Learning to swim, the joy of taking a plunge

Nothing beats the joy of diving into the pool…

Children love learning things through play and learning swimming should be no different. Those of us introduced to the water as children either through formal swimming classes or in the neighbourhood water bodies have many experiences to reminiscence about. One of the greatest joys then was hurling yourself into the pool, the bigger the splash, the better. Hours of jumping, diving, fetching things from the pool bottom, back flips, side flips, twisting jumps, the list of activities in the pool is endless.

The truth however is that through these endless fun and games, we grew in water confidence and safety much more than the swim lessons. Fun and games are an integral part of becoming a safe and confident swimmer. Among the many things children love about learning to swim is jumping into the water as soon as they can, sometimes even if they are not ready for it. Experts feel that children are physically and mentally prepared to start diving into the pool around the ages of 7 or 8 years, to have the necessary muscle structure and coordination.

However, learning to swim as an adult becomes and altogether different experience, it’s a lot more serious, about learning the right techniques, the right way to do things and sadly a lot less of the wild abandon that children learn through. Children relate that the rush of the thousands of bubbles that explode on your skin when you hit the water is what thrills them. So, this is something that an adult learner should also try.

When you jump into the water, there is a sudden change and a surprising sensation that is a remarkable first-time experience. The ambient sound and noises around replaced by a muffled silence is the first thing you notice, and then you feel the lightness of your body as the water envelopes you and lifts you up to the surface and once you break the surface, you almost immediately like to do it again, and again.

When you jump into the water, there is a sudden change and a surprising sensation that is a remarkable first-time experience.

For new adult learners, taking a plunge in the deep end can be terrifying, so it is a good idea to start with a pool that is deep enough to dive, but not deep to be terrifying; you should be able to reach the surface on tip toe ideally. You can do a sitting dive, which will remove the fear of diving from a height and get you used to entering the water headfirst. The next step is doing a kneeling dive, diving from kneeling on one knee and helps you gain more confidence to do the standing dive. After mastering the standing dive, you can progress to diving off the starting block and also making forays into springboard and platform diving.

NB: Consult with your swim teacher or coach before engaging in any form of diving into the pool or other water bodies. Always ensure you have the sufficient amount of training and guidance for your water-based activities.

In the DSA’s learn to swim program, the students learn skills at a rate they are comfortable with. Specifically created to teach children from the age of 5 years and older, the program incorporates lessons with a lot of fun and games. Children therefore develop a love for swimming and a skill base to develop further abilities in a wide range of water-based activities.

 

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