How to learn how to swim as an adult
The thrill of an icy dip is something you’ll hear the ever-rising number of cold water swimmers bond over. But while they’re comparing pool temperatures, how many lengths they endured and how amazing they feel for it, it’s a conversation that one in three UK adults who can’t swim are left out of.
Around 14 million adults in the UK who are unable to swim and three in five amongst those who have never swum find the idea of getting started “intimidating”. The thought of wearing armbands as an adult is enough to make anyone feel embarrassed. Two in five adults also admit that they would be more likely to sign up to swimming lessons if there wasn’t such a stigma attached.
Aside from the social anxiety of being a fully-grown human who has to put their feet on the pool floor, a fear of water, what can happen when they get into it, or even what lurks beneath is a huge barrier to those trying to get back in the water. “A common issue with learning to swim in later life is a lack of confidence manifests as fear,” explains Prof Greg Whyte, a physical activity expert and sports scientist.
But this isn’t the time to hang up your swimming cap and goggles as the pros certainly outweigh the cons. Here’s a practical guide to going beyond treading water and finally becoming amphibious.
Learning from scratch
“I feel ashamed to admit that I can’t swim as an adult and admit the ways in which it’s held me back, both personally and professionally. It held me back from my dream job of animal welfare officer for the RSPCA because I didn’t meet the swimming ability criteria and from hanging out with my friends in water parks as a teen,” admits one non-swimmer, Natalie Brookson.
“Now I would struggle to find the time amongst the daily grind and, if I’m really honest with myself, I would feel ashamed of having to go to lessons,” she admits.
“I got my 10-metre badge as a child no problem, but now I’ve been a non-swimmer for so long that the risk of drowning, even during a swimming lesson, seems very real. I’m frozen with fear when I’m in the water,” Brookson confesses.
Despite the Government’s blog, The Education Hub, claiming that “by the end of primary school, all children should be able to swim 25 metres unaided and use a range of strokes effectively”, many are left high and dry when school-curriculum swimming ends.
While it may feel like swimming upstream, taking the first step (or stroke) is the hardest part.
“Around 42,000 adults learn each year through Swim England’s Learn to Swim framework,” explains their head of public affairs, Philip Brownlie. “We would encourage anyone to take that step and book an adult learn-to-swim session at their local pool.
“While it might seem daunting, adult lessons can actually provide the friendly and supportive environment you need to help you overcome those fears. For those looking to start adult learn to swim lessons, we recommend connecting with a swim teacher or lesson provider to do an assessment,” Brownlie advises. Use Swim England’s Poolfinder tool to find adult swimming lessons.
Laura McLeod, 57, describes the progress she made within five months after being too anxious to put her face in the water, proving that it’s never too late to learn this life-saving skill.
“The confidence my instructors and lessons have instilled in me have had a positive impact on other aspects of my life also, my mental and general health has improved, I am much more confident than I ever was before too.”
When your kids are learning
The inability to swim is a common area of guilt for parents in particular. “Ironically, I live on an island but have a severe phobia of water due to two traumatic incidents when I was trying to learn to swim as a child and my own parents not being confident swimmers,” explains 48-year-old Claire Sells.
“Now I have two children of my own, aged five and seven. I’ve tried to encourage them to learn to swim because I believe it’s harder once you get older, but seeing me not swim if we go to the swimming pool has taken a toll. Formal swimming lessons aren’t doing the trick either; they are still struggling with being confident in the water. I don’t want them to have the same fear that I have.”
“Adults have a material influence on their children, especially pre-adolescence, and can effectively shape children’s physical and emotional relationship with the water,” explains Lee Heard, the charity director at Royal Life Saving Society UK.
“Adults who are water-competent and confident are more likely to create scenarios where their children can enjoy the water safely and will most likely actively promote opportunities and activities that involve the water.
“In comparison, adults who can’t swim are less likely to promote active participation in the water, including not actively encouraging their children to learn to swim or engage in water safety education. This creates a systemic generational challenge.”
His guess as to why this skill is waning generationally? “Certainly for some, swimming will be price prohibitive but the main concern is the number of pools which have closed across the UK in the last few years making swimming pools less accessible and less available for current and future generations.”
So how do swimming lessons progress as we get older? Essentially, the core approach to learning to swim or the technique used does not change between adults and children. “It’s your motivation for learning and, crucially, the delivery that may differ to reflect adults’ unique needs,” says Brownlie.
“When it comes to technique, adults will typically learn what they need to whereas children will learn all aquatic skills on their journey – so this would be a distinction in how they are taught. It is also really important to know an adult’s ‘why’ for learning to swim, so teachers can adapt and tailor to their needs,” he adds.
After a break
“I didn’t really do swimming lessons as a child because I always had issues with my ears and wasn’t allowed in the water, but I first learned to swim around the age of 20,” Hayley Kellard, now 41, begins.
“If I go away for a week, by the end of the week I’ll have just started building up my confidence and be sort of swimming and then we go home.
“I haven’t been swimming for around five years now. I know I’ll have forgotten, because every time I go in a pool, I always have to learn again and can’t trust myself not to sink.”
In England, there has been a net loss of around 450 pools since 2010 according to Swim England, so even those who manage to swim on holiday find it hard to sustain regular swimming habits at home.
The increasingly elitist nature of swimming also seems to continually resurface. “In the last two years the cost of running swimming pools and the cost of going swimming has risen due to escalating energy prices and the cost of living crisis,” explains Euan Lowe, the chief executive of Scottish Swimming.
Swim England have called for a long-term plan from the Government to help deliver the network of sustainable pools we need for the future of all swimmers – whatever their age, ability or confidence level.
The benefits of diving in, whatever your ability
“There are a myriad of physical, mental, emotional and social health benefits of swimming,” Prof Whyte advises. “The support provided by water makes swimming an effective activity option irrespective of mobility and age.”
This ability to provide a whole-body workout that can help lower blood pressure and improve lung capacity, with water buoyancy reducing stress on weight-bearing joints, means it’s suitable for the elderly, those who are injured, or those living with a disability.
As for the mental health benefits, swimming regularly for 12 weeks was found to improve mood in those with dementia, as well as alleviating stress-induced depression and helping people with insomnia get some sleep.
“In addition, the social aspect of swimming and the wide variety of engaging activities results in greater motivation and enjoyment leading to more regular engagement with activity,” Whyte implores. In other words: you might fear judgement from the fastlane, but find your tribe down the shallow end.
Four steps to diving in
1. Build your water confidence
“You can do this by moving around in water that you can sit or stand in,” says Lowe. “Practise submerging your face in the water and blowing bubbles.”
2. Focus on your breathing
As you acclimatise to the sensations of being in and around the water, stay calm with deep breath. It will help further down the line when you develop your skills.
3. Identify practical obstacles
Before you launch into breaststroke, break down the arm movements and leg movements and practice in the shallow end or holding on to the side. Knowing the basics of water posture and orientation will help you create a solid foundation to build upon.
4. Skills training
“Important skills to master first are learning to float, standing up from a horizontal float,” Lowe adds. “Then you can start swimming small distances towards the wall using floatation aids, and swimming small distances away from the wall before standing in the pool.”