How to Teach Yourself to Swim (diagrams included)

Yay! Swimming.

Starting to learn how to swim can be scary and for adults, embarrassing. This is a way you can learn how to swim by yourself without another person. The steps are detailed with diagrams to help explain the exercise. Now, get out there and have fun!

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Snorkel
• Flotation device: Noodle preferred
• Goggles
• Nose plug (optional)
• Pool or swimming area

1. Diagram 1

   First find the area you will practice in. This area should be at least to your belly button but lower than your chin. Make sure you can stand easily so if you experience any problems all you have to do is stand up. You can substitute the floating device below for a person supporting you in these areas.

   Start by holding onto the edge of the pool. Kick up your feet, and kicking your legs alternately 1 foot apart, kick for 2 minute increments. Try and keep your body as parallel to the top of the water as possible (See diagram 1).

   Next, go under water, keeping yourself under water for 5 seconds. Use a nose plug if desired. Exhale when the 5 seconds end as you are going up towards the surface. Breath in after your head breaks the surface and go back under for another 5 seconds. Repeat for 5 minutes. (See diagram 1).

   Once you are comfortable with these exercises, go to step 2.

2. Diagram 2

   Take out your floatation device. A noodle is preferred. Put it under your arms. Kick your feet up and practice kicking like you did on step 1 with the wall. For now, keep your head out of the water or use a snorkel. (See Diagram 2).

   Practice holding your breath and going under water like you did in step 1, but try holding your breath for 10 second intervals. Repeat for 5 minutes.

   Once you are comfortable with these exercises, go to step 3.

3. Diagram 3

   Again, take out your floatation device. Put it under your arms like you did on step 2. This time, while you are kicking, put your head in the water for five seconds. Exhale in the water as you bring your head out of the water towards the side of your body (pick a side, left or right, and continue on the side you pick). Breath in quickly and then put your head back in the water. Continue with this for 10 minutes (See Diagram 3).**

   Along with breathing to the side, practice lifting your head straight out of the water. Exhale as you lift your head straight up out of the water after five seconds, breath in quickly and then put your head in the water again (See Diagram 3).**

   Continue practicing holding your breath as you did in step 2. Practice for 5 minutes.

   ** Goggles might help to prevent you from running into walls.

   Once you are comfortable with these exercises, go to step 4.

4. Diagram 4

   You are now going to start using your arms to support yourself. Use the snorkel so you can place your face in the water and not have to worry about drowning. Place the noodle under your CHEST and use your arms to move yourself. To do this, hold your arms out like a T, ball your fists and bring your arms into your chest. Open your fists into a straight palm and straighten out your arms until they are straight and in line with your head. Next, start to open your arms to go into the T position again. While doing this, flip your wrist around so that your palm is facing the opposite direction (See Diagram 4).

   Use force when coming down into the T position again to move yourself and gently pull your arms into your chest. Since we are using the floatation device you can start slowly, but eventually this should be a smooth, relatively quick single motion.

   Continue your breathing exercise. Try to hold your breath for longer than 10 seconds.

   Practice your kicking.

   Once you are comfortable with these exercises, go to step 5.

5. Diagram 5

   All you will do now is add kicking to your first exercise in step 4 (using your arms while on the floatation device). While your arms are not moving you should always be kicking. You can alternate moving your arms and kicking, or you can continuously kick. Move your torso in the direction you want to go in order to navigate around the area (See diagram 5).

   Once you are able to kick and move your arms, take off your snorkel and add breathing, like you did in step 3, exercise 2 (see diagram 3) with your head going straight out of the water. Inhale when you hands are in T position in diagram 4 (step 1). (Using diagram 4) You will exhale on step 3 and bring your head out of the water during step 4 to inhale and go back under on step 1.

   Continue your breathing exercises.

   Practice these exercises until you can do them all together without pausing or slowing.

   Once you are comfortable kicking, using your arms, breathing, and moving around the area, go to step 6.

6. Diagram 6

   Now you are going to learn a different way to move your arms. Continue to use the flotation device under your chest. This is called the freestyle and can be found on other how to sites. The easiest way to teach this is to start with both hands out in front of you with an open palm. Take one arm and keeping it straight, move the arm until it is pointing to the bottom of the pool. Bend the same arm at the elbow and bring it up out of the water just below your face, at the same time move the other arm until it is pointing to the bottom of the pool. Bring it up the same way as you move the other arm back down. Pick your left or right side to inhale as your arm comes up and pick the opposite side to exhale into the water. You practiced this breathing exercise 1 in step 3 (See Diagram 6). Once you have started, keep repeating steps 3 and 4 in diagram 6.

   Add kicking and breathing. Breathe to a single side. Inhale on step 3 and exhale on step 4; tilt your shoulder back towards your other arm in step 3 to bring your head out of the water.

   Once you are comfortable with moving and breathing, go to step 7.

7. Diagram 7

   Now it is time to remove your floatation device. Start by kicking your feet up, like you did on the wall or you can kick off the bottom of the pool sending you into a forward motion (See diagram).

   Start moving your arms immediately like you did in step 4 or step 6. Breathe either by lifting your head straight up if using your arms like step 4 or to your side if using step 6. If you want to slow this process down, start by using your snorkel again and just using your arms and legs.

   Congratulations, you should now be swimming without supports. Before going into the deeper areas of the pool, make sure you can swim back and forth across the shallow section four times without stopping to stand or pushing off the wall with your feet.

Tips & Warnings

• Swimming in deep water where you cannot touch the floor easily with your feet is dangerous and you should have a swimming buddy with a life saving floatation device just in case.