Six Quick Tips to Learn Swimming as an Adult

It can be a little embarrassing to learn how to swim when you’re already an adult. There’s no
need to feel this way, however. There are so many adults who never learned how to swim.

Whether you were scared of the water at a young age or simply didn’t have an opportunity to
learn, it is never too late! Even someone in their sixties can still learn how to swim from
scratch. All it takes is a little effort, time, and the right information.

In this article, we’ll take a look at six quick tips to learn swimming as an adult. These tips are
targeted directly at those who have little to no experience with swimming and are already in
their 20s or higher.

If you fit the above category or know someone else who does, take a look at our six tips
below!

#1 – Start in Shallow Waters

The water can be quite intimidating to those who haven’t yet learned how to survive in it.
Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you have to start in the deep end. In fact, we
strongly recommend that you stay far away from any level of water that is taller than you until
you’ve learned how to keep your head above the water. For more in-depth guidance about
learning to swim, check out https://felixswimschools.com/

Starting in the shallow end of the pool gives you a chance to learn some basic strokes and
how to float. Floating is one of the easier steps to swimming and should be learned first,
when possible. At least if you’ve learned how to float face-up in the water, you will have the
means to survive if you find yourself in deeper water.

#2 – Use Goggles

Using goggles makes your experience in the water easier and more interesting. Some
swimming pools have lines drawn on the bottom of them to let you know if you’re swimming
in a straight line or not. On top of that, people who are still a bit frightened of being
underwater will find it easier to handle when they can see something.

Finally, goggles are useful because they keep the water out of your eyes. Getting water in
your eyes is one of the things that stops many people from continuing to swim. The logical
reaction is to get up and rub your eyes, which stops you from practicing further. Use some
goggles and practice staying underwater for as long as you can. (Please remain in shallow
water when doing this)

#3 – Swim at Least Three or Four Times Each Week

Practice makes perfect! You can’t just pop into the swimming pool once a week and expect
to learn how to swim after a few goes at it. It takes many hours of practice for even the best
of us to learn the basics of swimming.

To ensure that your lessons go into your brain and you start to develop instinctive swimming
patterns, you should aim to swim at least three or four times a week. Try to remain in the
water for at least one hour for each of these visits. It may seem like a lot of time, but this will
allow you to master the basics of swimming much faster!

#4 – Master Freestyle

Freestyle looks easy when you watch the experienced swimmer. However, it isn’t as simple
as it may look. You need to account for all of the following factors when you master it:
· Arm movement
· Wrist, elbow, and arm positions
· Leg flutter kick
· Turning your body
· Breathing out as you face downward
· Breathing in as you face up
Without mastering each individual form of movement, your body won’t be able to keep up.

Obviously, you can’t continually process each of these things consciously as you go. You
need to practice them one-by-one for long enough to commit them to automatic memory.
Once you have, you’ll find it extremely easy to swim using freestyle.

#5 – Try Using Fins

When you first start practicing freestyle, you may notice that you aren’t moving much if at all!
Using fins while practicing is a great way to get some forward momentum as you learn.

Once you’ve mastered all the freestyle movements and positions, you can try utilizing them
without the fins until you’re confident that you have enough natural power to do so.

#6 – Take Swimming Lessons

At the end of the day, the easiest way to learn something is to ask someone who has already
mastered it for help! Swimming instructors are taught how to teach swimming to
inexperienced people. In fact, you might be surprised by how many adult-focused swimming
classes there are out there.

Make sure that you find a swimming instructor that has professional training, such as Red
Cross instructor training. Once you’ve found somewhere that offers instructors with that level
of skill, they will enroll you into an adult class with similar experience to yours. This truly is
the best and fastest way to learn how to swim!