What helps you swim?

[Psalm23]

I swam yesterday in a pool and I think I did swim some today though I'm very much a beginner at this and had struggles. I was saying to myself I was one with the water and pretended to be a dog to help. A life guard gave me some pointers to practice. What helps you swim?

 

[JustGeorge]

I swam yesterday in a pool and I think I did swim some today though I'm very much a beginner at this and had struggles. I was saying to myself I was one with the water and pretended to be a dog to help. A life guard gave me some pointers to practice. What helps you swim?

I was terrible in swim lessons. I was slow, and didn't learn new techniques easily.

But, I managed. You just keep moving the arms... kicking the legs. Relax. Trust the water, it'll keep you afloat.

I had to swim in from the middle of a large lake as a kid. My cousin and I took out a paddleboat. She was a good bit larger than me, and as the waves would hit the boat, a little would go in her more sunken side. Eventually, it took too much water in and sunk. We took the rope that it was tied to dock with and swam all the way back, pulling the half sunk boat.

 

[bobhikes]

I swam yesterday in a pool and I think I did swim some today though I'm very much a beginner at this and had struggles. I was saying to myself I was one with the water and pretended to be a dog to help. A life guard gave me some pointers to practice. What helps you swim?

Practice. It takes time to learn to move through water. If you've beaten the fear of water then you just need time

 

[F1fan]

I jump in and sink. What's swimming?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I swam yesterday in a pool and I think I did swim some today though I'm very much a beginner at this and had struggles. I was saying to myself I was one with the water and pretended to be a dog to help. A life guard gave me some pointers to practice. What helps you swim?

I've taken swimming lessons in the past. Apparently 2 years of it was enough to help, because that's all I took and after that it just came natural to me. I sort of push the water in front of me to the sides with my arms, and kick my legs a little. I haven't swam in years though.

 

[InChrist]

I swam yesterday in a pool and I think I did swim some today though I'm very much a beginner at this and had struggles. I was saying to myself I was one with the water and pretended to be a dog to help. A life guard gave me some pointers to practice. What helps you swim?

I started swimming as a very young child. I do remember during swimming lessons that using a paddle board helped a lot with learning how to keep my body afloat while also learning how to kick. Holding on to the side of the pool while practicing kicking was helpful, too. We had friends who had pools when I was a kid, so I had plenty of opportunity to practice different swimming strokes, floating, and swimming under water holding my breath.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Learning how to relax helps. Learning how to float really helps. The rest is practice.

 

[SalixIncendium]

What helps you swim?

Water.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Playing this in my head:

 

[SalixIncendium]

Learning how to relax helps. Learning how to float really helps. The rest is practice.

This was likely my problem when my parents first put me into swim classes when I was 7 or 8. The first thing they taught was the prone float. I had all the buoyancy of a brick and didn't actually learn to stay afloat until swim class in high school where I finally learned to tread water.

 

[ChristineM]

Something I've never really thought about. There is a river running by the place i was raised, I've played and swam in it as far back as i remember.

 

[Estro Felino]

Having long legs helps a lot, I guess.

 

[Viker]

When I was little pretending to be Jaws helped out a lot. It didn't decrease the local "shark" attacks, however. The 70s were a dangerous time on the coast. Thanks to me.

 

[ChristineM]

At school i remember the swimming instructor handing out polystyrene floats to those who couldn't swim. They were to hold them in front of them and kick off, powering themselves along with foot movement.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Honestly, I cannot remember not being able to swim well. From my earliest memories, I felt very at home in water -- nobody could keep me out of it. During the summer, I just wore my speedo under my pants instead of underwear, because if I saw water, I was going to be in it. Spent untold hours in the Ottawa River (freezing cold, even in summer) and the Rideau River in Ottawa (a bit warmer), cutting my feet to shreds on the clam shells along the beeches and in the shallow water.

From my earliest memories, I could do freestyle (what we used to call "Autstralian crawl" back then), breast stroke, back stroke, butterfly. Can't remember if I did doggie style like most very young kids do, but probably.