Swimming is a great way to keep your body fit, build muscle strength and burn calories. It’s also relaxing and can help you de-stress.
Learning how to swim is a process that takes time and practice. If you’re a beginner, it’s important to be patient and focus on the basics before moving on to more complicated techniques.
Start at the shallow end of the pool to ease into the water. Use your goggles to keep your eyes safe and focus on holding your breath while floating.
Once you feel comfortable in the water, you can move to kicking on the wall. Holding your face in the water, turn to one side and breathe. It’s important to breathe only when you need to and don’t lift your head in the water if you can’t do that because it will slow you down.
When you’re ready to move on to more advanced strokes, it’s best to practice in organized workouts. These are usually in a group setting and will help you get used to the feeling of being in a group.
During your workout, try to include a variety of exercises that will challenge your entire body. This will make it easier to learn and retain the techniques you’re learning.
In addition, you should try to do a few lengths of the pool every day to help you build endurance and speed. Doing this will increase your confidence in the water and will prepare you for more advanced swimming techniques.
The most common strokes for adults are front crawl and breaststroke. They are characterized by a flutter kick with the legs and arms that pull you forward. Alternatively, you can try a crawlstroke, which is similar to front crawl but with the arm out of the water.
A good beginner swimmer should be able to complete 50 or 100 meters of freestyle with ease, although longer distances are possible. Those who aren’t quite ready for that may choose to do laps instead, which allow them to finish a single length of the pool in a shorter period of time.
To get the most out of your training, it’s important to build a smooth stroke tempo. It’s also beneficial to incorporate a drill called catch-up into your training routine.
Catch-up is a simple drill that allows you to train your arm to’surf’ on your leading arm. Having your leading arm extended will help you to move through the water faster, so you should aim to do this as often as possible.
The catch-up drill can be done by simply not moving your leading arm until the recovering arm catches up with it, but it’s important to do it consistently to ensure that you build muscle memory and a consistent stroke tempo.
During the catch-up, you should also be breathing every two or three strokes. Breathe slowly and deeply, focusing on the air filling your lungs.
If you’re interested in learning how to swim, it’s best to find a pool that has a lifeguard on duty. This will help you avoid accidents and give you peace of mind. It’s also important to remember that you should always swim with other people. Having someone there to guide you can make it easier to learn, and it will make your experience more fun too!