Hmm...apparently I Start My Swimming On Monday...


Azure

Trust the recursion...
Joined
May 21, 2003
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California, USA
I found out today that on Monday I'm supposed to start my swimming unit in P.E. (High School), and the reason why I'm not as enthusiastic about it is because, I CAN'T SWIM!

I have been to the local pool a couple of times (3 years ago) but I didn't really swim. I can float on my stomach, but I was afraid to try floating on my back (I didn't know how I would get back to a standing position). I was able to sit dive under water (5 foot pool) and collect coins, I was able to sit on the bottom of the pool, and I was able to float on my stomach and "try" to swim (By doing this, I usually only went like 3-4 feet in a long period of time). The thing that I really need to learn how to do is how to float vertically without having your feet touch the ground. I'm clueless as to how this can be achieved. I always have to stand on my feet, and when I jump off of them, I just sink down into the pool and float a little below the water. I also wasn't able to jump in the water as I was worried that I wouldn't float back up.

So, any advice on my problems? Any tips? Thanks.
 
that sucks
i clasify myself a gp32 and fitness enthusiest
i can swim
it serves me well
it's easy to learn
but damn dude if you have to swim like 2 hours a day i feel for you
i did that over the summer to train for football
it's hard as shit

oh wait advice
breaststroke is the easiest by far so if you can get to just swim that DO IT!
and backstroke sucks and be sure to keep kicking you can sometimes forget but it helps you out so much it takes pressure off your arms and it boosts your speed a lot and short hair helps
 
diablo2 posted on Mar 24 2004 at 07:54 PM said:
and short hair helps
Really? By how much does it help? Maybe I should get a hair cut...
 
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You wont die or drown... Just dont be scared to try it out... to sloat on your back Lay on your back with your arms out like you are on a cross hehe...

Like this -

AA050446.jpg


You can get back on your feet easilly....

Then to swim just watch people then copy them :D hehe... Also Mess around on the slides if they have any, they usually kick ass...

Just remember, They Cant Force you to do it.. Get a Note or something from your mum saying you cant swim or something... and they sould let u watch or make notes at the pool side....

But its fun once u get used to swimming... :D


Short Hair is mainly just for People who swim in races etc...
 
Floating on your back is no problem at all. You will probably not just float around, it just does not work that way, but your head will never go below water. Stretch out your arms and think of them as somewhat of a "revolving point". If you just lay down on top of the water, face up, you will sink - BUT not straight down. You will turn into a standing position automatically, because you will oly sink below the waist. Try it out, I know there is some fear involved, but try it and you will se that it works nicely ;)

If I think about it, floating on your back is a lot easier than floating on your stomach ;)

Jumping in as also n peoblem. Your body has a tendency to float up, with your chest area being the highest point (lungs). So, try it, dive down to the ground and just let yourself float upwards. Then just raise your head and move your legs forward. You will stand again. Basically, if you aren't dizzy or just completely exhaled anything you ever breathed in, you will float upwards. I myself don't like jumping in because I hate chlorine in my nose, but nothing really scary will happen, believe me ;)
 
I believe the question was "how can I float vertically?"

Answer: You can't.

You have to swim to stay afloat.

Im not a professional myself, so I can't give you any tips.

But, you dont need to cut your hair, unless you plan on entering a professional swimming league. The pros do it to cut down on resistance, It won't help you much if you can't swim.
 
Can you ride a bike? The theory is the same. If you sit on it and don't move you will fall off, if you pedal you stay on. Same with swimming, If I lie on my front then of course I'm gonna sink if I just stay there, but once I start moving my arms and legs to 'drag' myself fowards, I stay afloat.

Sounds to me as If you have a defeatist attitude and no confidence. Just forget about the lying on your back thing until you are comfortable with swimming fowards.

Of course you sink...people do, this is why Titanic was such a tradgedy.
 
My parents always tried to teach me how to swim... without success.

Then I just thought jumping into deep water can't be too hard... I did it and since then I can swim ;)
 
Even if you don't lie on your back (which is guaranteed to spare you from a slow, painful suffocating death) the art of 'staying afloat' amounts to flapping your arms up and down a bit. Or cycling your legs around. Anything that pushes the water down so you bob up. Reactionary force.

Swimming is really easy, much easier than a bike - just jump in there and attempt to propell yourself through the water. It should come naturally really - you push the water away and it, in turn, pushes your forwards - Newton pairs of forces. So use your arms to sweep water past you and behind you, and kick away with your legs, and you'll move forward.

I know you know how to swim already (just because you can't do it doesn't mean you haven't seen the motions), I'm just trying to explain it scientifically. I have a terrible feeling I've just patronised you horribly - if so, simply disregard my comments.

Finally - as for 'afraid you'll swim back up' - tons of people will be in the pool. In the extremely unlikely event that you manage to sink yourself in a pool that has a massive upthrust of its own that will -force- you up to the surface, they'll be people noticing as well as a lifeguard or two I'd imagine. So don't sweat it :)

I still can't ride a bike, for what it's worth. Tried balancing it, failed, never bothered again. I kind of regret it though...
 
floating depends of your ammount of muscle
if you have a lot you are too dense to float no matter how your try

to tread water just kick that water while standing verticly and then like push down on the water with your hands

its hard to explain without pictures


the short hair thing is just opposed to really long hair
long hair slows you down

i'm not sure if your interested in winning though as opposed from just learning how
 
man that happened to me as well. i learned when i was in primary etc but not well ....so i know how to swim........but only the breast stroke ;) and when i go swimming its for a piss about so i was fucked when the teacher in pe goes "Do 2 lengths using the front crawl". i was the slowest there.....it sucked. Im lucky that it was pretty much only my mates watching otherwise i would have been damn embarrassed
 
diablo2 posted on Mar 28 2004 at 02:00 AM said:
floating depends of your ammount of muscle
if you have a lot you are too dense to float no matter how your try
this is very true. it's so annoying how everyone else can do it.
 
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divadsci posted on Mar 28 2004 at 08:06 PM said:
diablo2 posted on Mar 28 2004 at 02:00 AM said:
floating depends of your ammount of muscle
if you have a lot you are too dense to float no matter how your try
this is very true. it's so annoying how everyone else can do it.
:D
 
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Azure posted on Mar 28 2004 at 02:01 AM said:
Well, we are going to have races everyday, so I got my hair cut on Friday.
Wow... Its not you Head Hair u get cut / shaved.... Im Sure that its only Shaving your Arm / Body / Leg Hair that helps... Unless you are Swimming Under water, but if its just for school then theres no point in my opinion... If you were Swimming in Official Competitions / Championship things then You would shave all your hair etc... :blink: :unsure:
 
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And by the way, just to give you some confidence: When in the Bundeswehr (German army), we had to swim 600 meter. Unfortunately, the hall was not ventilated, it was extremely hot and the chlorine was too too much. I did not yet have had breakfast nor did I drink anything, and after some strain on my muscles, I passed out - in the water, mind you.

Well, I still live to write here, don't I? ;)

Yes, I am aware of the fact that by now you seem to be able to swim. Anyway, I am currently bored. Thanks for your attention ;)
 
Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The pool in which we do our laps only ranges from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet. The only problems I encountered today were staying afloat in the water (I always sank back down until my feet touched the floor, so I had to have my feet touching the ground all the time except when I was swimming. I tried kicking the water down and the other things you mentioned.) and being able to swim with my head above water. I'm really concerned about the last one. I don't know how others can do it. When I swim, I dive forward and my head is like 3 inches below the water and I perform the normal swimming strokes. What I want to do is have all of my body submerged underwater except for my head (I saw others doing this. There body almost in a horizontal position and their heads were above the water). Any tips on how I can do this?
 
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