How to Swim

Guide Note

Swimming is a great skill to have, whether you plan on splashing around the pool this summer or someday winning the Olympic Gold. How to Swim will teach you swimming basics and focus on the freestyle stroke, the most common swimming style for beginners.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Safety First
• Step 1: Get Comfortable
• Step 2: Stay Afloat
• Step 3: The Freestyle Stroke
• Wait, There's More
• References

How to Swim Tips

1. Grab a buddy who knows how to swim.
2. Take time to play around in the water until you are relaxed.
3. When you are ready, jump lightly off the ground until your legs are relaxed out behind you and your body is horizontal.
4. Kick feet up and down, while alternately moving your arms through the water.
5. Breathe by turning your head to the side.

• by J.M.Brown

Introduction

• Swimming is a great way to cool off, slim down and even save your life. A swimmer propels herself through the water by moving her arms and legs. You might not be equipped with fins and gills, but follow these three easy steps and you'll be swimming like a fish in no time at all.

Safety First

• When it comes to drowning, all it takes is 2 inches of water and two minutes so it's important to learn water safety before you learn how to swim.^{1 2}

Pool Safety

Safety first! (Creative Commons photo by Paul Sapiano)

1. Always swim with a buddy or in an area supervised by a lifeguard.³
   • This goes for adults too.
2. Pay attention to depth markers.²
   • Big numbers on the side of the pool tell you how deep it is.
3. Obey pool rules.

Open Water Safety

1. Unexpected hazards can make oceans, rivers, and lakes more dangerous than swimming pools. Beware of:
   1. Rough waves
   2. Sneaky currents and riptides⁴
      • If you get caught in a current, don't fight it. Swim with the current parallel to the shore.³
   3. Undertows
   4. Changes in weather
2. Stick close to the shore, your buddy and a lifeguard.
3. Pay attention to posted signs and rules.³
   • Especially "no diving" and "no swimming" signs.³
4. Always enter feet first.⁴
   • This prevents neck and back injuries.
5. Watch where you are going.
   • This is especially vital in murky water where you can't see the bottom.
   • If you do suddenly find yourself in over your head, don't panic: tread water.

Child Safety

1. When teaching a child to swim, invest in a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.⁵
   • Floaties and foam toys (like kickboards or noodles) should not be used in place of a life jacket because they are not made to protect your child.⁵
2. Never leave a child unattended.⁶
   • Children need constant supervision.⁴
3. Kids: Don't go swimming without your parent's permission!

• And no matter your age or swimming location, until you are completely confident in yourself, stick to the shallow end.

Step 1: Get Comfortable

• Before you learn how to swim you need to feel at home in the water. This guide refers to swimming pools, but if you don't have access to one, you can learn in any body of water, such as a lake, river or ocean.

1. Grab a buddy.⁷ The buddy should be:
   1. Someone you trust and feel safe with.⁸
   2. Able to swim.
      • You don't need a buddy to learn how to swim, but the buddy system does create a safer learning experience. Plus, if you are feeling nervous about being in the water, a buddy can help ease your anxieties.
2. Ease into shallow water.
   • Water should be chest level.
3. Hold on to the side of the pool or your swim buddy.⁸
   1. Take a deep breath.
   2. Dunk your head underneath the water.⁸
   3. Remain submerged as long as you are comfortable holding your breath.
      • Open your eyes and blow bubbles through your nose.
      • If needed, use goggles, nose plugs and earplugs.
4. Next, while continuing to grip the side of the pool, lift your feet off the bottom of the pool.
   1. Allow your legs to float out behind you.
   2. Kick your feet up and down to get used to the motion.⁹
      • Feet should be just below the surface of the water.
      • This is called the flutter kick.¹⁰
      • The rest of your body should be relaxed and your face should be in the water.⁸
5. Repeat until you are relaxed and used to the water.⁷

Step 2: Stay Afloat

Treading water. (Creative Commons photo by Shawn Zehnder Lea)

• Now that you feel relaxed, it's time to learn how to keep your head above water. This way, if you end up stranded in the deep end and too tired for one more stroke, you'll be able to rest without visiting Davey Jones' locker.¹¹ If you are impatient or already know these swimming basics, jump to Step 3, but these essential techniques are an asset to the beginning swimmer.

Tread Water

1. Release the edge of the pool.
2. Keep your body vertical.
3. Lift your feet off the ground and begin kicking like you practiced in Step 1.¹²
   • Since you should be in shallow water, lightly bend your knees.
   • You can also move your feet as if you are walking up a staircase (hence, treading water).
   • The important thing is that you move your legs alternately (any type of kick will work, e.g., egg beater, scissor kick, flutter kick).^{12 13} Kicking will keep your head above water, but depending on the type of kick, your body will bob up and down.
4. Moving your arms will bring your body out of the water even more and stabilize your bobbing.¹²
   1. Start with your arms a little more than shoulder length apart.
      • Curved like you are hugging a big tree.
      • Palms turned inward.
   2. Move arms forward through the water until your hands overlap.¹²
   3. Move arms back to shoulder length.¹²
      • Palms should be turned outward during the motion.
   4. Rotate palms inward and begin again.
      • Move slowly.
      • Arms will end up moving in small circles.
   5. Now have some fun. Try different hand and leg movements to see what works the best for you and what is least tiring.
      • To ease tired legs try treading water by moving your arms only.¹⁴
      • When your arms tire, tread with your legs.¹⁴
        • The best kick to use is the eggbeater (but it is also the most complicated). Lifeguards and polo players use the eggbeater to stay afloat, so they can keep their hands free.¹³
5. Watch this video from demonstrating techniques of treading water.¹⁴

Back Float

• The back float is a simple way to keep your head above water while resting your body. Plus, it's a relaxing way to spend a hot afternoon.

1. Spread out your arms, but keep them relaxed.⁶
2. Lean back into the water, relaxing your body.¹⁵
   • Your head should be back in the water.
     • Look up at the sky.¹⁵
   • Lightly kick up so your feet will rise to the surface.⁶
     • Eventually, as you float your feet might start to sink, don't panic! Keep your face turned to the sky and your tummy up. Your head should stay above water. Bring your feet back up again.⁶
     • If you start to sink and you do panic, start treading water until you calm down.
3. Make sure you keep breathing!

Doggy Paddle

• The doggy paddle is not an official swimming technique (you will not see this used in competitive swimming) but it will keep you afloat and is popular with kids and teens because it keeps your head above water.¹⁶

1. Lay on your chest.
2. Keep mouth and nose above water.¹⁶
3. Paddle using alternate hands.¹⁶
   • Keep arms in front of your body, starting at a 90-degree angle and pushing down so arm is almost fully extended.
4. Kick your feet.

Step 3: The Freestyle Stroke

(Creative Commons photo by Gabriel)

• The easiest (not counting the doggy paddle) and most common stroke for beginners is the freestyle stroke, also known as the front crawl and sidestroke.⁹ Keep in mind to move smoothly through the water you should minimize splashing and water resistance.¹⁰

1. Kick off the ground like you did in step one.
   • If you want you can push off the side of the pool.¹⁷ This will propel you through the water.
   1. Your body should be horizontal.⁹
   2. Your face should be in the water.
   3. Kick up and down, churning the water but not overly splashing.⁹
   4. Point toes but keep feet relaxed.
2. Move your arms.
   1. Start with your arms extended in front of you.
      • Hands together.
      • Hands should be slightly curved with fingers spaced apart and relaxed.^{7 9}
        • Don't spread your fingers too much. It should feel natural.
      • Elbow should be slightly bent.⁹
      • Arms will take turns rising out of water.¹⁰
   2. Push your right arm through the water, down along your body until it rotates through the water into the air.
   3. End with your right arm in the starting position.
   4. Repeat, alternating arms.¹⁷
      • You should be kicking and moving your arms at the same time.
3. To breathe, turn your head to the left when your right arm is resting and turn your head to the right when your left arm is resting.¹⁸
   • Exhale under water.¹⁷
4. Stay in shallow water so you can stand up if needed.
5. Watch this video demonstrating the front crawl swimming stroke.¹⁷

Wait, There's More

Alternative Strokes

• Once you master the freestyle stroke you might want to try a few more strokes, such as:

1. Breaststroke
2. Backstroke
3. Butterfly Stroke

Swimming for Fitness

• Swimming is a great low impact workout because water resistance creates cardiovascular and strengthening benefits.¹⁹ The water cushions your body preventing added pressure on your joints and bones, so you are less likely to come away with injuries and pain.¹⁸ This makes swimming the perfect exercise for almost anyone, but as always, consult your doctor before starting a fitness program.
• Try these fun water workouts:

1. 5 Weeks of Swim Workouts for Swimmers (Sign-up to have one workout per week sent to your email)
2. Self Magazine's Dive In! Workout
3. Water Exercises: The Coolest Workout

Competitive Swimming

• This guide is not meant to prepare you for competitive swimming. If you wish to swim competitively, you should find a swimming instructor, coach, or class in your area. Check out:

1. Clubswim.com
2. YMCA
3. USA Swimming

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References for How to Swim

1. ↑ Kids Health: Staying Safe While in the Water
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Kids Health: Swimming
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Kids Health: Water Safety
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} American Red Cross: Water Safety Tips
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} CDC: Water-Related Injuries: Fact Sheet
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} eHow: How to Teach a Child to Swim
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Instructables: How to Swim Freestyle
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3} wikiHow: How to Swim
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5} eHow: How to Swim the Freestyle Stroke
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Yahoo Education: Encyclopedia: Swimming
11. ↑ Wikipedia: Davy Jones' Locker
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4} wikiHow: How to Tread Water
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Wikipedia: Treading Water
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2} ExpertVillage: How to Tread Water (Time: 1:55)
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} eHow: How to Float on Your Back
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2} Wikipedia: List of Swimming Styles
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3} ExpertVillage: How to Front Crawl (Time: 2:42)
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} PBS Kids: Solo Sports: Swimming
19. ↑ WebMD: Fitness Basics: Swimming is For Everyone