I didn't exactly have the sort of childhood where I learned things like cycling or swimming. I'd really like to though. I find swimming to be the best workout you could possibly do. It's something that's fun AND a workout. Very few things are that way.

If you throw me in water, I could probably swim to save my life. But I probably don't know how to "swim" swim. I don't know all the strokes, I can't swim and breath at the same time, I can't tread, etc. I even took a class a few year's back, and whilst it helped a little, I haven't mastered the art.

I'd really like to get some ideas from people here on how I could go about becoming a better swimmer - from the very basics like floating, to the very advanced, like doing laps. I know this would come from a lot of practice and time, but I just want to get a guideline in my head.

Thanks

In all honesty I don't know how much just reading guidelines from an online forum will help you to learn "how to swim". Swimming is really something you need to learn by actually doing it.

I recommend that you contact a local pool club or YMCA about beginner classes - they'll teach you how to do things like float on your back, and the basics of strokes like the front crawl and proper breathing techniques.

You have picked a great sport for your fitness. It should provide you a lifetime of enjoyment. The problem with most swim instruction is it teaches struggle swimming. Instead of learning to struggle why not learn what swimming is all about and really enjoy the experience too?

Most lessons progress from floating to kicking with kick boards, and flailing arms telling the student that pulling their arms will make them swim and pulling harder will make them swim faster.

Swimming is composed of three components, balance, reduction of active and passive drag, and propelling yourself with how you really move forward not with what most people and instructors mistakenly think.

Balance - Ever notice many swimmers have their feet lower than their head in the water? Ever notice great swimmers seem to have their body close to parallel or parallel in the water? That is balance. The only way to achieve balance is to know how to gain the right position. All else depends on the balance. Kicking with a kick board places the body in a poor position therefore, it is not of value. Kicking has little to do with propulsion as well. Relaxation will help gain balance and proper head, arm and hand position will allow proper balance.

Drag reduction - The average swimmer is 3% efficient in the water. An elite swimmer is about 9%. That is a 300% difference. On land based sports there is only about a 25% - 35% difference in efficiency between the average and elite athelete. Why is that? The elite swimmer gains an understanding of how to reduce drag. Body position and maintaining that effcient position thrughout each stroke. So can you.

Propulsion - It is not pulling and kicking. A shocking truth. But ask most swimmers if they have really gotten faster as they have gotten older. Or if their times are coming down in large increments. Or if they can swim long distances and feel refreshed when through.

Propulsion is the use of very large core muscles and timing them to work together at the right time.

So what does all this mean to the beginning swimmer who wants to get better? Learn how to train your body's muscle memory to do these three things consistently and you will not only swim better but enjoy it more and not be prone to injury regardless of age and you will swim confidently in any situation.

Total Immersion teaches this in great detail and in a manner that anyone and I mean anyone, can learn. It is accomplished in step by step methods that will provide the student with knowledge and drills they can practice and see improvement consistently. They have self-teaching DVD's and you can potentially find a TI coach in your area on their website. Go to http://www.totalimmersion.net. You will never regret it. As Terry Laughlin, founder and head coach would say, Happy Laps.

I need to know how to swim as I have a trip coming up and it requires swimming.