Swimming myths: busted by BritSwim
The team at BritSwim is dedicated to
teaching our students how to swim well, stay safe, and love and understand the
water. We're passionate about education. So here's a few commonly-held beliefs
that we'd like to clear up - how many did you already know?
"I can't float!"
We hear this a lot. Some swim teachers
will tell you that everyone can float. And to some extent that is true, but
buoyancy varies from person to person. Bone density, fat distribution, muscle
percentage, lung capacity, and even how relaxed or tense you are - all these
will contribute to how easy you find floating. So the fact is that while
everyone can float, some will need to learn tricks and techniques to do so
better, and longer.
"Pregnant women shouldn't swim"
Another myth, but with a caveat. While
swimming is one of the best of all activities for expectant mothers, being
zero-impact and providing resistance without friction, it should only be
undertaken after you get specific advice from your doctor. And BritSwim
teachers will make special lesson plans for our pregnant students, as your
needs and abilities will be different during pregnancy, and different again in
the various trimesters.
"I don't like swimming, it
hurts!"
Then you haven't been taught how to swim
properly. We get a lot of students who have been put off swimming by poor teaching (and we work extra hard to turn that view around). Swimming should never hurt!
It's one of the reasons we love the sport. With proper technique, swimming
should be challenging and calorie-burning, but never painful.
"I'm too overweight to swim"
A definite myth! Swimming is an amazing
sport for anyone, no matter their size or shape. Not only is
water an effective and comfortable medium in which to exercise, it also gives
you privacy and a confidence-boosting and even inspiring feeling of
weightlessness that no other activity can supply. Plus, with less apparent
effort (and sweat!) than land-based sports, swimming will burn off calories at
a fast rate.
"I can't breathe underwater"
You can! You just can't breathe in.
Correct breathing is something we teach from day one of BritSwim lessons; not
only does it give you a solid foundation for swimming, it increases your
confidence. Once you master breathing, you can conquer anything the water
throws at you.
"My child is too young to learn to
swim"
Of course, as a parent, the choice of when
to start your child with swimming lessons is your own. BritSwim has been
providing parent-and-child lessons from babies of just four months from its inception,
and we can tell you that the kids who join us at age 3 from these classes have
amassed a wealth of knowledge and good practices when it comes to swimming.
They already know how to behave in class and in the pool, and many can already
swim underwater independently. Our view is, start lessons whenever you are
ready, but do remember that learning to swim is the undisputed best way to
avoid drowning and other aquatic accidents. Swimming lessons teach your child
how to be safe in the water.
"I didn't learn to swim as a kid, so
I can't learn now"
No. Just definitely no. You didn't learn
to drive as a kid either, remember. Adult swimmers often develop their swimming
skills even faster than kids, as they can more readily understand the concepts
behind the drills. We hate to think of any adult feeling that they can't learn
to swim. We guarantee that you can! And the rewards that come from that are
astounding. BritSwim teachers have loads of experience in total beginners of
all ages, and we place our adult students in age- and skill-appropriate
classes. We'll never make an adult swimmer feel ashamed that they haven't
learned yet - just the opposite, we understand that it takes a lot to start a
new skill, and we applaud you for it.
Got any swimming myths you'd like to find
out the truth about? Let us know!
