learning to swim...

So everyone kinda knows how to swim, right? We all took some sort of swim classes at the pool when we were little and since there have been no recent drowning incidents in my history - I can swim... And the answer is, well ... not really.

First of all, my flutter kick looks like an egg beater. No movement from the hips, just a random movement from the knees and down. This doesn't help the fact that my body is perpendicular to the bottom of the pool? So - starting from the very beginning:

Drill 1:

Lie on your back (yes your back, we'll get to turn over soon enough!). Kick with your toes pointed - not flexed, but pointed. Tilt your head back so that the water is parted by the highest point and naturally your hips start to come up a bit.

Drill 2:

Lie on your side with bottom arm extended and top arm flat against your side. If you can float easily - your hand/hip should be out of the water - I'm lucky to have my shoulder out... Again, flutter kick, roll your head to the side and tuck your chin a bit to breathe. Try to push your chest deeper into the water.

Drill 3:

Start with drill 1. This one's a bit more difficult to describe. Keep your head in roughly the same place, but rotate the body to something closer to perpendicular. I need to think of a better way to describe this, but it teaches the rotation used in the crawl only on the back instead of the front.

Drill 4:

Start with drill 2 except both arms/hands flush against the body. Flutter kick a few times, then put your face in the water and rotate to the opposite side, far enough that you can breathe, get comfortable and repeat.

Just like in any other sport, tension and being uncomfortable takes a lot of energy. The first four drills and a little bit of work with a pull buoy (moving my hips up!) was enough for me the first day. Not hopeless, but definitely not a swimmer.