Swimming?

[joel]

yeah i'm sick too. i am hoping that i'll be better by tomorrow morning... i am probably not so bad right now. Just can't breathe through my nose...

[joel]

so while i tried swimming a couple times the last couple days... it was pretty epic failure... anyways i got to the point i can somewhat swim on my back (pretty slowly), but still cant' do anything close to a proper front crawl.. after about 5 seconds or less i just start sinking... plus i can't do it with the whole head in and out of water/breathing thing...

on top of that i think i slightly sprained my knee while swimming on my back... it's slightly swollen now.

[se7entse7en]

The breathing is the hardest part. I still have problems. You're not supposed to lift your head out of the water, but to turn your body and your head until your mouth clears the water. If you want tips on how to learn front crawl, you can try searching youtube for "Total Immersion".

There are lots of tips on youtube on how to do front crawl. ie. If your legs are sinking... focus on pushing your head deeper in the water. It's about finding your balance or 'sweet spot'. If you don't believe you can float... try sinking after taking (and holding) a deep breath. Try it and see how deep you'll get.

Here's a link that might be helpful too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYuSMumlUk4

[supersuk]

wtf, how do you sprain your ankle while swimming?

Anyways, its all about rhythm. Theres technique in it, and the fast your swim, the easier it is to stay afloat imo.

maybe get a swim coach to give you the basics? or take lessons?

[nature boy]

it was his knee, not his ankle.

i would suggest lessons too. or go with someone who knows what they're doing. i remember when i first learned the front crawl and i had a hell of a time doing it. but after you get the hang of it (as with many things), it gets easier and more natural.

[geForce]

Did you use the floating board? It helps you get the hang of the kicking part.

[joel]

no board... and yeah it's mostly my lower body seems to be sinking... it probably doesn't help that my heart is racing as soon as i step into the water and it doubles everytime my face is underwater...

[nature boy]

if your legs are sinking i think that means that you're not going forward fast enough.
although gordon's suggestion sounds somewhat ridiculous, he has a point. a lot of the kicking is more than just kicking. there's a rhythm to it and it takes time to get it right.

if you don't want to use a board you can just put your hands on the edge of the pool, and let your legs naturally float up behind you and start kicking. it's best that your feet don't leave the water.

[geForce]

I don't think there's anything ridiculous about it... no one's going to laugh at you. I use the board all the time because I want to train up my legs. The propulsion in swimming is probably 70% leg kicking, so if you don't have that down yet, then waving your arms around frantically because you're about to sink won't really help anything.

Train up your legs with the kicking and get a feel for how to the forward propulsion feels, then slowly introduce the arm movements while still using the board... one hand on the board while the other arm makes a stroke, then alternate.

I think Shaun mentioned this before, but goggles will help too. If you get water on your face, the goggles will help you feel like it's not as big a deal and you won't panic as much.

[se7entse7en]

Kickboard = great workout. There's no shame in using it. It's a tool used for drills, as are paddles, buoys, and flippers.

If your legs are dropping, you should try to get your head deeper. Most people should be able to balance in the water without even moving forward... though forward movement does help. This doesn't mean that you'll be floating on top of the water. You'll likely be mostly submerged, but you should be fairly level and only a few inches below the surface.

In the front crawl, most of your propulsion comes from your arms. Unless you are Ian Phelps with size 14 feet, the legs play a minor role. The legs play a much larger role in breaststroke, backstroke, etc.

For sure lessons will help but you need to spend more time in the pool than the lesson offers.

If you're trying to learn to swim it really helps if you try and break it down into smaller pieces:

get used getting your face wet so you can relax a bit. (I think I still tense up too much and end up working too hard).

blow bubbles in the water with your head completely submerged. I found it took a bit of effort to exhale under water, and the bubbles hitting your face feels weird. It's something you need to get used to. You need to get in the habit of exhaling whenever your face is in the water. Don't hold your breath.

stand, take a breath, get into a crouched position (completely submerged), exhale, jump out of the water taking a quick breath as you come out of the water, and then immediately go back into a crouch. repeat. Try to get into a rhythm. This will also help you get used breathing while water is pouring off your face. Note: It helps if you don't exhale completely and you save a little bit of air to exhale just before you inhale. This helps to blow away whatever water may be over your mouth.

get onto your front in a glide position (head submerged, arms extended) and just kick exhaling as you go until you need air. Then stand up, take a few breaths and swim back.

get onto your back and just kick keeping your head back.

get onto your back (one arm extended in front of you, the other by your side), look up at the ceiling, then roll onto your side keeping your head still... keep staring at the ceiling, then roll back onto your back. (Don't lift your head out of the water)

get on your side with one arm extended and one arm by your side. get comfortable, then move the hand that is by your side up to your armpit keeping your elbow high and the tips of your fingers in the water the whole time. Then move your arm back to your side.

get on your side with one arm extended and one arm by your side. get comfortable, slide your hand along your side until you get to your armpit, take one arm stroke rolling to your front as you do so, then roll to your other side. Get comfortable on your side (take a few breaths) then do it again.

The list goes on and on and on. The point is to try and break it down into its basic components and learn them one at a time... stress free.

[nature boy]

haha, i was joking about the board sounding ridiculous because i thought it was a joke. but it's true that it's a good tool, i remember having to use the board a LOT during my swimming lessons as a kid, and i got to the level before the level before life saving haha. ben and joe got to life saving 2 or something, you should talk to them.

heck, maybe joe would even go swimming with you.

[Duncan]

actually, doing a kick board and only kicking w/o arms is a tougher workout than using arms as well... but i guess the main thing is that the kickboard is keeping you afloat...

have you tried doing the breast stroke? that might be easier to do if you're having a hard time with the rhythm of swimming since it's basically arms and legs move together in a frog like motion.

Technique is also key in swimming... i know it might sound silly, but little things like keeping your fingers together and taking each stroke of your arms with your palms angled properly helps a ton. Like don't chop the water like a karate chop but instead turn your hands so you get the most resistance from the water to propel you...

If you went alone, it might be best to go with someone who can teach you next time... swimming isn't an easy thing to learn on your own especially if you're scared of the water...

[joel]

carson was with me. he's been swimming since he was two.. but i think it's much different for someone who has an aversion to water then someone who feels quite natural at it...

i think i just need to get used to improving my comfort level in the water right now and that'll only come with going in the water a lot... i can focus on technique when i'm not focused on not freaking out.. i looked at some different exercises at increasing comfort level in water so i may try those out... anyone up for hitting the pool regularly?

[nature boy]

you can ask carson lol.

yeah, i remember as a kid we had to just play in the water, practice putting our heads under water, and i think we kept jumping in the water. as with a lot of things, comfort/confidence gets you far when it comes to swimming.

[supersuk]

goggles help, blow bubbles under water helps, maybe you can try those nose/ear plug things too.