Swimming Techniques For Beginners: A How-To Guide

As fun as swimming is, a fear of water or drowning can overwhelm some people. It’s natural to be afraid of treading into water, but rest assured that if you remain cautious and take care, you’ll be just fine.

If you’re learning to swim, we’ve got the basics covered for you to help you get started on your swimming journey. Don’t expect to turn into Phelps in one day, though—it’s baby steps for now.

Get Used To The Water

This is the first step, and is relatively easy to get used to. Putting your hands on the edge of the dock, raise your legs, and begin to lie straight in the water. Your legs will quickly go up, and you’ll be perpendicular in the water.

Hold tight to the dock and slowly move your legs up and down to simulate movement. This will help you later when performing advanced swimming strokes.

Learn To Float

The next technique is to let yourself go in the water. The way your body floated while your hands were docked against the edge of the pool, try to let them go and float on your own in the water.

You can take a full breath of air and float around in the pool, with your arms apart to make a T-shape. Repeat the same process, this time lying on your back, keeping your head above the water.

The Front Crawl

For this, you’ll have to lie on your stomach, push yourself forward by using your arms to paddle forward, swing them up in a circular motion to push forward, and alternate between both arms. Your legs should flutter up and down, not aggressively, but gently—like a ballerina—to keep you moving.

To breathe, move your head to the side of which arm is being used at the moment and lift it at that side to catch your breath. Breathe after every two strokes.

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