It’s Never Too Late To Learn To Swim: A Look Into Adult Swim Lessons

It‚Äôs common to hear discussion about teaching children to learn to swim, while ignoring another large portion of individuals who also haven‚Äôt yet learned the skill: adults.  For many adults who have yet to learn to swim, feelings of embarrassment, fear, shame or uncertainty often get in the way of signing up for lessons.  If this sounds like you, you are not alone.

At Premier Aquatics Services, we offer adult semi-private swim lessons and private swim lessons designed specifically for adults who want to conquer old fears, develop new skills, and incorporate a low-impact exercise routine into their lives.

Swim lessons are tailored to the needs of the group or individual and progress accordingly, here’s a look into adult swim lessons.

Becoming Comfortable in the Water

Because we better understand danger as adults and have a grasp on our physical limitations, entering a pool without being able to swim can be scary for some people.  Therefore, it‚Äôs important to take the time to become comfortable in the water.  To begin, we encourage our adult students to walk around in chest deep water, so they can get a feel for keeping their balance.  When a comfort level is reached, we begin exploring the sensation of putting his or her face into the water, beginning with putting the nose under water while blowing bubbles.

These essential first steps are all done with the feet firmly planted on the bottom of the pool with a trained swim coach keeping you safe.

Learning to Kick and Back-Float

Once comfortable being in the water, it becomes time to learn how to do things in the water.  This begins with learning to kick and float.

Often times, adult learners are most comfortable starting with holding onto the side of the pool and experimenting with stretching their bodies out and kicking.  It provides a great way to learn how your legs feel as they move through the water and introduces you to sensation of floating in the prone position (on your belly).

Learning to float is arguably the most essential step in learning to swim.  While learning to float, the swim coaches help to support the students‚Äô hips as they learn how breathing and relaxation affect the body‚Äôs ability to naturally stay towards the surface of the water.  Eventually, this is combined with some light kicking to feel how your body moves through the water, not just in the water.

Floating in the Prone Position and Adding Arms

Now that you have had your face in the water and feel confident that your body does, in fact, float, you and your swim coach begin to work together in getting you into the prone position, or floating on your stomach.  This is the base position for most swim strokes.  By teaching each step and allowing you the time to become comfortable before moving on, this step becomes much more natural and less frightening than it may sound as you read this post from the safety of your home.

Arm motions get paired with head motions to teach you breathing techniques and get you moving forward, both literally and figuratively.  As all of your new skills come together, you will be overwhelmed by the sense of accomplishment you feel as your body begins to glide through the water without having your feet touch the ground.

Contact Your Trusted Swim Partners

Swimming is a learned skill, and there is no shame in not having learned that skill yet.  It is never too late.  The expert swim instructors at Premier Aquatics Services will help you find the swim lesson that fits with your needs.  Don‚Äôt be afraid to conquer your fears; we will be with you every step along the way. Visit our website to learn more about our Adult Programs in Aliso Viejo or call us at (949) 716-3333.

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