Learning to swim

[Susan]

I learned swimming quite a long time ago so I may be wrong, but I think the point of kicking is mostly to keep balance. If you have good balance, you are able to swim freestyle even without kicking (legs just floating and rolling with your body). If the legs won't stay up, it's a balance problem, not a kicking problem most of the time. There is no need to really propel you forward with your legs (at least if you aren't a competitive swimmer)... so don't be discouraged.

[lph]

We've now done:
just leg kicks holding a kickboard, with head up and with head immersed
just leg kicks with fins, arms straight ahead, hands locked together
some other stuff
leg kicks with fins lying on one side, one arm ahead, breathing the whole time
ditto, with side changes
ditto, with 3 arm strokes and side change
and have now upgraded to the Drill from Hell...
... which is face in the water, regular leg kicks/no fins, one hand flat on a kickboard ahead, one arm doing the arm stroke, and practicing the breathing rhythm: one arm stroke - hold your breath, one more arm stroke - breathe out, twist face up, breathe in.

I hate thsi drill! There's so much to think about, and half the time I bungle the breathing out so I end up trying to breathe in while there's still air in my lungs and the other half of the time I try to breathe in and there's just a helluva lot of water there.

I made a little bit of progress when I realized that the arm stroke, like in paddling, doesn't generate an even force. There's one point in the stroke where you can feel your arm giving a bit more "shove", which is good to use to start the rotation. But mostly I struggle because I'm used to breathing out the entire time doing breaststroke except when I come up to breathe in, so expelling air fast feels quite strange to me. And holding my breath feels even worse. I read somewhere that the breathing reflex is not connected to needing more oxygen, because there's quite a bit of oxygen left in the air you breathe out, but connected to a build-up of carbon dioxide in your lungs, so you feel the need to breathe out. Whatever the reason, my head feels like it's about to explode.

Owell, keeps my head busy.

[Pax]

lph - try exhaling throughout the underwater part of your stroke, then inhaling naturally as your mouth clears the water. I taught and coached swimming for a zillion years and trying to blast out air and inhale in the short window of the stroke is a mistake a lot of newer folks make. It makes your stroke really choppy.

[Becky]

This particular blog post from Swim Smooth really helped my breathing timing.

Heck, their whole site helped me learn to swim in a somewhat-efficient fashion. I'll never be fast or have super endurance, but I no longer feel like I'm going to drown.

[lph]

Thanks Pax, I'll try. The instructor wants us to hold our breath as long as possible, exhale fast underwater and inhale fast, but it gets me confused so I end up exhaling too little, too late. Exhaling continuously underwater I can do.

[Becky]

Thanks Pax, I'll try. The instructor wants us to hold our breath as long as possible, exhale fast underwater and inhale fast, but it gets me confused so I end up exhaling too little, too late. Exhaling continuously underwater I can do.

Has the instructor explained why he wants you to hold your breath? I'm confused by that...

[lph]

Not really, but we haven't had much time to discuss it. He said something about floating higher in the water (which is logical, but I float pretty well ) and being able to use the oxygen in your lungs for longer, which I'm not sure if I buy.

Anyone?

[Pax]

Has the instructor explained why he wants you to hold your breath? I'm confused by that...

Not really, but we haven't had much time to discuss it. He said something about floating higher in the water (which is logical, but I float pretty well ) and being able to use the oxygen in your lungs for longer, which I'm not sure if I buy.

Anyone?

I'm with Becky, that's very odd.

I know competitive swimmers who practice breath holding to increase lung capacity, but I've never heard of that with people learning to swim.

[Becky]

His explanation runs counter to what I was taught. I learned to exhale continuously, which lowers your chest and raises your legs, making you more streamlined and efficient.

But I don't know enough to say who's right.