Learning to Swim Is Learning to Be Vertical and Peaceful in Deep Water

Does that just drive you crazy? Until your adult beginning swimming students can be in a normal position in the water— the one we spend most of our time in on land, which is effortless and in-balance—they will think they have to work in the water. Having to work makes people nervous: What do I have to do? Freestyle? I already tried that. When am I going to get this? It's discouraging. What if I get tired? Why isn't it working?

To prevent drowning and to end drowning, the goal we need to agree on is peacefulness in deep water.

Learning freestyle as a beginning swimmer is a step toward the wrong goal. If I may be so bold, the wrong goal is efficiency—strokes. The right goal, at least for beginners, is safety: the ability to float, get air, and remain in control. After beginners have their safety, which comes from them, not the teacher, they can start to focus on efficiency.

When a boat capsizes, what is needed? Confidence in deep water. When a ferry sinks, what is needed? Confidence in deep water. When someone falls off a dock, what's needed? Confidence in deep water. Confidence is built from first being peaceful in deep water. We don't need a proper stroke to move efficiently from here to there. We don't need to tread water, though if you're peaceful in the deep, it won't be long until you can. If you're calm and not worried for your life, you'll be able to go from here to there, whether you ever learned a proper stroke or not. You need to know that the water holds you up, you can get air at will, and that you won't panic. Everyone needs to know this and only this about swimming.

I suggest that everyone teach only this to beginners until everyone is safe. A beginner is anyone who can't do it.

Let's talk this over! Let's change the face of swimming lessons and make the goal safety. Once people are safe, we can teach them all the rest.

Melon Dash, Founder, Miracle Swimming School for Adults, LLC, Sarasota, FL Miracleswimming.com, [email protected]. 941.921.6420.