Swimming is a complete sport that provides several benefits . Also, being able to swim confidently increases your level of personal safety when you are in deep water where you cannot touch the bottom with your feet with lifeguard class near me.



Often you learn how to do it as a child through ad hoc structured courses but if for various reasons you have not done so, it does not mean that you cannot become familiar with swimming even in adulthood .

The benefits of swimming

Swimming is a discipline with almost unlimited beneficial effects. What makes it one of the most recommended at any age is mainly the fact that it falls into the category of low-impact cardio , which therefore, while ensuring a large calorie expenditure , does not burden the joints .

Furthermore, practicing it consistently improves breathing and posture , stretches and tones the muscles of every part of the body and facilitates recovery after an injury.

How to feel comfortable in the water

Learning to swim as an adult can certainly be more difficult than doing it as a child, but this shouldn't be an obstacle that makes you give up on it.

If you decide to take this route , it is better to prefer the swimming pool to the sea because it has no currents that could scare or make the exercise more difficult for beginners . It is also good to choose one that is shallow in some places.

Before even devoting oneself to the various styles it is essential to become familiar with the water , which often represents a hostile environment for non-swimmers.

Once inside, walk until you have the water at chest height and start moving your arms and legs freely.

When you feel ready, move forward until the water rises more and more , while remaining close to the edge of the pool, in order to be able to grab it at any time. Alternatively, you can decide to be assisted by a trusted person.

Once you have reached a feeling of relaxation, the next step is to learn to float on the water's edge . In this case it is better to first experiment with the classic position defined as the dead man, which involves lying on his stomach, letting himself be gently cradled and supported by the water.



How to do the right breathing

The fear of drowning or even just the non-total serenity with which one is in the water often leads to incorrect breathing. Breathing correctly and as functionally as possible , however, is a fundamental component of swimming , which also includes moments in which the head is underwater.

A good practice is therefore to practice inhaling air at the surface and completely emptying the lungs underwater, blowing the air out through the nose and mouth.

Another recommended exercise involves positioning yourself at a point in the pool where you can easily touch the bottom, in order to minimize the feeling of restlessness, then take a breath, hold the air and completely immerse your head under water. for a few seconds. By repeating this sequence, lung capacity and underwater breathing technique will improve dramatically over time.

How to learn the first movements of freestyle

After acquiring familiarity in the aquatic environment and learning the rudiments of breathing, it is possible to start learning the first movements of swimming, and in particular of the freestyle .

Holding your hands on the edge of the tub or on a floating board , extend your arms and the rest of your body back and begin moving your legs up and down alternately .

If you practice with someone, you can increase the level of difficulty by lying prone on the edge of the water and asking the guide to hold the pupil at the pelvis , so as to allow him to move his legs and arms at the same time.

In this style the upper limbs should ideally draw a large circle . Then start with one arm and make this movement forward. After a complete rotation, repeat the same pattern with the other, then continuing to alternate them. Also in this case if you are alone it is possible to hold on to a tablet with the arm not engaged in the movement, or wear a life jacket that helps to stay afloat.

How to learn the first movements of the back

The back is in some ways similar to the freestyle but provides an exactly opposite posture. When swimming backstroke, in fact, the belly must be turned upwards and the body as flat as possible on the surface of the water.

The first few times you do it, it may be useful to get help from another person who supports you at the height of your hips or from a tablet on which to lie down completely, relaxing your body as much as possible.

Looking up at the ceiling and keeping the legs straight, start moving them up and down one after the other, while making circular movements with the arms, similar to freestyle but in the opposite direction and accompanied by a slight flexion of the back , which must not remain rigid but follow the movements.