Why can't you swim? What's stopping you from learning.
Posted by joehighlord@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 147 comments
Occasionally I meet people who can't swim. They simply never learnt. I just find this interesting because not only is it good exercise, often free and I think quite a lot of fun. It's one of those simple skills that can save your life. As a child I was forced though swimming lessons for this very reason.
My guess would be some people are deathly afraid of water for whatever reason. But learning in a safe shallow pool with a life guard feels like the better option that definitely drowning in an emergency.
Lau_kaa@reddit
I'd love to know where swimming is free. I learned at school in the 80s, but it's nearly £10 per session for an adult to swim near me now (£8 for kids). Weekly adult swimming lessons are £35 per month.
Sszaj@reddit
Sea, river, loch, lake.
r_keel_esq@reddit
Poverty is often a factor - swimming lessons are expensive, and even going to the local pool can cost a bomb (£8.50 at the council pool in my town)
Add in a lack of opportunity for many I rural or remote areas, a potential lack of interest from either themselves or their parents and you have adults who can't swim.
jarvi123@reddit
You didn't go with school? Every winter we went swimming weekly in lower school.
r_keel_esq@reddit
Not every school does. I was fortunate in that my primary school was five minutes walk from the local pool, and some of our teachers were qualified swimming instructors, so we went regularly. Conversely, the kids who went to the further away schools maybe managed once a week in November, if they were lucky.
The joys of living in the Inner Hebrides
EyeAware3519@reddit
I get that people are struggling but to learn a skill that can literally save your life it's not a lot of money. Council pools are heavily subsidised already and schools should be taking kids for lessons as well. I grew up in a rural area and went to a comprehensive school and it had its own pool, so did all the other schools I knew of.
Just say it's lack of interest.
atsevoN@reddit
We got swimming lessons at school in the 2000s
MillySO@reddit
I didn’t learn because my parents didn’t have the time or money to take me to swimming lessons.
If you don’t learn during childhood, it’s really hard to fix it as an adult. I live in a large town and about a 30 minute drive from two other large towns. I had the money and no fear but it still took me years to find adult swimming lessons. The lessons run at council swimming pools were all late morning/ early afternoon during the working week. By the time I found privately run lessons in the evening, I had to play “fastest finger first” with the booking system because spaces were limited. We could only book 4 lessons at a time and they were limited to 6 learners. It still wasn’t ideal, lessons were 9pm-10pm and I was knackered by the time I got home.
gremilym@reddit
Working week yet again interfering with people living their best lives. So glad we're going to automate everything so we can work shorter weeks without reducing pay, right?
ooh-sheet@reddit
Definitely this. As kids we never learnt to swim, schools do a few weeks in years 4,5&6, that’s all we got, couldn’t afford food let alone luxuries.
I’ve paid in council leisure centres for my kids to learn and it’s been £31 a month, the waiting lists are long, there’s a reduced rate of about £25 a month if you get certain benefits, but when you add travel and having more than one kid it can get pretty pricey.
homersimon@reddit
I grew up in incredible poverty. But luckily for me I grew up by the sea and my mum taught me to swim at a young age.
I feel very lucky for the upbringing I had.
Funny_Professor3578@reddit
Having a good mum and a good quality of life by the sea is probably better than a rich mum who buys you loads of crap but you never see her.
Waftycrank69@reddit
You mean she threw you in and said "off you go"? 😉
BleckMagic@reddit
Where is swimming free?
Kamoebas@reddit
The sea!
FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit
The sea, a place that is dangerously cold to swim in for most of the year around the UK (without a wetsuit), has many hazards including rocks and hard walls to be thrown against, and these days is increasingly dangerously polluted.
Great idea for a beginner, mate.
Independent_Today819@reddit
I live in the most landlocked part of the UK
ThatGuyWired@reddit
Not the best place to learn though
Fattydog@reddit
Agreed. And I learned to swim in the sea!
I’m Gen X though and no-one cared about child safety in those days.
rkingd0m@reddit
And… how do most people learn without paying for lessons?!
MonsieurGump@reddit
My auntie taught me.
gottaloveteatime@reddit
But I assume you still had to pay to attend the pool, even if you learnt to swim for free
MonsieurGump@reddit
Yes.
BUT
Swimming in the municipal pool is one of the cheapest activities around. Ours charges £11 for a family ticket that gets 5 of us in for 2 hours. (Our local soft play charges more than that per kid).
Also
We live in a country surrounded by and full of places to swim. Access to water isn’t that much of a problem.
earthandanarchy@reddit
That's a good price, we pay £16 for 3 of us to swim in our local pool
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
I was about to type that my parents taught me... but I did have some lessons with school I believe... but then I'm sure I could actually swim (in a fashion) before then, but I am probably misremembering.
mailywhale@reddit
Surely a good chunk of people are taught by their parents or at school?
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
I made a comment on this, my parents never took me so the school lessons didn’t ever stick.
mailywhale@reddit
So you could swim as a kid but forgot ?
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
No, I’m saying the school lessons didn’t ever stick in the first place, in part because I had zero experience before that.
mailywhale@reddit
Oh interesting
snittersnee@reddit
Rivers and quarry pits. You know, those totally safe supervised swimming places.
As someone who never did learn to swim there's a number of reasons. Fucky centre of gravity meaning I don't really float in water, dyspraxia so I don't seem to be able to coordinate my movements right.
But I think the reason I don't try to learn as an adult is I cant seem to get past the memories of my childhood friends and my brothers friends who thought it was the height of comedy to pull me under without any warning.
Glass_Badger_30@reddit
I've seen a lot of reasons here for why people don't know how to swim but this...
May be the sillest one here.
mailywhale@reddit
Places with lakes or the sea nearby
Objective_Result2530@reddit
Which would be scary to someone who can't swim. OP suggests a shallow pool with a lifeguard... but that's expensive and potentially embarrassing for an adult.
mailywhale@reddit
Yeah this is true, I’m being a bit obtuse because it would be insane to suggest teaching anyone to swim in freezing cold wild water lol
OldChorleian@reddit
I can't swim because I've never wanted to. Never felt the need. If I fall in, it's near the side and I climb out again. And this has happened an honestly embarrassing number of times over the years. Wet and probably muddy, but very much surviving.
Being able to swim gives people a false sense of security. How many times do you read 'But they were a good swimmer' of someone who just drowned? Often, because they put themselves in harm's way and over estimate their ability while underestimating the severity of the situation they are in until it's too late. Best way to avoid drowning is not to go in the water. And non-swimmers are much more likely to do this, oddly enough.
This is just a mistaken point of view. A genuine example - some years ago, two people were fly fishing on a lake in a small boat. They got into difficulties in bad weather and the boat capsized. The non-swimmer clung to the upturned boat and was eventually rescued. The swimmer struck out for the shore, thinking he could make it to safety, wasn't a strong enough swimmer and drowned. If he'd stayed put, he'd have survived.
I expect lots of downvotes for this, but I'm not saying 'Don't swim'. If you enjoy it, crack on. Just don't assume it makes you safer in a bad situation than a non-swimmer in a lifejacket.
TicksAndBricks@reddit
Whatever will they do that one time they have no other option but to pick up a brick from the bottom of a pool of water whilst wearing their pyjamas??
joehighlord@reddit (OP)
The chances are low but ever 0.
TicksAndBricks@reddit
I don't even own a pair of pyjamas... I just sleep in boxers.... So for me they're zero 😂
01000010-01101001@reddit
I'm sure there is a scenario where you end up hanging Banksy style from someone's window and borrow a pair of PJ's before falling into a body of water. I however only had one coffee yet and can't be bothered to work it out any further.
Pin1888@reddit
Pyjamas? We had to wear a tracksuit! Never had to use that particular skill in the wild yet but ye never know.
TicksAndBricks@reddit
At least that's more realistic!!
the_night_max@reddit
I guess you’re being facetious but it’s to teach you to manage swimming from a depth (the bottom of the pool being all they have available) to the surface, while wearing clothes, which make it much harder. The intent is to mimic a real life drowning situation. Admittedly neither scenario has come up for me as an adult
TicksAndBricks@reddit
I was actually going for humorous....
SamVimesBootTheory@reddit
I can sort of swim, I did learn as a kid and I have swum as an adult but I'm not very good at it and I am very out of practice, I additionally have dyspraxia which makes exercise really hard although swimming is like one thing I have enjoyed doing.
One thing I have learned though when trying to swim as an adult is I can no longer put my face underwater, I actually managed to loose my locker key once at the pool and someone else had to get it for me as I just couldn't get myself to 'dive' underwater for it I just physically/psychologically couldn't do it.
For me one barrier is that even though I live within walking distance of a pool the timetable for said pool and my schedule doesn't align as it's often been 'unless you can get here for 6am you're kinda out of luck'
BronwynnSayre@reddit
I didn’t learn until I was 25, despite having lessons at school, because I’m short-sighted. Couldn’t see the instructor or other kids in the pool, couldn’t add the element of lip-reading you need to hear people in a loud echoey pool, so couldn’t copy the actions I was supposed to do. This was in the 90s when nobody really paid much attention to a struggling kid lol.
FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit
Agreed, when you can't see what someone is doing when they're trying to demonstrate to you, then it's hard to take part.
A lot of children sports end up (or used to end up) being inaccessible to short-sighted kids, particularly before contact lenses became commonplace, because teachers say you can't wear your glasses in case they get broken or you get injured, and then you're essentially incapacitated.
NoisyGog@reddit
There’s a documentary you may find interesting on iPlayer, about the race disparity in swimming, featuring Seren Jones. It’s in Welsh (for the most part) but subtitles are available.
It’s called “Seren Jones, Yn fyw yn y dwr”
FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit
I moved around as a younger child so never got any formal lessons on how to swim. Later on in childhood it was just assumed you would know how to swim so there was no way to learn, and pool access was quite limited (my school didn't have a pool, and the sports focus was on rugby and cricket). Asthma doesn't help, because inhaling some water isn't something I can just shrug off with a cough, it seriously irritates my lungs.
In adulthood, there seem to be few places or ways to be taught as an adult, and in the last decade or so I haven't had much time for any hobbies while opportunities to get access to a pool seem to be less and less (without joining an expensive gym).
ClumsyandLost@reddit
Many families can't afford swimming lessons and aren't able to take their children frequently enough to properly teach them.
All primary schools have to include swimming lessons at some point during Key stage 1 and 2, but for some children it's not long enough for them to get the hang of it. If they don't get a chance to practice afterwards, what they learnt can be forgotten.
WillWatsof@reddit
I don’t like water, drowning is my worst fear and it’s pretty easy to avoid large bodies of it in your life so there’s not really any point for me.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
My experience of getting the kids swimming is it took years of going weekly, not being very good at all for a large chunk of that, and gradually getting better and then it just clicked. If people miss that for whatever reason then it is difficult to simply catch up. Where does adult swimming lessons. How much are they. When are they. What would it achieve other than maybe they will want to go for a dip for some exercise, they don't have to be deathly afraid and they can probably do enough in the water if they fell in not to literally drown. It is rather like riding a bike really, even that probably takes far less time to learn.
Holiday_Cat_7284@reddit
Free? It's £11 a throw at my leisure centre. Despite that I taught my granddaughter to swim because schools don't routinely do it now.
I actually became a really good swimmer because my parents were naturists and the water was a safe hidey hole so I just lived in it like a speckled frog.
Independent_Today819@reddit
Cost. It's £18 for half an hour. My daughter has been going since she was 6 weeks old, and still goes at almost 6, but my Dad pays for it. I'm disabled and keep having to reduce my hours at work as my health worsens, and it's just not possible to afford it ourselves
RedRamblerUK@reddit
I went to swimming lessons as part of school, the teacher was an arse and it put me off swimming for life. I have an irrational fear of swimming.
My children can swim, though. They go with mum and I sit on the side, awkwardly. I don't put myself in situations where I could drown.
Beer-Milkshakes@reddit
Heyyy same. My friend at school got his red band (1st level pass) and in order to get it he was coughing up swimming pool for the rest of the day. His eyes were red for hours. Fuck that.
mellonians@reddit
There's nothing irrational about what you're doing and I don't want to bash you. I do encourage you to take some swimming lessons behind their backs so that you can at least feel comfortable in the water. Their dad randomly coming into the pool for the first time ever to play will probably be the highlight of their year and you probably tall enough to be comfortable in most of the pool anyway without having to swim it properly.
Ok-Cheesecake-1891@reddit
This. Get involved OP
deccann@reddit
I was in the same boat as you. You can have adult beginners lessons, everyone's in the same boat and there's no need to feel awkward! There'll likely be some at your local leisure centre, if not, then private lessons in hotel pools.
Another safety element is even if you don't put yourself in that situation, your children could be, in a pool on holiday for example.
Single-Position-4194@reddit
There's nothing irrational concerning being nervous about being in an element that can kill you (by drowning).
Pure-Dead-Brilliant@reddit
We allegedly had swimming lessons in primary school for a 6 week block but if you didn’t already know how to swim you didn’t progress. You were out in the baby pool and never shown how to kick properly or what to do with your arms.
Then as an adult it’s not easy to find adult swimming classes for beginners. I eventually learnt how to swim freestyle, breast stroke and butterfly at the Aberdeen Sports Village which offers an adult learn to swim programme.
SamVimesBootTheory@reddit
Yeah I had that with my primary school swimming lessons, I was shoved into the 'armbands non swimmer' group and at the time I was taking additional swimming lessons where I was doing fairly ok.
Then I did move out of the armbands group but was still classed a non swimmer also the other thing was I was stuck in the shallow end of the pool but I was a tall kid which didn't help as I think I was legit too tall to stay in the shallow end
Pure-Dead-Brilliant@reddit
I was too tall for the baby pool. I think the only thing I got from the whole experience was a verruca.
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
55% of the global population aged 16+ can't swim.
Poverty is a common source of problems. Even in the UK, many schools aren't obliged to offer swimming lessons. It is part of the national curriculum in England that by the end of primary school pupils should be able to swim 25m and know some water safety. Scotland has only recently launched a universal learning to swim offering for primary school children. Plaid Cymru are promising free lessons for pupils in Wales if they win the Senedd election tomorrow.
25m is actually not very far though, and the requirements to learn water safety, rescues, etc are weak.
Beer-Milkshakes@reddit
No. And why?
There are tons of ways to keep fit. Ive gone 36 years without swimming. I can go another.
One-Program6244@reddit
I had swimming lessons back when I was at school. I can swim but badly. My strokes are inefficient and I still do not know how to tread water and stay afloat for a long time.
Affectionate_Oven610@reddit
Fill your lungs with air and bring your legs up - lay flat on the water and on balance have your lungs inflated. In standing/upright position in the water with full lungs you are buoyant. With empty lungs you will start sinking.
JennyW93@reddit
I can swim.
FlaviousTiberius@reddit
Stop lying! Why can't you swim!
JennyW93@reddit
Fine! I can’t swim! I admit it!
FloofyRaptor@reddit
My Dad can't swim, and not for lack of trying, he just naturally doesn't float at all.
He's had lessons upon lessons and when I was learning to swim in school I even tried to teach him with my armbands and float, but he would sink and drag them down with him.
Absolutely no idea why, he's always been quite rotund, I guess he has really high bone density or something.
-Londoneer-@reddit
I can swim breast stroke, I just can’t get crawl.
It’s difficult for swimming teachers to comprehend what I can’t comprehend which is understandable, it’s hard to understand myself.
It’s like French or maths teachers being people who were really good at French or maths and you actually overcoming your obstacles by finding someone who struggled but overcame that via certain strategies and understands that.
Swimming is nearly always taught by good swimmers, it can be depressing to learn.
Ok-Explanation1990@reddit
I love water. I like being on boats, and I'll splash about in my depth all day. I'm not afraid of water - I'm afraid of drowning. Because I can't swim.
Same story as others. Poor upbringing, swimming teacher at school was an arsehole, I got bullied a bit in changing rooms. Then as an adult, I've had friends and relatives try to reach me over the years, but I just can't grasp it. I can breaststroke, clumsily, for about half a length, then I start to slowly breathe in water.
shlebee@reddit
i'm dyspraxic and i have tried but my brain can't cope with all the little steps at the same time, plus it's essentially a 'do this or die' situation so i can't help but panic
butwhatsmyname@reddit
I've talked about this with a pal of mine whose dyspraxia wasn't diagnosed till late in his 30s. He said school swimming lessons were impossible.
He just couldn't deal with the combo of:
He talked about trying to explain it to the teachers - "but there's too much water!" but he was 8 and couldn't make sense of what the problem was for himself, let alone explain it to anyone else.
Voodoopulse@reddit
Problem Is the places that it's free are the most dangerous
Objective_Result2530@reddit
People on here saying to go to the sea where its free... Jesus wept.
Yeah let's take a nervous non swimmer to a place known for unpredictability.
peppermint_aero@reddit
Yeah let's ask children with no skills to swim unsupervised in cold unpredictable waters
earthandanarchy@reddit
It would cost me much more in fuel to get to the sea than it would to pay to use the leisure centre 😅
the_night_max@reddit
Right?! Even as a life-long confident swimmer I’m cautious in the sea, as everyone should be
iamusingmyrealname@reddit
I have a friend who grew up inland in poverty and didn’t learn until they were an adult. Depends on circumstances. They work on ships now so it’s kinda essential.
Charming_Yogurt2258@reddit
I can swim a bit but not very well….. I have a fear of not being able to put my feet on the ground when in water also I have a really bad reaction to chlorinated water…my eyes go bright red and sore and I get big itchy blotches on my body.
Maleficent-Rise7110@reddit
As someone who's starting swimming lessons later this year at the age of 31... screw you for this ignorant take.
Not everyone has the financial circumstances or access to safe places to learn. We aren't all just pure cowards who choose not to live up to your standards.
peppermint_aero@reddit
Especially when you consider the number of leisure centres that have closed for financial reasons.
earthandanarchy@reddit
I've never come across free swimming here in England - unless you want to swim in a dirty river (when my son was little he fell in and was given anti biotics and was poorly for a few days so yeah not doing that)
I hate chlorine, it bothers my skin and hair so it always puts me off.
ControversyCaution2@reddit
People with bodies that would benefit most from going swimming, are typically not comfortable with their body being on show to go swimming
It’s a terrible cycle
Lion-Resident@reddit
Hygiene purposes mostly.
I have a reflex where when the water goes up to my ears, I gasp and inhale water. I swallowed loads of pool water when learning in school and I don't think that is safe considering the chlorine, spiders, snot and pee that is in the water.
My nose runs profusely when I am in the water which is annoying and I have seen other peoples snot floating on the water.
Added to that, I was forced to learn to swim in school as a short sighted individual who could not see without my glasses (didn't have contact lenses). They pinned the activities to the wall which I could not see and when I told them I could not see, their suggestion was to get out of the water to look at each activity, get back in the pool, do the activity, then get out of the pool to check the next activity. Discrimination.
Several_Cold_7160@reddit
Embarrassment/Self Conscious about my body. I am so envious of those that can swim.
peppermint_aero@reddit
I am so sorry to hear this. You deserve to enjoy the water. Everybody does.
J_Thompson82@reddit
I know two adults who can’t swim. They have both said that finding adult beginner swimming classes is like finding hen’s teeth. And one on one swimming lessons are very expensive.
My Dad taught me how to swim, then by the time I went to swimming classes with school I was already very confident in the water.
I have a son now and he’s currently 6. He’s been going to water babies for years and is very capable in the water now, but I shudder to think the amount of money we’ve spent on swimming lessons in total for him over the years.
peppermint_aero@reddit
The mandatory swimming component in the National Curriculum for a long time was like one school term of lessons, once a week. That's just simply not enough teaching time if you also have to travel to the pool and there are 25-30 kids in the class.
MattStanni99@reddit
Considering how water can be extremely dangerous & terrifying for the average person, there’s no wonder people don’t want to learn or just simply haven’t been able to. It also costs a lot of money, unless it’s something you’re heavily into the further expense isn’t worth it for most people.
I’m a swimming teacher/coach myself & I have been teaching some of my students for years & years, their journey is definitely still not over & it always leads me to believe that if you don’t start young or have someone assist you in starting then it can be a dreading experience.
zah_ali@reddit
I was one of the few kids in my class at school that couldn’t swim. Teacher didn’t do anything to help teach us and focused on those who could.
As an adult, I’ve tried lessons, it was a group class type of set up and I don’t think it helped unfortunately 😭
steadvex@reddit
Our school lessons were like that, all the kids that can swim in one group, about 3 or 4 of us couldn't swim so we were just left to the corner in the shallow end.
Was very rare swimming lessons in school, probably less than 10 in total, used a local public pool which I'm guessing cost a fortune to have for few hours!
TheBestBigAl@reddit
Same here. The instructor's method of teaching was to get you into the water and then say "ok go, start swimming". Then he'd fuck off to the other pool where the kids who could already swim were.
megan99katie@reddit
I’ve always hated water, my mum took me to swimming lessons when I was younger but I made that much of a fuss out of it that she stopped taking me. I can’t even put my face under the shower.
My partner has tried to help me swim a few times as an adult but the fear is still there and I just can’t do it.
Comfortable-Bug1737@reddit
Poverty
alex_3410@reddit
We moved around a lot when I was a kid. I remember starting lessons, but we moved shortly after, and that school had finished lessons at the time.
On top of that, I used to get regular ear infections, and the doctors said to stay out of the water as much as possible, so it kind of just got sidelined.
When we had our little one, my wife would take her to baby swimming lessons, and now she does them once a week 'privately' and once a week with the school. I am so pleased for her, and alongside this, we are making sure she's OK at the dentist as well (another issue for me from childhood).
I did look into lessons as an adult when we had our little one, but they were at stupid times (middle of the afternoon on weekdays), so it wasn't feasible.
I need to look at it again as it's been a couple of years, but generally nervous about ear issues, general level of fitness and the fact I know it's something that will take me a long time to get my head around.
No_Secret2322@reddit
I learnt to swim in primary school and then stopped swimming for 18 years, recently though at the age of 27 I was able to take adult swimming lessons with an instructor and I can now (again) swim, yay! Albeit I’m a very slow swimmer, wouldn’t do great in the actual ocean but I’ll book in at the local pool sometimes and I plan to get more consistent with it. It’s great cardio.
LengthinessSame695@reddit
I had swimming lessons three times in my life. Still don’t know how to swim
felineunderling@reddit
I was fortunate that we had free swimming lessons every other week for the first two years of junior school. Walking distance so no transport costs either. It must be a huge disadvantage for people who don’t get that or something similar.
Jay_CD@reddit
This is me - I come from a family of non-swimmers, neither parent could swim so they didn't teach me and although my primary school had a swimming pool I just never learnt.
A couple of times as an adult I tried to learn but I just couldn't master it so I basically gave up. I've never done beach holidays, there's no public swimming pool directly near me so if I did learn I doubt I'd make much use of it.
I can drive, I'm good at DIY and what you might call co-ordinated, I play a lot of sport, go to the gym etc I just can't swim. Maybe one day I'll have another stab at learning.
JonRoberts87@reddit
I did swimming as a kid, got up to the 10m badge, but never really enjoyed it.
So once i moved to highschool and stopped goijf via primary school i never went back.
So pretty sure I wouldnt be able to swim nowadays.
damned-n-doomed@reddit
This is going to sound really vain but I spend a fair bit of money to maintain my hair colour and the chlorine from the pool would ruin it.
I’d love to be able to swim properly (I can do a half arsed front crawl and that’s about it) buuut I also love my hair and don’t want to ruin it or have to spend more on it than I already do.
Phoenyx_wilson@reddit
Used to be able to swim and really well in fact wanted to become a life guard at one point and then I got a head injury at 18 and every time I've been swimming I've had a seizure in the pool, which basically means I stop swimming and lay on top of the water completely conscious but unable to move, so I end up drowning instead. Completely terrifying and made me stop trying after the fourth tine it happened.
SgtBukkakeMan@reddit
Used to love swimming, but I haven't gone since I was sexually assaulted in a pool as a kid. I'm male, and it was by two girls, so of course nothing was done and nobody gave a shit.
AdApart5035@reddit
I've tried. I had so many lessons as a child. I paid a lot of money for private lessons as an adult who is desperate to learn. I then started having panic attacks in the pool when asked to do things I'd mastered and enjoyed doing in previous lessons. I had to stop going because I was making negative progress. It's a lot of effort to learn to do something when your body can't tell the difference between that activity and certain death. I would absolutely love to be able to swim. I want nothing more than to snorkel and look at fish in the sea but it's just not going to happen any time soon.
ChickenPijja@reddit
Fear of drowning. And yes I know the best way to not have a fear of drowning is to be able to swim so you’re less likely to drown, but when are phobias rational? Besides, I don’t see the point, i don’t go in the sea/rivers/lakes/water parks etc. so why would I need to be able to swim in them?
NuisancePenguin44@reddit
Never had lessons and my parents never made me learn. I haven't been in a pool since I was a child
Negative-Fondant1373@reddit
Learnt as a child then somehow as a adult feel like I’ve forgot. Also vanity I don’t want to get my hair wet!
Karloss_93@reddit
I learnt as a child and then has to re-learn as an adult. I would say it was like riding a bike and after a couple of sessions in the pool it soon came back.
Background_Ad5513@reddit
Swimming is free?
Karloss_93@reddit
If you live near the sea, or a local lake or river it can be. There's a whole Facebook group in my county for people who go wild swimming for free in the rrivers and there's some nice spots.
The difficulty is, that those places are the most dangerous for non-swimmers because they are unpredictable.
ultimateberk@reddit
Same for me. Ignored my the instructers in the bottom group and never progressed. I remember the floats and being able to float in a star shape, diving for things atthe bottom of the pool. Swimming on my back with floats. I just wasnt very good at it. Id love to swim but my back arches and i sink. I dont have the time to learn around kids and shiftwork. The last chance i had to learn i injured my back and couldnt take the lessons. I also had a traumatic time as kid, i got verrucas from the pool which took a long time to sort out and painful so wore a rubber sock. I had gromits in my ears so had to wear a cap. I remember the general feeling of putting all that stuff on and coming out freezing running to the changing rooms shivering. Getting dressed again with a not so dry body struggling to get clothes on whilst still shivering The general feeling of the floors which always felt manky. The tiny cubicles to do it all in. The wrinkled skin. I guess there was a lot that made me dislike it all and gave up when the teachers turned a blind eye to us. I also had feet that turned inwards as a child so that probably didnt help
VinegaryMildew@reddit
We went to the swimming baths with school and had lessons. Not sure everyone has access to a pool though
the_night_max@reddit
yeah swimming definitely isn’t ’often free’ as OP said, unless you’re talking open water which is obviously not the place for it. I loved swimming, diving etc as a kid and a big part of that was the privilege of lessons outside school and pools on holiday etc
IcyPuffin@reddit
While i can manage to swim a little bit, i wouldnt call myself a swimmer. I have zero interest in learning to get better. Fact of the matter is i just dont like or enjoy swimming. There is nothing about it i enjoy.
I hated going swimming as a kid/teen. I did go fairly often because my mum would take me or my friends wanted to go. But i spent most of the time just at the side watching everyone else - which was fine, it was just kind of nice to just be in the water. I sometimes would take a short swim, but it was never enjoyable - many people were just about and splashing everywhere, which really annoyed me.
I havent been swimming in decades now and have absolutely no intention of going again any time soon.
No_Watercress8123@reddit
John Marston has entered the chat.
Ok_Requirement_7489@reddit
My swimming is so bad I would classify it as not being able to swim - as in I wouldn't be able to go out of my depth for very long. I actually love water though!
I have had multiple attempts at learning through my life; school lessons as a kid and as an adult group beginner swimming lessons. The only thing I haven't tried yet is private swimming lessons but this all takes time commitment, money and a certain level of bravery.
I don't know why I just can't get it to click for me. Maybe you ideally need that one on one pool time when you're learning as a kid which I never had.
I am fully committed to my daughter learning though and have taken her to small group lessons from the age of 1.
summers_tilly@reddit
Parents were refugees so we had no money/time for things like swimming lessons. We had lessons with school in year 6, but I remember it was the first time a lot of us had been in a swimming pool and we were just terrified so never got past the point of using floats. Then I only really went to pools on holidays in my 20s. Now at 38 with two kids (4 and 2yo) who regularly go to lessons.
I did lessons with my local leisure centre where I didn’t learn anything. Last year I did private lessons so I’m much better but my technique is terrible, I’m really unfit so get exhausted and find it hard to fit swimming practice in my schedule. I’m now comfortable in the water, can drag myself to do a couple of lengths so I’d say I can just about swim but not very well. The only reason I got to this stage is through 1-2-1 private adult lessons which were £45 a session and I needed a fair few lessons. The cost would be a barrier for a lot of people.
Joyride4Life@reddit
Where is swimming free?
As for learning to swim, it’s a life skill, taught at schools but with an ever diminishing budget.
I’ve taught some Nigerian oil workers to swim over a few evenings in a hotel pool as they had blagged their way into a secondment but not thought that they would need to demonstrate some proficiency for an offshore job in Malaysia.
It was hard work with one of them because he wasn’t very good at coordinating top and bottom of his body. We got there in the end. But especially in younger kids if they struggle with the water, or the coordinated movement then the few lessons they get won’t be enough.
F_DOG_93@reddit
One of the biggest factors is poverty. Having access to a pool isn't cheap, financial or practical-wise
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
I feel like this is one of these threads where it’s presented as looking for earnest answers but is actually going ‘well none of those answers count’ etc, not having money for it is the obvious answer
No_Actuary9100@reddit
I’ve always feared water. I even dreaded having my hair washed as a kid.
I hated school swimming lessons.
When I was 11yo my mum sent me for private lessons. I learnt to swim but even then it always felt a bit ‘let’s swim to the edge of the pool asap’ and I couldn’t tread water or go out of my depth.
We made sure to get my kids lessons very young and they’re all good swimmers. By 12yo they were jumping in the deep end so when I took them I used that time to get a handle on my own confidence at my own pace and learn to tread water etc … I was 45yo at the time
Now I’m a reasonably confident swimmer
Graveyard_massacre@reddit
We got lessons in primary school but I didn’t really engage in them because I was bullied by most the people in my class and feared them trying to drown me for a laugh or some shit whilst the teachers weren’t looking. Didn’t get taught or taken to the pool outside of that. Didn’t really have any friends when I was a teenager to go to the pool with or teach me. I am an adult now but likely won’t learn to swim until I get surgery for body issues or I am able to somehow afford to rent out a pool for a day to try and learn by myself/have my partner teach me.
Chemical-ali1@reddit
My gran learned to swim in her 70s even did the meter badges and everything!
ThatGuyWired@reddit
I can't swim.
Had lesson when I was younger, but something never clicked.
Had some extra lessons at school, and did manage to do 5m, but never kept it up to improve.
I struggle to float, I sort of panic. I need to learn though, my daughter is having lessons so I need to learn so we keep going when shes able to. I have no problem getting in the pool and sticking my head underwater.
llynllydaw_999@reddit
I could just about swim a length at school, I can't now. Doesn't bother me, I've no need or wish to swim anywhere.
skibbin@reddit
I remember my first swimming lesson. We all went with the school, got in the pool and were told to swim a width. 3/4 of the kids managed it, but I was holding on to the side the whole time afraid to let go. I thought everybody else had a natural ability I lacked. It made me convinced me that everything the teacher told us was all fine in theory, but I couldn't actually float. The few lessons I had achieved nothing and I still can't really swim.
My kids are getting lessons from a young age. Currently things are progressing very slowly, but I'm happy their experience of lessons is far less figuratively thrown in at the deep end than my experience
Mysterious-Bid-9446@reddit
armbands are too expensive
LazySector@reddit
I can
OkGrapefruit7174@reddit
Can’t speak for myself, but maybe this’ll help motivate others. My mums partner never learned to swim, he was further into his 50’s when he started to learn. They go to a smaller local pool that’s always pretty quiet and she shows him little bits. He used to swim backwards, he has come a long way!
Prestigious-Salt-245@reddit
Don't want to. If I learn swimming I'll be much more likely to drown because I'll be an inexperienced swimmer who goes swimming a lot, as compared to now when I'm someone who doesn't go swimming at all.
ShoC0019@reddit
Bad scars on my back, embarrassed to go and learn.
NA-31@reddit
I can’t swim because I have a phobia. I was learning to swim when I was little and the instructor tested me by going in deep end to swim and I nearly drowned. That has scarred me. Now I want to learn but paying £60 a month seems a bit meh. Some places are even asking for £150 and if you want 1-2-1 lessons it’s £400
douggieball1312@reddit
I went to swimming lessons in school but never got over my hatred for the burning feeling of the chlorine water rushing up my nose and eyes when I put my head underwater. To this day I can't stand the smell of swimming pools.
Warm-Reference-4965@reddit
My 18yr old cannot swim. We used to take him a lot as a young child but he decided that he didn't like water and refused to go any more. Over the years I asked if he would like swimming lessons but he always refused. We live in a coastal area and I think it's an essential life skill although since he also refuses to go in the sea I'm not overly worried!
KingPrawnOkay@reddit
I had proper lessons as a child, and at school, and my now-husband tried to teach me when I was about 20 but I just never got the hang of it. I never liked it, and I never went enough after I stopped lessons to practice so I forgot everything. I feel like I’d maybe pick it up now if I had proper lessons again but I’ve got zero interest and have resigned myself to the fact that if I ever drown, I drown.
BG3restart@reddit
My mum couldn't swim and she couldn't drive either. She had lessons for both, but just lacked something to enable her to learn. We had lessons at school, so learned when we were young, but my mum didn't have lessons until she was an adult. I guess growing up during WWII, it wasn't a priority.
MelindaTheBlue@reddit
I swim everyday
HotButteredBagel@reddit
Swimming access is the issue for most people.
Our local pool is expensive - think over £30 to take the kids swimming as a family - and the changing rooms are gross so I can imagine the pool water is also gross. Hence my kids haven’t had many chances to go in the last five years.
We did have Village gym membership when they were little and taught them there - lovely changing rooms and pool but kids are only allowed in off peak times so it stopped being worth it when I went back to full time work.
When we’re on holiday, they splash about in the pool or the sea but not everyone has access to holidays.
InternationalSun2342@reddit
My mum told me to be scared of water, no one cared enough to teach me to swim. I learnt at the age of 35 but I still cant go in deep water. I used to feel like I was being strangled as soon as my neck was in the water. I can now swim under water. It took my own children watching me in a pool to know something had to change. I leant for them, they can all swim. I need to get over the deep water bit now.
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
I can swim, I just hate the water
tiptoe_only@reddit
I've tried and tried and tried. I've had lessons, I've tried practicing for hours on end. I just can't get the hang of it.
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
My parents never took me swimming as a young child, and I got the same forced lessons when I was in primary school but they just never took. I’ve looked into learning as an adult but the lessons schedule is never ideal with working 9-5.
I still go to holidays with a pool etc, I just don’t really go in as often as other people other than to cool off once in a while.
Most_Lingonberry_409@reddit
Actually there are a surprising lack of options to learn as an adult (in my local area anyway). Especially since I don’t drive there is nowhere I could get to easily that would allow me to learn, although I would like to!
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