Why, How, and Where Adults Should Learn to Swim in Etobicoke

You'll be one lap ahead in the pool after reading this.

Written by: Gerald the Second

Don't Be Afraid? Who's Afraid?

Learning to swim as an adult in Etobicoke has a stigma attached to it.

As in, if you don’t already know how to swim by the time you’re 18— you might as well give up! I don't think so!

This attitude against an adult’s swimming ability is ridiculous. There are many reasons why an adult may not know how to swim.

For instance, maybe they grew up without a pool or maybe they grew up with parents who were afraid of the water or maybe they had a bad experience in the water.

The point is that you should never be afraid to learn a new skill, especially not one as useful, helpful, and fun as learning to swim.

Why You Should Learn to Swim

One of the first things you must understand about swimming is that, in many ways, swimming is counter-intuitive. Humans are not natural-born swimmers, you cannot simply jump in the depend like a curious dog and expect to know what to do. Many people realize this while they are young, under the guidance of their parents.

But as we grow older, we become increasingly jaded to new experiences. Who wants to learn something from scratch? It’s hard! But, if you want to learn how to swim or, for that matter, grow as a human-being, you must embrace the uncertainty, embrace being the new-guy and, most of all, embrace the process of learning.

For those looking to convince themselves, here are five good reasons why adults should learn to swim.

Benefits of Learning to Swim as an Adult in Etobicoke:

Safety

Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning is the sixth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages, and the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years.

Fitness

Swimming laps and doing water aerobics is a great way to get and stay in shape—particularly for adults. As we grow older, concerns like joint pain and doing as little damage as possible to our muscles and bones become major considerations. Want to do cardio, but you want to do something that is hard on your knees? Try swimming! It’s the best of both worlds.

Fun

Swimming is an enjoyable activity that can be done at any age! Adults often enjoy joining swimming groups and the more competitive can even apply their swimming to things like triathlons and Ironman competitions.

How Adults Can Learn to Swim

The best way to learn to swim as an adult is through private adult swim lessons. A close second is group adult swim lessons. Either way, though, you want the person teaching you how to swim to be professional and certified.While your instructor will certainly explain all of this to you, here are a few things to keep in mind before and during your first swim lesson.

Start Shallow

It’s natural to harbour fear of the water if you’ve spent little time in it. One way to overcome that fear is to start in the shallow end of the pool. There, you’ll be able to stand in the water, lowering yourself according to your comfort level.

Practice holding your breath while your head is under the surface, knowing you can come up for air whenever you wish.

Get Comfortable with Your Face in the Water

One of the biggest challenges for adults who are learning how to swim is keeping their faces in the water. It may feel uncomfortable. It can even cause mild anxiety for some.With the exception of backstroke, every stroke requires your face to be underwater a significant portion of the time.

Getting used to the feeling is an important part of learning to swim. You should get used to submerging your face slowly but surely. Do not rush it or push yourself to panic. Start by briefly dipping your face under the water and then gradually, over the period of minutes, hours, or even days, work your way up to fully submerging yourself and holding your breath under water (preferable with eyes open, wearing goggles).

Study Freestyle Swimming

Experienced swimmers make freestyle look easy. But in fact, the stroke is made up of several forms that work in concert to ensure smooth, efficient movement through the water.When you’re learning how to swim as an adult, don’t think of freestyle as a single stroke. Instead, think of it as a series of strokes, each of which need attention.

Focus on the positions of your wrists as your hands enter the water. Concentrate on the positions of your elbows and forearms as your hands sweep from overhead to your hips. Pay attention to the roll of your body, your flutter kick, and how you exhale as your head turns downward in the water.

Freestyle is easy once you get the hang of it. But it’s important to master all of the individual movements that make up the stroke.

Where to Learn to Swim

Yes, if you legitimately do not know how to swim, you’ll need a pool to actually learn. Aim Above Swim School in Etobicoke provides access to several local condo pools, or you can use your own if you like...

Just like learning to ride a bike, you’ll have to just start acclimating yourself to the movements and eventually it will come naturally. You really can’t learn to swim without actually getting into the water, YouTube and books and how-to articles will not cut it!Some people learn to swim in the ocean or other bodies of water.

This is not recommended as oceans have currents and other dangers that may overwhelm new swimmers. If the ocean is all that’s available to you then just make sure you bring an experienced swimmer with you in the water to teach and watch over you.

For most, then, a pool is the best place to learn to swim. All the best private and group swim classes take place in a pool, just remember before you show up to one of these classes that you need to have the the right gear. For women, a one-piece is a must. For men, a bathing suit that is not huge board shorts; basically, the point is to avoid “drag” aka anything that will slow you down in the water.

Goggles are necessary for everyone, even if they do make you look like a nerd. (You’ll probably want a pair that aren’t too small around the eyes, those can give you headaches and are really only necessary for competitive-swimming). If you have long hair, a cap is good too.There you have it! Everything adults need to get in the water and start swimming. Time to jump in!

Contact Information:

Company: Aim Above Swim School

City: Etobicoke, Ontario

Phone: (416) 988-0042

Website: https://swim.aimabove.ca