The Definition of Swimming
What do you believe it means to "know how to swim"? ***Community Poll Question:*** What do you believe you must accomplish to be able to say, "I know how to swim"? Many professionals in this industry have disagreed on the answer to this very question. Many traditional swim instructors will IMMEDIATELY begin to teach a student how to swim freestyle, dive in deep water, and tread water in the deep end when that student hires them to "learn how to swim". They are well meaning, but set their student up for a hard time, fatigue, exhaustion, failure and disappointment.. especially if the student has no experience with how to use the properties of water that help support them. Especially if that student has a hard time breathing in the water in general. Many students who are brand new to the water, are begun with technique that leads to overwhelm due to freestyle, treading water, or diving to depth's complex natures. Not only do traditional instructors ask their students to "kick harder", bend their elbow at a 45 degree angle - but they are asking them to also roll onto their side at the right time, while turning their arms a particular way, and think about a ton of different things that need to be in perfect timing and rhythm... all while trying to breath while suspended in water that they are afraid of choking on. The student exhausts themselves, and begins to believe they aren't good enough, or that they just can't learn "how to swim", when the student needs to JUST be learning "how to swim", before trying to learn something as complex as freestyle, treading water, or other complex skills. ➕Knowing how to swim means to know how to remain calm, and float wherever you are in the pool, lake or ocean. ➕Knowing how to swim means to be free from reactivity in the water. ➕Knowing how to swim means to be able to enjoy and find presence in the water's weightless properties. ➕Knowing how to swim means to have confidence in water depths ➕Knowing how to swim means you can comfortably enter deep water without panic or anxiety, knowing you can stay afloat and move at your own pace.