How Good of a Swimmer Are You?

Many people like to swim for recreation.
But have you ever wondered what makes a good swimmer?
Swimming really boils down to a solid knowledge of the basics and a certain skill level. We are going to go over what it takes to be a “good swimmer” in today’s blog:
 

Treading Water

A basic swimming skill is treading water. In order to swim safely, you will want to know how to tread. It is important to know how to keep your head above water and stay in one place.
Start by learning the scissor kick.
Build your way up to treading water for longer and longer periods of time. First, just for one minute. Then, three minutes. Then, five minutes. Then, ten minutes.
The longer you can tread, the better!
 

Coordination

When people first start swimming, they don’t exactly look graceful. It takes time to perfect each stroke. Ideally, each stroke should be performed confidently and smoothly. Beginners often flail their arms and legs and chop through the water, messily.

Don’t be discouraged! Practice makes perfect. It takes a little while to get used to activating all the different muscles required in swimming. One big tip is to keep good posture at all times.

If you learn to swim using great posture, you will keep the great posture when you get more skilled.

Diving

You will need to be comfortable diving in! This is a rudimentary skill.  “Always practice diving in a deep pool with a lifeguard on duty.” A good way to start learning to dive is by practicing the form outside of the pool.

Put your arms above your head and stack your hands one on top of the other. Next, practice bending forward. Bend further and further. And have your hands point your way into the water.

Eventually, you should fall in, headfirst. When you get more comfortable, you can start jumping in with this technique instead of just falling in.

Practice Makes Perfect

You may think you are way beyond treading, diving, and coordinating your strokes. But the truth is, you could always be better at it!
Measure where you are right now and use that as a baseline. Then, work on improving. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comment section! We are happy to help.