Newbie to swimming needs help on a couple of points!?

Question

Hi I'm just learning to swim but am having problems with 2 things that are stopping my progress. Can you give me some tips?

1. I am finding it hard to stand back up in the water after being in the horizontal swimming position (breaststroke)- my feet and backside just don't want to come back down and let me stand back again on the bottom of the pool - so I end up flailing around and have to be helped! I can't swim a whole length yet, and have to stop halfway, but then can't stand up and that is not doing my confidence any good.

2. I don't know the best way to breathe when I am doing breaststroke - I tend to gasp and only take in a tiny amount of air, then I panic. Also I get water in my mouth and that makes me choke! Hope you can advise!

Answer 1

1.) take it easy at first it takes time after you swim try doing a cool off lap after wards so that your head isnt spinning when you try to get up, sometimes i also even float on my back to this day i still do it & i've been swimming for 13 years.

2.) First you need to get your technique in order you want to know how you are moving your arms because if you are doing it wrong it may make it harder for you to come up and breathe, try this

ARMS touch chest- head down

when arms extend fully- head up

then repeat you can do this in the shallow end so your feet are still on the floor.

good luck to you and take your time with it, i really hope i helped.

Answer 2

it sounds like you need to breath out underwater...i forget to do that sometimes in meets when im not concentrated fully, especially fly...this should help with your standing problem, becuase then you can calm down, relax, and think...i remember when i started, and ur descriptions sounds a lot like what i was like when i started lol...keep going at it and youll be awesome...its a great sports

Answer 3

i found when i was learning to do that it helped if i didn't try and sink my legs but rather simply pushed back with my arms and held head up and pulled me legs under me at the same time. then i was in a foetal sort of position with my arm s out at my sides/ I simply lowered me legs and pronto i was standing up. it took me a week to perfect and now i do it without thinking.

2=breath out as your face goes into the water and inhale when you pull arms back and thrust head out of water. takes a little practise but works and  if you don't try and race you will find it's a relaxing stroke and you will  be able to do a length easily. just take you time and try and feel at easi in the water. funnily enough the more you relax  and feel at ease in water the easier it is to swim.

Answer 4

1.  Don't panic.  Just try putting your feet down nice and slowly.

2.  Your face is too close to the water.  Your head should be higher up, just so your chin is slightly in the water.  Try and breath normally - don't gasp!!

Swim beside the edge of the pool until you get better - then at least you will feel more confident as you can just reach out an grab the wall if you need to.  Good luck

Answer 5

Relax and enjoy... but a small tip that might help is to put the tip of your tongue onto the roof of your mouth, that way any water coming in will not go down into you throat.

That's what we divers do with a breathing regulator in our mouth, the tongue stops drops of water going to the back of the throat....Might help also build your confidence as that would be something else out of the way.