Hi guys I never learned to swim as a child, and I’ve signed up for adult swim lessons soon. Something I think will help me prepare for the lessons is I don’t know the mechanics/physics behind the motion. So I’m asking
1.) how do people float in water and why is it crucial to swimming?
2.) how do people actually move from point a to b in water while swimming?
EDIT: thanks so much to all who have responded with answers, tips, advice, and encouragement! Trying to read through all your helpful answers ☺️
In: 715
Good for you for signing up for lessons. The instructor will go step by step, little by little, and start off in the shallow end. You will gain confidence and skills as time goes on. And I hope you will enjoy swimming too.
To give a different perspective:
I never really felt like I could just float. On my back I can somewhat float, if I hold most of my breath.
Standing upright in the water, you also do not just float. You almost float, but you still need a bit of upwards momentum. For that you have to constantly move your legs or arms. Basically “treading” water. Pushing water down, and therefore yourself up.
From that position you can move forward, by still pushing the water down, but also pushing the water a bit behind you.
Your legs basically do the motion a frog does to swim.
As for the swimming lessons, do not worry. You will not be thrown into the deep end.
You can practice swimming somewhere you can stand comfortably. You can then for example lift your legs, and hover your feet above the ground, and practice swimming in place with just your hands. If you go under, you can just extend your legs again.
You will practice with a kickboard, where you grab onto a flotation device (the board), and you can practice propelling yourself forward just by “kicking”.
Edit:
The olympics are not good examples of leisurely swimming or floating. With their technique, your head is basically submerged, and just comes up for breathes between strokes.
Example of chill swimming practice: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFN2n7CRqhw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFN2n7CRqhw)
It sounds like the fact that you don’t understand the mechanics/physics of swimming is causing you more anxiety than might be useful. Try this thought experiment: Do you drive? Do you understand exactly how a car runs? I’m thinking probably not; I sure don’t. But, I am a good driver because I learned how to do it. All sorts of people learn to swim. It may be difficult and scary at first but you CAN do it.
If you fill up a bathtub and kneel next to it (or by a pool of you have one), cup your hand and run it through there like and push some water to one side. Do it hard. Do you feel that you are kind being pushed in the opposite direction?
Push water is the same and pushing off on the ground, it just gives more. But if you push hard enough and get enough momentum, it gets easier and easier to maintain that movement. That’s how you swim.
As for floating, you body kinda just does because there’s stuff in you that’s more buoyant that water (like air and fat). You don’t NEED to be able to float to swim, but it’s easier. Like if I wear a wetsuit or swim in the ocean, it’s easier because I’m more buoyant than usual.
I have nothing to add that other people haven’t said but this is super wholesome. Good on you for learning something new, you’re gonna love the water in no time!
Don’t be intimidated. I think you are overthinking a bit, most children learning to swim don’t have the slightest clue what physics even is. Understanding the mechanics isn’t going to help I’m afraid. Good luck to you
You just kind of float naturally. If you pull your legs to your chest and curl yourself into a ball, you’ll float to the surface, with your back poking out making you look like an egg in a bowl of water. If you lie on your back with your arms and legs spread out like a star, you’ll just lie there with your face and belly poking out of the water.
Floating is crucial for two reasons: One, your lungs still need air, and the surface is where all the air is. Two, all the effort you spend pushing yourself up to the surface is effort you could’ve been spending propelling yourself forward instead. Sort of how you get more tired from skipping and hopping than you would walking the same distance.
As for how you move around in the water, imagine crawling on the floor at home. You just use your arms and legts to pull/push yourself forward. Now imagine crawling on loose sand. You still use your arms and legts to pull/push yourself forward, just the same as if you did on a solid floor, but now the sand moves with you a bit so you have worse traction than you would on a firmer surface.
Swimming is basically that same thing except water moves around even more than sand. In fact, the style of swimming that you might have seen called “freestyle” is actually called the front crawl (It’s just that it’s the fastest swimming style so it’s the one everybody uses in a _freestyle competition_).
The most important thing is to not panic. Human beings are bouyant and a fairly minimal amount of effort can keep them from sinking. Just.. know that, in your heart.
There are two things to know: 1) how to tread water and 2) how to swim/move in water.
Treading water is literally just being in a standing position and simultaneously scissor kicking your legs below you slowly and moving your arms back and forth under the water like you’re waving a flag like a matador. Essentially, move your limbs slowly so that they push against the water below you in a rhythmic pattern. You do that, and you’ll stay in place and not sink.
Swimming around is laying on your stomach or your back.. pushing the water behind you instead of pushing it under you.. and occasionally turning your head so you can take a breath.. There are three major ways to do it.. freestyle; which is laying on your stomach and kicking your feet like a toddler having a tantrum and making your arms go in a vertical circular motion like a windmill. Breaststroke; which is laying on your stomach and pretending to be a frog from Super Mario 3. Bring your arms together beneath your body, then sweep them behind you. Use your legs to simulate the same movement. Backstroke; lay on your back and do the mirror opposite of freestyle (windmill and tantrum kicking).
That’s how you swim.
I’ve been a swim instructor for over 10 years. I have taught adults and kids. I had a class of adults and their physicality ranged from older, overweight gal, to young guy who worked out twice a day 7 days a week. He looked great. Not an ounce of fat on him. The first day in the pool I pointed to the overweight gal and said “you will be the first one I teach to float”. I looked at the muscular guy and said “and you will be the last person.” When asked why I stated simply “because fat floats”. I myself am overweight so I felt ok saying this. Sure enough, the gal floated the first day (on her back). The guy had a difficult time floating but did learn to keep himself above the water. Everyone in the class was swimming by the end of the sessions.
But really, if you relax in the water you will have no problem floating. You have to be comfortable with your head and ears in the water. Floating on your back is like lying in your bed flat on your back. If you pick your head up you feet will sink. If you “sit” in the water you will sink. Relax and let the water hold you up. Good luck with your lessons.
Congrats on choosing to make this monumental step to your personal safety. The amount of people who drown because they never took lessons but decide boating is a good vacation idea is astounding. Good luck you got this!
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