to get is streamline. When torsos bend and kicks go to deep, too much effort is used. This was probably true when I started, I just don't remember.
BTW, I wouldn't worry about the dolphins of the wall if you are only swimming 75 at a time at the moment. I swim 5K at a time and can't do them very well despite being a flyer in my younger days.
Also, you don't have to push off the wall on your back following flip turns. It's just a place to start as you learn. Everyone's turns are unique including as to what angle they push off. By the time I push off, I'm on my side.
I started at age 39, and struggled with everything but kicking. For some reason, kicking is a natural with me. Must be all my cycling.
Breathing was not too bad. Endurance was hard, until I slowed down and let my body adapt the first 200 yards, and then I was able to swim distance. Flip turns took me two years to learn, and they still are not the best. *** stroke timing slayed me, and I hated swimming on my back for a long time.
Former Member
Breathing...as a football player I wasn't used to controlling my breathing that much. It later paid off and I chose the swimming world instead of the football world (obviously).
Former Member
I struggled with everything. It is a whole-body exercise, so until you get a lot of different things mastered (balance, kicking, breathing, etc.), it is difficult.
Toughest for me was breathing. It is hard to do an exercise when you have to more or less plan when you are going to breathe. As a result, it's hard to relax while breathing, which makes the workout seem that much harder.
As far as flip turns, this web site has a sequence of five video drills that does a good job of teaching them.
www.goswim.tv/.../turns-freestyle-flip-turn-step-1.html
By which I mean it worked for me.
