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This is fantastic. How long have you been swimming? I learnt swimming recently in my 40's and this year I took a Cult Play membership starting from February. I'm simply not able to swim more than one length freestyle (25 m in about 35 seconds) in one go without needing to rest for at least 1.5 minutes before doing the next lap. I've done about 80 lap sessions until now (where I manage to do about 600 meters in 50 minutes). The instructor at the pool just says don't stop and keep pushing. lol:

The interesting thing is, in my head, I somehow feel that if the pool were 50m instead of 25 m, I could do it in one go without breaking the flow, but the moment I stop at the end of the pool at 25 m, I am almost hyperventilating. Experts in this thread have recommended Total Immersion Swimming - I didn't buy the course but I watched some YouTube videos on that method and I am sort-of emulating it (no frantic kicking, smooth entry and pull etc.)

I am swimming since I was 12 years - not regularly but off & on. I swim at cozy speed of 40 metres/minute with 6 strokes [3 each arm] before exhaling & inhaling. Max underwater distance tried is 28 metres. At rest, I manage breath hold time of 2 minutes 50 seconds or so. Try to keep face INSIDE the water - it makes wonders - thing I learnt the hard way. More flexible your upper body will be - better it will be - especially shoulder girdle & neck. Never smoked.

As an erstwhile strong swimmer I spotted these two posts in another unrelated thread and thought I'd put out a cautionary note here for all our members and readers. As a younger man I had learnt to swim in open sea, rivers and lakes. Today I do not have the bodily strength to cope with the currents or the waves and the good sense not to try.

See the parts marked bold in the posts below. Throwing a child or a non-swimmer in water over his/her head is a completely no no and should never ever be done. Accidents and death even in swimming pools are common and happen in the blink of the eye.

Some rules when in water.

Rule 1: Water is dangerous when you forget it is water. Water is a hostile environment it takes just a moment for a normal happy day to turn into a fatal accident. And no, you nor I are clever enough to prevent it

Rule 2: A child needs 20 to 30 seconds to drown, that's all. When my kids were young and learning to swim, even though our club pool was only 4 feet deep right through I would stay focused on the kids and not be away swimming by myself.

Rule 3: If swimming in natural waters {lake, river, sea} do not assume you can fight the current. What seems like a gentle current when standing on the banks feels very very different once you are in it. And as a current carries you away unless you are a Maha Vir Chakra grade person you are going to panic.

Rule 4: If swimming in natural waters, say a beach, do not go alone - go in twos or threes - this applies even if you are only wading waist or chest deep into the waters off a beach.

Rule 5: In any competition with your ego, water will win. Know your limits. A few years ago I went to Mauritius. I decided to take a guide and do some open sea swimming. We went in a boat about 2 kms from the shore. The water was clear and I could see down to about 20 metres. The depth was much more. The last time I had swum in open sea was about 35+ years earlier. Snorkel, googles, flippers and in we went. After 15 minutes or so I realized at 60+ my body was simply not strong enough to cope with the swell or the current. Ego versus Water. I had the good sense to tell the guide I could not cope, swallowed my pride and gently made my way back to the boat.

Rule 6: Look before you dive. Far too many brave and careless souls have broken their necks diving into water too shallow for a dive.

Excellent compilation of the rules. I used to be a professional swimmer myself and completely agree to all the above points. However, I would also like to add couple of more point here:

1. Do not venture out in the unknown waters like ponds, rivers etc. unless accompanied by a local who knows about them. There have been some incidents in the past where even very good swimmers have drowned because of things like muddy/slippery shore, underwater vegetation (it could very well make you immobile if you happen to get entangled in it). One of my college friend had a narrow escape when he entered a water stream while on a college outing. I had to jump into the water and rescue him (fortunately, the stream was not very deep and the current was also not that strong).
2. I have seen people attempting diving even in a 4 feet deep pool. That is a very dangerous thing to do. A minor mistake can cost you your life.

As Mr. Narayan correctly mentioned, water is a dangerous thing if not understood well. You need to understand it's dynamics very well before venturing out in it.

Excellent thread, as swimming is the only game/sport which saves lives. (thanks to my Navy experience)
Only 2 things are important to learn swimming - leg movement and breathing.
Do not try to make your child learn swimming early, initial fear and phobia of taking in water can last whole life. Try to send them only after 7 or 8 years of age in the pool to learn.
Head movement is important as, it is the heaviest part of body (mass per kg)
Lastly do not try to save others life if, you do not know the method. A drowning person can cling to you in desperation in such a way that, your limbs may be restricted thus taking both down.
Look for danger signs on beaches/rivers with strong current as no one can fight nature.

Excellent rules, thanks! I’d also add one more - learn to swim only with hands or with legs. I it is quite easy to get cramped up and have your calf and thigh muscles (or shoulder muscles) immobile. As luck would have it, this often happens when you are away from the shore and you need to know how to get to land with remaining functional anatomy. It will be slow, but will prevent panic situations. This will also help you a bit if you are caught in a current - you will be able to float without tiring yourself out too quickly.

This particular thing has helped me as I crossed 40 and now regular after 50 :) To think that as a boy I learned this to be cool!

I learnt swimming very late in life. That was one of the things I wish was taught to me in school. Still a novice.

One suggestion I see repeatedly in the thread is to keep the head in water unless breathing. I am able to manage that in a swimming pool where visibility is good. But cannot do this in the sea or a lake. Is that how it's supposed to be?

I have always felt & believed that every human should know how to swim, at least so much that he/she could avoid drowning.

I have been recently blessed with a boy who is now 6 months old & I plan to introduce him to swimming pools in a controlled environment. Would appreciate if any of you could share some pointers that I need to be aware of & any precautions that I need to take. It is a public pool & I am a bit concerned about the quality of water/chlorine usage.

Is it possible to learn swimming at the young age of 40? I just want to learn how to survive in water.

I believe swimming should be a mandatory subject in schools. Every holiday season a lot of kids in Kerala die due to drowning. Swimming practice can save a lot of lives.

Yes - definitely.

I taught swimming to a 37 year old & he was able to swim breadths of pool within 9 days.

Get inside the water - familiarise yourself with water mechanics - hold your breath - with someone watching over. Always wear good goggles. I prefer Speedo AquaPulse Pro.



Loosen up your mind circuitry, find a good coach & let him re-wire - you will learn soon.

Get rid of hydrophobia.

I learned at 40 along with my kids. Very much possible. Try to enroll before the summer vacations. The pools (in Kerala, but should be the same everywhere) are too crowded during the holidays with classes.

Interesting, never thought about it. Haven't jumped in lakes, but swim in the sea a bit sometimes (not too far or not very deep though). I manage to keep my head in the water even in the sea, I do look up every now and then to check where I'm drifting though. Perhaps swimming goggles will help? I've recently started using goggles from Decathlon that somewhat match my prescription glasses, and it's made a world of difference to how I enjoy my beach swims.

I found these prescription swimming glasses one year back. It's just life changing, both in the swimming pool and during water sports. I have worn them during rafting, jet-skiing and even snorkelling. World of difference. Another thing I wish had found sooner in life.

Maybe it is fear while swimming in the sea that makes it difficult to be head under water.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I have two kids and we are going to join a swimming class led by an ex navy guy.

I’m starting swimming again after many years, for context I have learnt it before Covid, but I think I’m not a proper smooth swimmer, so I rejoined a pool again now. I’m struggling to breathe in freestyle , getting exhausted halfway in a pool. Any advice or tips that some experts can recommend here