Learning to swim as an adult can be a challenging, frightening, amazing, and gratifying experience. While being in the water feels natural for some people, it might be dreadful for others. Although there is no specific time limit for learning to swim, anyone can do it with enough effort, commitment, and a positive mindset.

Understanding the fundamentals is essential, but becoming a strong swimmer is another. The good news is that your progress will accelerate as soon as you have a firm grasp of the fundamentals. Here are some tips to help you learn to swim faster.

Perform breathing exercises

The most common breathing issue with newbies is that they hold their breath while their face is in the water, then try to exhale and inhale very quickly when turning to breathe. This causes short, shallow breaths and a rapid buildup of carbon dioxide in the respiratory system. As a result, they will need to pause or flip over to their backs during a lap to take a few deep breaths. 

When your face is submerged in water, you must breathe out. Then, when you turn to breathe, your lungs are mostly empty and ready to take in a new breath of air. The rhythm does need to be pushed a little. To maintain consistency in your stroking, you must precisely time your breath. Maintain a regular breathing pattern, inhaling through the mouth and exhaling through the nose. 

Perform swimming drills 

A modest change in stroke technique can significantly affect how effectively you move through the water since water is 800 times denser than air. A drill is intended to assist you in focusing on a particular aspect of your technique, such as your arm position, kicking, or breathing. Typically, it is a variant of one of the four main strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, or freestyle).

Record a video

One of the most effective methods to become a better swimmer is to conduct a video analysis. You can have a friend record your swimming and then analyze the video (preferably with someone who knows how to swim correctly). This is a fantastic opportunity to assess your progress.

Warm up by swimming 200-500 meters before taking any footage. Swim until you feel sufficiently warmed up.

Front Overwater Analysis: Ask a friend, relative, trainer, or colleague to stand still at the pool's edge. As they start to capture footage, swim away from them until you reach the far end of the pool. Make sure they press "stop" (to avoid a long clip), and then advise them to capture video once more as you swim back towards the camera.

Side Overwater Analysis: Next, swim the pool length while your video recorder walks beside you or pans the camera as you swim by. The cameraman should ensure that the video contains a front diagonal angle, a direct side angle, and a rear diagonal angle. The best way to do this is to start 5–10 meters in front of the swimmer, film them until they are parallel to the camera, then walk directly beside them for 5–10 meters, then capture their every move as they pass by.

If you have an underwater camera, follow these easy instructions to record video clips underwater:

Front Underwater Analysis: Begin halfway down the pool, then swim straight toward the cameraman standing still at one end of the pool. They may bend down at the pool's edge or submerge themselves while holding the camera underwater.

Side Underwater Analysis: The cameraman must be positioned one to two lanes away from you. They should use a wide pan angle to capture your right and left sides on camera while you complete a full lap.

What should you look for when analyzing your swim video now that you have the footage?

1. Your hands should enter the water in a Y shape at 11 and 1 o'clock.

2. Your head does not protrude.

3. Your legs should be as straight as possible.

Take it slow

Try not to do everything all at once. Instead, take one step at a time. Making significant changes to your technique is complicated and overwhelming. Once you've mastered one thing, move on to the next by concentrating solely on it. If you must focus on different aspects of your stroke and training, try dividing them by set.

Sign up for swimming lessons

One of the primary goals of swimming lessons is to teach you water safety. Basic water safety skills include knowing how to float, tread water, and call for help. You can learn to swim safely with the help of qualified swimming instructors. Once you've mastered the fundamentals of swimming, you can progress to becoming a good swimmer by training with the proper techniques for various strokes. When you are having trouble with a particular skill or concept, your swimming instructor can help. They are skilled at recognizing and measuring progress and have a wealth of experience, information, and resources at their disposal. 

Participating in formal swimming lessons regularly fosters consistency, which is essential for learning. You’ll remember what you've learned better and are likely to progress by periodically getting in the pool and sharpening your new skills. When you enroll in swim lessons, you block off time in your schedule for them, and since you are responsible for paying for them, you are more likely to make sure you don't miss a lesson.

Choose Fulton Swim School

Fulton Swim School offers adult swimming classes for all skill levels. From complete beginners to swimmers who are comfortable in the water but wish to advance their skills, we offer something for everyone. Each session is tailored to your particular needs, challenges, and goals by qualified, experienced instructors. You'll be able to pick up the abilities you need to enjoy swimming while learning at your own pace, making the experience enjoyable.

Adult beginner: This class is for adults who wish to learn the fundamentals of swimming strokes, how to float or kick on their front and back, or how to put their face in the water.

Adult technique: If you can already swim and want technical coaching and supervised distance swimming, this is the class for you.

Please contact us if you are interested in specific adult swimming programs, training, long-distance swimming, or a fitness program for a career (such as police officer) requiring a certain swimming level. Whether you're a complete novice or want to improve your stroke technique, stamina, and overall skill, our helpful staff can help you choose the ideal program.