Frequently Asked Questions
Floating is a characteristic of your body. Either you float well or you do not. In general lean muscular people tend to sink and people with a higher body fat percentage will tend to float. That does not mean that if you do not float well then you cannot learn to swim.
Never! Anyone can learn to swim at any age. Where you start will depend on how comfortable or uncomfortable you are in the water.
Become confident with submerging underwater first. Practice in water of standing depth with your feet standing on the pool floor and also with your feet lifted off of the pool floor. Keep in mind that the water is trying to support you, not pull you down.
A simultaneous movement of the arms and legs is needed here. The arms pull down through the water and the knees bend forward before the feet are placed on the pool floor. A common mistake is to arch the back and lift the head without moving the arms or legs.
Yes certainly. It is preferable to learn how to submerge and breath when learning to swim as this enhances confidence in all areas of swimming. However a recreational type of breaststroke where the head remains above the water surface can be used. Technically this type of breaststroke is not very efficient but it is commonly swum.
Relax! The more you relax, the more your body will be inclined to float. Even if your body composition makes you a poor floater, if you relax as you swim you will find it easier to remain at or near the water surface.
This depends firstly on your fitness level and secondly on the swimming stroke you swim because some swimming strokes are physically more demanding than others. For example front crawl is more intense than breaststroke, but whatever the stroke, correct swimming technique will ensure you swim through the water with maximum efficiency, using the minimum of energy.