First, let's remind ourselves that when in open water, it is important to follow safety guidelines that should be adhered to.
Buy a buoy. It will make you visible from the shore. And if you get tired, you can lean on it and just lie on the water.
Do not enter the water in bad weather — strong waves, wind, currents, etc. Even if you are a strong person, you can still be overwhelmed by a wave.
Now let's move on to the training.
In a swimming pool, training starts with swimming on your back, but open water is not a pool. Therefore, you should start by swimming on your stomach. If you begin by swimming on your back, there is a high chance that you will drift off diagonally and then have to search for where your belongings are on the shore.
The first thing you need to learn is how to breathe in the water. Because if you are swimming on your stomach with your head above the surface, it will put a lot of strain on your neck and spine.
We recommend doing the following exercise: enter the water up to your waist and start exhaling into the water. For this, you need to inhale through your mouth and exhale through your nose. You should start this exercise before submerging your face in the water and finish after you have pulled your nose out of the water. Do this exercise 10 times: for the first 5 times, take a breath and slowly lower your nose into the water, but not all the way. You should be able to see that you are breathing on the water. For the next 5 times, try to lower your nose into the water deeper.
Second, it is essential to overcome the fear of water and trust it. To do this, learn to lie on the water and not sink. The following exercise will help: enter the water just above your waist, lie back like a starfish, and then roll onto your stomach. We won't be learning to swim on your back, but lying on it and resting is very beneficial. Especially because when you swim on your stomach, if you get tired, swallow water, or start coughing, you can easily roll onto your back, breathe, and rest. Then you can continue swimming.
So, you relax, lie on your back, and spread your arms and legs out to the sides. Your head should rest on the water; there’s no need to lift it. The goal is to relax, raise your hips as high as possible, and stretch both your arms and legs. Then, you should perform the same exercise on your stomach. In this case, you will also need to exhale into the water.
If your legs sink quickly, you can do the float exercise. That is, you curl up completely, hug your knees, tuck your head in, and lie on the water as shown in the photo below. The goal is to stay in this position for at least a little while so that your body will float to the surface.
The third exercise involves engaging your legs. To do this, lie on your back with your arms along your body, and start moving your legs. The movement should come from the hips. Make 5 movements in one direction and 5 movements in the other. But be sure not to drift into deeper water; instead, swim along the shore. Perform similar movements while on your stomach as well. Spend enough time on this exercise to feel comfortable. You should also be able to see that you are moving.
The fourth exercise involves learning to swim on your stomach by using a breaststroke with your arms and a freestyle kick with your legs. This is important because if we swim in full freestyle coordination, we will breathe to the side, which can make it difficult to orient yourself in the water. With the breaststroke, you breathe forward, allowing you to always see your surroundings. Don’t try to swim freestyle on the first day; it’s challenging and requires proper technique.
The fourth exercise involves learning to swim on your stomach by using a breaststroke with your arms and a freestyle kick with your legs. This is important because if we swim in full freestyle coordination, we will breathe to the side, which can make it difficult to orient yourself in the water. With the breaststroke, you breathe forward, allowing you to always see your surroundings. Don’t try to swim freestyle on the first day; it’s challenging and requires proper technique.
All these exercises on how to learn to swim in the sea from scratch do not need to be done all in one day. If any of them are difficult for you, focus on that one and refine your skills before moving on to the next. If you still have a fear of water, practice all the exercises in shallow water.
To learn how to swim correctly and technically, as well as to improve your technique at any age, contact us :)