I can swim ok on my back, and don't really have any fear of water anymore. When we fall over on solid ground, we instinctively put our arms out to break the fall. To do the breaststroke, you have to initially lean forwards in the water and stretch out your arms and of course you can't touch the bottom with your arms/hands, but when I do this I panic because my arms want to break the fall and touch the bottom of the pool, but of course they can't!. Then I start flailing about like a dying fish! Any tips from you great swimmers out there?|||Hi there. I'm an ex-competitve swimmer and an ASA swimming teacher. I regularly teach both adults and children, predominently now as private lessons, so I am used to dealing with specific problems.
First of all...you are not alone! A lot of adults, when they first start out swimming, think that their problems are exclusively their's. The fear of 'falling' is a fairly common one...and from what I can understand from your question, you are aware yourself that it is a subconscious fear, so you have taken that first step. Naturally, the next step is to overcome that fear.
As in all new things to learn, taking things gradually and at your own pace is vital. As you're comfortable on your back, a nice way of starting to ensure the leg kick is efficient enough to keep you moving is to perfect the kick on your back. A common misconception with swimming is that the arms are the important factor. No no no!!! It's your legs that provide the necessary propulsion, and also work as the counter-balance to keep you flat.
This can then be turned on to your front, initially by holding onto the wall, to give you that bit extra confidence, before using a float. A woggle would be the best next step, held across the chest, tight under the armpits. This will get you used to having your arms in that 'forward' position, but still with the security of the buoyancy aid. More nervous swimmers prefer to use a float as well as the woggle to start with, as the fear of falling over the woggle is quite a common fear.
Using the woggles, you can then start to work on the arm action, and initially all you want to be doing is small arm movements in front of you.
Further practices I would recommend are the push and glide with your face in the water. This way you start off flat, so you won't get that sensation of having to fall forwards to start.
Certain things I would recommend to give you that further confidence is practice standing up again from a floating position on the water (sounds stupid but again is a very common fear in adults that they won't be able to stand up. The secret is to not try and put your feet down first, but to thrust tour pelvis forward) and just in a standing position practice blowing out in the water and lifting or turning your head clear of the water to breathe in.
On a safety note, breastoroke can put considerable strain on your knees and hips if you don't warm up thoroughly, and your lower back if you do the 'head-up' breastroke. No swimming teacher will ever teach breastroke until the person has a basic ability in frontcrawl and backcrawl, in order to be able to do a good warm up. I would definitely recommend trying a basic frontcrawl first, before trying breastroke - it is a more physically demanding stroke to do, but it puts a lot less strain on the joints, and once the 'basics' are in place, it is an easier stroke to achieve...thus is also a good confidence builder.
Please feel free to contact me if you want any further advice, I am more than happy to help. My email is lynsey.wilson@yahoo.co.uk.
Hope this helps
Lynsey Wilson|||Invest in a float and use it until you get more confident. Good luck, keep going and you will succeed in the end.|||just keep on practice on a not deep level..
then when u feel ur now good..
practice it in a deep level..|||Sometimes u will find that u are over thinking it to much so u are almost willing something to happen. if u notice that babys dont have that fear cause they dont know they can drown. sometimes we just make ourselves to acwarked. if u just relaxed when u felt urself fall forward. u know u will float back up. good luck|||Start off in chest deep water at the side of the pool and push yourself off and try gliding across the top off the water. Keep doing this until you feel comfortable and then you will overcome your fear. Try and make a game of it and see how far you can glide before you either put you feet down or start swimming.|||Okay, so try really hard to fall on your face in the water! Bet you can't do it! To do the breaststroke you actually don't initially lean forwards in the water! If you are swimming for pleasure then your arms should be just below the surface of the water - not aiming in to the water! The breast stroke, competitively is a bit different as your arms will be lower in the water. Try 'paddling' your arms just below the surface in a very wide arc. This will propel you! If you wish to swim at speed then you will take your arms down lower in the water. Chill out with this one - you are trying too hard! Cool off and remember that the water will keep you buoyant!
I swam for England at club level, I taught disabled and very young children how to swim.|||If your pool has a kick board - use it! Start off by just holding onto it with both arms in front of you and then doing the breaststroke kick across the pool. Just hold onto it and keep your head looking straight forward, and above the water at all times.
Once you get the kick down and feel a little more comfortable with it, add in the arms. The arm movement isn't so much aiming downward in the water, it is more stretching straight forward and then pulling the water back to you and then past your body behind you. If done correctly, you shouldn't ever have to put your head underwater. It will be as if you still have the buoyancy of the kick board.
If you don't feel comfortable or cannot maintain the buoyancy to keep your head above water and still have the fear of falling, simply practice in shallow water. Remind yourself that the worst that can happen is you go underwater - which is not anything to worry about. If you are scared of going underwater, try floating or treading water before swimming breast stroke in order to gain a better comfort level in the water.|||Ok so you definatly shouldn't be afraid of falling at all! You've got nothing to worry about! Try this, do "Dead Mans Float" (its laying on your stomach and seeing how long you can hold your breath) but don't concentrate on breathing concentrate on balance. When i was 11 i swam a 1:30 in a 25 yard pool. (Which is pretty good) and i did fall forward in the water. Its all about confidence! Don't even think about what to do. i really hope this helps! You've got to overcome your fears! Swimming is awesome, so enjoy it. And don't worry! later!|||Dear Julia:
O.K., First, this is going to sound crazy. The sensation of falling forward is Good!
When you are first learning to swim, a good swim coach will teach you to "streamline." Streamline is when you are in a position like a torpedo, arms outstretched, hands in the position of travel, legs straight back %26amp; this is when your head is held at a normal position, not too far forward, not too far back.
Now, when I swim in breaststroke or freestyle, my coach constantly tells me, "Put your head down!" I didn't understand what she meant until one night, my coach told me, "When you feel like you are falling in the water, your head is in the correct position."
In my case, I naturally keep my head "up" because I am short. I am five feet six inches tall. I guess a life of looking at taller people has made a "heads up" position feel normal. With my head in a position that "feels" like falling in the water, I am naturally more streamlined, I have reduced drag %26amp; my stroke is much more efficient %26amp; effective.
Here's what I suggest:
1). Continue swimming. What ever you do, just swim, swim, swim. The more you swim, the more you will experience %26amp; learn. Suddenly things that you never expected seem to make sense.
2). Try to get used to the "falling down" feeling. Before, with my head in the "heads up" position," I was creating drag %26amp; causing myself to work way too hard just to eliminate drag. I have significantly reduced my breaststroke %26amp; freestyle meet times in the 50-meter %26amp; 100-meter because I know now how to properly position my head.
3). Find a coach or mentor. Ask your coach for advise. Despite the fact that your coach seems really busy %26amp; not able to answer questions because he or she is SO busy, they really want to be asked. Coaches have years of experience %26amp; love to impart wisdom.
4). Finally, RELAX! Remember, some of your fear of the water has to do with your breathing. Try to improve your breathing technique. In the breaststroke position, all you have to do is lift your head out of the water to take a breath. Remember this and you will do very well.
Good luck. Yours in swimming,
Hagen Das|||You need to build confidence with your face under water.
breath in and exhale underneath to get use to the feeling, then you should be confident enough to think you are not falling
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