Places to Chat
Help! Swimming lesson
Chatterbox: Down to Earth
Help! Swimming lesson
Help! Swimming lesson tomorrow!
So, tomorrow, (Saturday) I have a swimming lesson in the morning. My mom signed me up for it, because I'm awful at swimming and she wants me to be able to at least swim a bit before summer.
The problem, though, is that it's at the local YMCA, and I've never been there before. Ever. In my life.
And at every single swimming lesson I've had, something has gone wrong--I've slipped off my paddleboard in the middle of the pool, or it's rained when I have an outdoor lesson, or the teacher has been impatient and cross and I've ended up sitting in the changing room until my mom picks me up.
So I'm kind of nervous. Does anyone have advice? I would be very thankful for any words of encouragement, advice, or just...anything.
Forget your past experiences. Y teachers should be patient and encouraging. Listen and try to do what the teacher says. If you have a problem with the teacher, tell your mother. Swimming is a healthy activity that's fun and can be enjoyed your whole life. I have taught swimming. I believe the most important thing to learn is to relax and relax your breathing by learning in water that's not over your head so you know you can stop and stand up at any time.
I live near a Y with a beautiful aquatice center and swim about two times a week in winter, more in the summer. I just went today. A good swim makes me feel good all over. Let us know how it goes tomorrow!
Admin
submitted by Leafpool
(January 13, 2017 - 5:12 pm)
(January 13, 2017 - 5:12 pm)
I swim competitively myself for a YMCA team, but I took lessons from a non-Y organization in a deep pool here I couldn't touch the bottom... It was bad at first.
Anyways, I agree with what Admin said-- you have to be able to relax your breathing and keep it controlled even when you are holding your breath. Take it from someone who basically gets yelled at for breathing on a daily basis. As long as you stay calm, you've got this!
Another thing that sometimes helps to be comfortable in the water is to just sort of bob. I used to love letting myself sink to the bottom and then exploding up to the surface. Something about it helped me feel more at home in the water.
I wish you luck at your lesson tomorrow! Let me know how it goes, if you want. Remember- the most important thing is to not panic. That's the worst thing that can happen when in the water because it messes up your heart rate and breathing.
Bobs—yes! We'd do them regularly as part of any lesson. And don't feel you need to race anyone. Go at your own pace.
Admin
(January 13, 2017 - 9:31 pm)
Admin and kestrel are exactly right, remember the water is your friend, not your enemy. Always keep that in mind while swimming;) for swim teachers I'd just say to do your best. At our Y I know pretty much all the lifeguards and swim teachers, maybe not a name to name basis but certainly a remembrance of their faces or certain feelings they have toward me. Try to get to know your teacher, not in a prying sort of way but, you know just asking what his hobbies are, what his favorite swim stroke is, whatever. I think people tend to be nicer and more considerate to those they can relate to;)
But ya, bobs are super fun and they really do help you connect more with the water, my sister and I do them piggyback style, while we'd just surge up and down through the pool. It probably looks really weird, but, its still fun:)
Good luck on your swim test!
~KG
(January 14, 2017 - 8:45 am)
(January 14, 2017 - 7:24 am)
Hey Leafpool, I hope your swim lesson went okay. :) Let us know! We're here for you!
~Poetic Panda
(January 15, 2017 - 11:27 am)
How did it go?
(January 15, 2017 - 2:02 pm)
Thanks, everybody! It actually didn't go too badly. I was above my head, though--the teacher put us in at 7 feet. :/
Well, nothing went wrong in the water, but we had a big pool/schedule/location/class mixup, and I ended up 10 minutes late for my class.
Oh well.
Thanks for letting us know. The next class should be easier.
Admin
(January 15, 2017 - 2:57 pm)
Can't add much that hasn't already been said, but l'd just like to inform you that when you get into more competitive middle/high school swimming it is super fun and rewarding.
Also--in my experience--swimming has a bit higher learning curve than most sports, meaning that it takes somewhat longer to learn all of the strokes and stuff. l'm telling you this not as discouragement, but rather the opposite, take solace in that this sport is truly difficult to even get fairly good at and that you are awesome and persistent and ten folds more brilliant than all those slackers who never tried.
All-in-all, l wish you happy swimming. l personally love it, l've been swimming for seven years and hope to swim for many more.
(January 15, 2017 - 9:50 pm)
Hmm, let me see... um.. um................................................................................................................
Well, I have nothing! I'm sorry but I was like 5 or 6 when I learned, and I always couldn't wait to get in the water!
(January 18, 2017 - 3:12 pm)
This is what I do at swimming lessons.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!
Hahahahahahahahahaha! Sorry, bad pun.
(January 19, 2017 - 1:10 am)
I would say the same, Nodescript hobbit.
(March 6, 2017 - 7:27 pm)