how to swim_ 13 steps (with pictures) - wikihow

8/11/2019 How to Swim_ 13 Steps (With Pictures) - WikiHow

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How to Swim

Four Parts: Getting Comfortable in the Water Beginning Strokes and Treading Water

Learning Advanced Techniques Being Prepared for Unlikely Situations

Swimming can look intimidating if you've never learned how to swim, but it's possible for just

about anyone to do it. Playing around in the water can be incredibly fun, and knowing how to

swim can save your life if you find yourself stuck in water. All you have to do is get comfortable

in the water, learn the basic strokes, and then move on to more advanced techniques when

you're ready.

1 Let go of your fear.A lot of people put off learning how to swim becausethey're afraid of drowning. While drownings dooccur, most of them could have

been prevented by simple safety measures. Follow these guidelines whenever you're

swimming, and the odds of drowning will decrease dramatically:

Never swim alone. Always go swimming with one other person who is a strong

swimmer, if not several other people.

Don't start out swimming in moving water. If you're learning to swim in an ocean

or river, you'll need to be more aware of the motion of the water. If you must

learn to swim this way, try to make sure you're with someone who knows what

he or she is doing, and be sure to read the step about getting out of a riptide or

a rushing river (below).

Stay within a depth you can handle. When you're first learning how to swim,

don't venture into water that's too deep for you to stand in. That way, if

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Part 1 of 4: Getting Comfortable in the Water

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2

something goes amiss, you can simply stand up and breathe.

Never swim during inclement weather conditions. Swimming in a light rain

shower should be fine, but if you see or hear a storm approaching, get out of

the water immediately. This rule is to be followed regardless of how well you

can swim.

Don't swim in water that's too cold. Moving your limbs to paddle can become

suddenly difficult if you're in frigid water.

Get used to floating.When you're in the water, hold on to the side of the pool

or a dock, and let your legs float out behind you - they should lift easily if you let

them. Practice doing this on your stomach and on your back, until you're use to letting

half of your body float.

Try floating on your back or your stomach as soon as you're ready. Stay in a

shallow depth so that you can simply stand up if it's not working out. It might

feel weird to have water around your ears while your nose and mouth are in the

air, but you'll get used to it. For extra stability, put out your arms at a right angle

so that your body is in a "T" shape.

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4

Don't panic.Alwaysremember that you have a fallback if you're in an

unmanageable depth or you simply can't move your limbs - floating on your back.

Don't flail around or start breathing quickly if you can't swim; simply lie back as flat as

you can, and let the water carry you while you regain your composure.

Practice exhaling underwater.While you're still in a shallow depth, take a

deep breath and put your face underwater. Slowly exhale out your nose until

you're out of breath, then come back up.

If you're uncomfortable exhaling through your nose, you can hold it closed or

wear a nose plug and exhale through your mouth.
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5 Wear goggles (optional).Wearing goggles can help you feel morecomfortable opening your eyes underwater, and might allow you to see more

clearly. Find a pair with spongy circles around the eyes and dip them in the water, so

that they'll stick to your skin. Tighten the strap around the back of your head so that the

goggles fit snugly.

Part 2 of 4: Beginning Strokes and Treading Water
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1 Practice kicking your legs.Whether you're floating on your back or stillholding on to the side of the pool, you can practice kicking. (To see how far each

kick can propel you, practice it using a kickboard. This allows you to focus on your

kicking technique without worrying about keeping your head above water.)

Try a flutter kick. Point your toes out like a ballerina, keep your legs mostly

straight, and alternate legs as you make small kicks. You should feel the most

flexion in your ankles.

Try a whip kick. Keep your legs held tightly together from your hips to your

knees, and from your knees to your ankles. Bend your knees so that your shins

come up to about a 90-degree angle, then quickly bring your shins apart and

move them in a circular motion, keeping your thighs together the whole time.

(That is, trace half a circle with each leg, moving your right leg to the right and

your left leg to the left.) Bring your shins back together at the bottom of the

circle, and lift them up again to restart the kick.

Try an eggbeater kick. This kick is commonly used to tread water, and stay in a

vertical position with your head and shoulders above water. Start with your

knees bent and your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Then "pedal" each

leg as you would on a bike, only they'll go in opposite directions: while one leg

pedals "forward," the other leg should pedal "backward." This one takes some

practice to get used to, but it's handy for "resting" when your feet can't touch

bottom.


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2 Learn how to do a crawl. Crawls are great strokes to learn as a beginner,and they'll move you pretty quickly. Here's how to do them:

Try a backstroke first. Float flat on your back, and do a flutter kick with your

legs. With your arms, do the "crawl" motion, lifting one arm straight into the air

and keeping it straight as it re-enters the water next to your head. Once it's

underwater, bend it to bring it back to a straight position next to your side, and

repeat. Alternate arms as you swim, and try to keep your fingers together and

your hands as flat as possible.

Try a front stroke (also known as a freestyle or American crawl). Floating on

your stomach, do a flutter kick with your legs and use your arms to "crawl"

forward. Bring one arm out of the water so that it's "reaching" forward, then

bring it back down and use your cupped hand to "push" the water behind you.

Alternate arms. To breathe, turn your head to one side underthe arm that's

currently crawling, lifting enough for you to take a breath. Take a breath under

the same arm each time, so that you're breathing once every two strokes.


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3

4

Tread water.Treading water can help you catch your breath and keep your

head up without actually swimming. Do the eggbeater kick listed above, and use

your hands to keep your balance by "sculling" - keep your forearms flat on the surface of

the water, and imagine they're butter knives spreading on a piece of toast. Move one

arm in a clockwise circle, and the other arm in a counterclockwise circle.

Use your arms to come up from the bottom.If you're below water and

would like to come up, use your arms to propel yourself. Put them straight up

above your head, and quickly bring them down to your sides. This should push you up a

few feet. Repeat until you break the surface.
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1 Try some more advanced strokes.Once you're more comfortable in thewater, you can start learning new strokes that will move you more quickly or with

less energy. Try these:

Learn the dolphin stroke.

The butterfly stroke.

Swim the breaststroke.

Do the sidestroke.

Try swimming laps.

Part 3 of 4: Learning Advanced Techniques
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2 Try diving.Dives can be a fun way to get into the water and start a stroke. Startwith a basic dive, and move on to more complicated swan dive, back dive,and

rolling dive.

Always make sure the water i s deep enough before you dive.At a bare

minimum, the water should be 9 or 10 feet deep; if you're a tall person, make it

at least 11 or 12 feet.

Part 4 of 4: Being Prepared for Unlikely Situations
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1 Know how to get out of a riptide.If you're swimming in the ocean, youmight get caught in a riptide. Knowing what to do can save your life, so try to

memorize these steps before you get into the water.

Do not panic.This is, by far, the most important step of all. By flailing and

panicking, you could actually keep yourself under the water.

Swim sideways. Do not try to swim directly to shore or directly out further into

the ocean. Instead, try to swim in a line that's exactly parallel to the shoreline.

Swim in a stroke that allows you to breathe. Swim with the strongest stroke you

can do that also allows you plenty of room to breathe. This might be a

sidestroke, front crawl, or breaststroke.

Keep swimming until you're out of the riptide. You might have to swim quite far

before you're safely out of the riptide, but keep going. You don't want to undo

the good work you've done so far by heading for shore at the wrong time.

If possible call out for help. If you can, motion to the lifeguard or yell "Help!" as

soon as possible. However, don'tdo this if it means sacrificing a breath or if you

have to stop swimming - it's better to keep yourself moving.


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Know how to get out of a river current.If you're caught in a river that's

flowing too quickly or pushing you under, follow these steps to get out:

Don't flail or panic. As with a riptide, panicking and flailing your limbs can push

you deeper into the water. Try to take even breaths and remain calm.

Aim to swim diagonally toward the shoreline. Swimming toward the shoreline at

a 90-degree angle will force you to fight with the current too much, and might

cause you to become exhausted quickly. Instead, plan to get to the shoreline at

a diagonal angle that goes withthe current.

Don't try to swim upstream. You'll spend too much energy for not enough

results. Onlytry to swim upstream if there's immediate danger downstream,

such as sharp rocks or a waterfall.

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12/14



Tell us everything you know here.Remember, more detail is better.

If possible, learn to swim under the supervision of a trained lifeguard. He or she has

been taught to recognize signs that you need help, even if you're underwater or

unable to call out.

Using goggles can be very useful.

Relax your whole body, doing so helps to keep you afloat more!

Remember you can always put your feet down if you begin to panic.

For safety reasons it's better if you haven't eaten for (at least) an hour before you go

swimming.

Use a kick board, life jacket or arm floats to help stay afloat if you feel nervous about

moving around the water.

Always swim close to the edge so you can hold on if you need to.

Always tell your trainer if you are not comfortable.

If you are nervous getting into the water, try putting your feet in first and slowly make

your way in.

If you have long hair, you might like to wear a swim cap to keep it out of your way. In

addition, some public pools require swimmers with long hair to wear them, so it can't

hurt to have one on hand.

Video

Tips


13/14



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Show 1 more tip

Be extremely cautious about swimming in moving water, such as the ocean or a lake.

Eddies or riptides can suddenly pull you under.

Don't rush things! Learning to swim is a slow process. Don't bite off more than you

can chew.

Someone else to swim with

Goggles (optional)

Nose plug (optional)

Kickboard (optional)

How to

Get SkinnyThighs from

Swimming

How to

Overcome Your

Fear of

Jumping off the

Diving Board at

SwimmingLessons (for

Kids)

How to

Open Your Eyes

Underwater

WithoutGoggles on and

Not Hurting

How toDo a Flip Turn

(Freestyle)

How to

Do an Open

Turn in

SwimmingHow to

Dog Paddle

How to

Exercise to

Become a

Better

Swimmer

Warnings

Things You'll Need

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