Those who are above 25 may believe it to be too late. Some people even inquire, “Is it too late if you are over 20?”
I was no exception. It was engrained in me from a young age that you should learn to swim. With age comes increased difficulty.
I feared being in deep water. I never had ladies swimming lessons when I was younger. Every time I considered learning it, I was either too busy or had another justification, but the real reason was that I was terrified.
In my attempt to learn, I enrolled in a swimming lesson on the campus of my place of employment after hours when I was 22. After 15 days of trying, I had made some progress in learning how to kick and float, but not quite. It was challenging. I halted.
I had the idea to eventually learn it. You see, I didn’t want to pass away as a scholar who couldn’t swim! I had made two additional attempts, the first at the ages of 29 and 31. I made an effort to learn on my own. I didn’t make much progress each time. I gave up.
However, I wished to acquire this useful skill.
Every time I considered learning it, I always thought, “It’s too late to start now.”
I returned to education when I was 36 years old. I’m glad I caught on this time. It was challenging but achievable. I can therefore clearly affirm that learning is feasible even when you begin at age 36 for everyone who still has any concerns.
Here is my tale.
How did I begin, and how did I begin to learn to swim at age 36?
I got into swimming because of two things: reading and running.
I never ran before. Even 1 km was difficult to run. I originally felt it was impossible for me to run a 5K, but with perseverance and training, I completed my first one. That small victory gave me hope that I could learn to swim if I worked hard enough and didn’t give up.
I continued to think about it for a few days. I did not do anything.
I was once reading Joshua Waitzkin’s book “The Art of Learning.” I was so motivated by it that I could actually picture myself mastering any ability. I had never taken the initiative to learn how to swim, despite having always desired to. I quickly registered for the adult swimming lessons. I quickly joined up, which was crucial. Because I knew from past experience that if I put it off, I would never do it.
Was learning it simple? Obviously not.
On Sunday evenings, I spent a half-hour at the swimming sessions. Due to my work and travel into central London, I had nothing to do throughout the workweek.
In the beginning, the progress I was observing was little. I wasn’t making much progress at first, whether it was because I was a slow learner, because of my age, or simply because I hadn’t practiced enough.
I’d become more anxious and stop. I would occasionally work too hard to swim. I sometimes feel like a failure after I finish my swimming lesson and walk back home because there are so many other ways I might have spent the weekend. I was prepared to give up because I thought learning was impossible.
The finest choice I ever made was to stay in the game. I continued to try every week. Spending only 30 minutes a week wasn’t a big deal. Additionally, it would provide some exercise. So I just kept going. Each month, I started to notice a little bit of development. About six months later, I was able to push and glide. I was buoyant. I had good kicks. I picked up arm motions. But I was having trouble breathing.
Excellent, knowledgeable, and patient describe my swim instructor. Even though it meant it took me longer, she patiently taught me the fundamentals. I also worked hard at it. I practiced for an extra hour on Saturday when I had time.
Here is what I learned during this adventure. If you keep going for a while without giving up, eventually you will break through the plateau and make progress. I was able to swim 10 meters on both my front and back after about a year. Although I was pleased, I still couldn’t swim the 33 meters of the pool.
I was able to swim both on the front and rear of the pool with ease after roughly three years. Additionally, I studied the butterfly and breaststroke. I was able to complete 8 full-length (33 meter) swims in a half-hour. 53 seconds on the front crawl and 72 seconds on the back for a 33-meter lap were the best times.
Although 3 years may seem like a long time, keep in mind that it was only a half-hour every week. So, it was time well spent.
I learnt a lot on this voyage, including how to learn to swim and what learning is all about. How should one approach learning a new skill? What errors do we make as beginners? What frame of mind should you use when learning new skills?
Here is what I discovered:
Swimming instruction is a sequential procedure.
Most newcomers make the error of attempting to learn too much at once. They attempt to breathe, move their arms, float, and kick on the first day alone. They kick harder, make water splashes, etc.
What newcomers must realize—and what I didn’t know either—is that learning to swim is a sequential process.
Here are several easy steps you can follow one at a time. The linear flow may cause certain steps to somewhat overlap one another, but only until you are comfortable with one step can you move on to the next.
- gaining the ability to feel at ease and move around in the water
- Learning to Push and Glide Learning to Float
- the art of kicking
- Developing your ability to kick, glide, and move as quickly as you can on one breath
- Practicing arm movements while submerged in water
- acquiring side breathing techniques (only on right, then only on left, and then both ways alternating)
- Deep water experimentation
- acquiring skills for the front and back
So keep it in mind as you gradually learn other strokes like the breaststroke and butterfly. Make progress gradually. If you aren’t at ease floating or kicking, don’t try to learn breathing techniques.
Set realistic expectations for how long learning will take.
I once believed that learning to swim was similar to learning to ride a bike. Do you recall finding your balance so you wouldn’t fall when you first began to ride a bicycle? Once you achieve that equilibrium, you are done. You can ride a bike for however long you like.
When I used that comparison, I used to think of swimming. Once you learn to swim, you can easily swim indefinitely. That is wholly incorrect. You won’t experience that “eureka” moment. Learning happens gradually, step by step. Be ready to invest sufficient time. A few months or perhaps a year could pass.
Master the essentials. Don’t learn incorrectly. Relearning is more difficult than unlearning.
Most newcomers also make the error of learning the method incorrectly.
Many people make unconventional learning attempts, such as learning with a companion or practicing alone in a pool. I discovered that learning through instruction from a teacher is preferable, even though trying is always preferable to not learning at all. Many people I’ve observed swim improperly, including by keeping their heads above the water, kicking ineffectively, and more. They can swim for a short distance, but not for very long. Many students return to class afterwards to improve their technique.
Relearning and unlearning become incredibly challenging. Even if it might take a little longer, it is much preferable to learn something right the first time so that our brains are properly wired and we become accustomed to it.
Know the common mistakes newcomers make and try to steer clear of them.
Other frequent errors include the following:
Without considering a starting location in the water, just begin swimming. When we push glide properly, our bodies are in a flat position that makes moving forward simple.
Many will attempt to swim quickly and palm-splash the water. Not to worry. Use arms that are easily glided.
To focus on two tasks at once would be challenging. I would cease kicking and my legs would sink when I began to concentrate on my breathing.
My arms would stop moving while I concentrated on kicking, etc. You must continually practice to perfect each step so that it comes naturally to you and you can learn the next step without considering the previous steps.
Instead of performing bent arm movements, I erred by using long arm motions. The correct approach to learn the technique is.
Instead of blowing bubbles, you try to hold your breath longer in the water with the theory that you can swim farther. It was incorrect. Every time you are in the water, make bubbles.
Kicking (and bending) using the knees as opposed to the hips. Using short kicks instead of lengthier kicks is another error.
Attempting to keep the head out of the water more often than it should be in the water and only coming out to breathe.
Using catch-up arm motions in place of continuous arm movements, where one hand remains motionless until the following arm movement is finished. Due to extensive practice doing things incorrectly, I used to make this mistake. Continuous arm movements are required.
I would not stop kicking, even though it used to wear me out. Breathing takes a little time, so only pick up the pace as your head rises out of the water to take a breath. While breathing, don’t allow your legs sag.
Whenever you get in the pool, be mindful of these. These are the errors I made and that I have observed others making. The point is that if you are aware of them, you can somewhat avoid them when studying.
If your progress is slow, try not to wait too long. Attempt various things. Examine several choices. Practice Fear.
We are reluctant to learn and to explore. We can sometimes be held back by our fear. I made the error of spending the majority of my sessions in the shallow end of the pool. Even with lifeguards there, I was hesitant to enter the water.
One day, the teacher led us to the edge of the pool and instructed us to jump. I had no idea how on earth I would pull that off. I hesitated, but I went ahead. And I still recall that as being one of the best days.
You will float more easily and effectively in deep water than in shallow water. Additionally, when you jump from the bottom of deep water, you immediately force your way to the surface. If we strive, fear disappears. Don’t linger in the deep water for too long.
Establishing solid habits will make learning any new skill—not just swimming—much easier.
After learning a few steps, when students feel secure, they assume they have mastered everything and forego performing some essential tasks. Their ego gets in the way of progressing. The same is true for learning to swim or any other skill.
My teacher helped me realize that drills are necessary for learners because even Olympic competitors perform them on a regular basis. Avoid making the error of moving on to the next steps by skipping out on the regular exercises you must perform, such as kicking, arm motions, and side breathing.
People also frequently give up when things are not going properly. I had also observed a few in my class. I was also considering giving up. Don’t commit that error. It’s typical to experience a learning plateau. Seeing no evident development week after week makes you feel awful. But the truth is, if you stick with it, eventually you’ll realize you’ve made progress. Just keep going and practice intentionally.
Keeping a notebook in which I recorded my learning, how I felt after the lesson, and what I would do next was another item that helped. It is fantastic to experience the results of persistent effort without giving up.
One final thought
If you are older than 20, 25, or 30, it is still possible to learn to swim. Even at age 36, learning even the basics would not be simple, but it is not impossible. It is possible to learn to swim with focused effort and time.
And this is true for learning any kind of talent. You should not hesitate to learn something only because you have the time or the ability or because you are too old to learn now. I believe that mastering most of the abilities required in this day and age is not impossible with a positive attitude, intentional practice, and tenacity.
