How to Swim

Learning how to swim is something that everyone needs to do at some point or another in their life. Believe it or not, knowing how to swim can literally save your life if you are caught in a situation where you are stranded in the water. While this is not likely to happen, it is possible. That said, if you learn how to swim you will be able to safely make your way to shore as opposed to hanging on for dear life.

Another good reason to learn how to swim is because it is very good exercise. It is common knowledge that swimming will help to strengthen just about every muscle in the body. The reason for this is because when swimming you are using all of your large and small muscles. In short, they all get a good workout while you are swimming. If you are unsure how to learn how to swim the best thing to do is seek out some professional help. There are dozens of qualified swimming teachers out there just waiting to assist people that are in need of learning the basic fundamentals of swimming. Learning the freestyle stroke is very easy to do if you take some time to learning the technique and practice.

When learning this stroke the first thing you should do is picture that your body is cut in half. Envision that there is a line that is going right down the middle of you. This is important because in order to understand the concept of how to swim you must realize that each half of the body is working independently of each other. In short, when one side of the body is doing one thing the other side is doing another thing. This is what makes the stroke effective.

After you have gotten yourself into the water the first thing that you want to do before learning how to swim is warm up a bit. It is important to get your muscles loose so that you do not pull one while learning the stroke. It is suggested that you do some jumping jacks while in the water and run in place. This will help to get you completely stretched out. After you feel warmed up you are going to want to lie down on the water on your stomach. Put your arms out in front of your head and keep your legs straight and rigid. Practice floating like this it is the foundation of the rest of the stroke.  Once you are able to float on your stomach for several seconds you are ready to move on to the next steps.

The next thing that you are going to want to do to help you learn how to swim is begin gently kicking your legs up and down. Keep your toes pointed outwards and your legs somewhat rigid. The hands should be extended out in front of your head and the elbows should be locked. Practice kicking with one foot and then the next. Try to get into a rhythm where you are kicking nice and easy but you are still staying afloat. After you have mastered the kicking action you can now add your arms into the mix. The arms should be moved in a windmill motion opposite of each other. While one of the arms is extended all the way out the other arm should be completely back. This alternating motion is what will help the body propel itself through the water with ease.

Make sure that when you are using your arms that your hands are stating flat and in a cupped formation. Keeping your hands like this will allow you to swim more efficiently as you will be able to easily pull yourself through the water. After you get done pulling yourself through the water with one hand you should pull yourself through the water with the other hand. All the time the arms should be moving in the windmill pattern with the elbows slightly bent. As this is going on the feet should still be kicking to help keep the body afloat and to further propel yourself through the water. The last thing that you want to concentrate on is breathing. It will come naturally as you do the stroke. When your left arm is fully extended out then you will have your head to the right taking a breath. When your right arm is extended out you will have your head turned to the left. This is why it is important to picture your body in two halves. When one side is doing one thing you have to know what the other side should be doing. By mastering these concepts you will be able to swim enough to get out of any dangerous situations. It should be noted, however, that learning this stroke can take a lot of time and commitment.

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