Description: We all appreciate the importance of knowing how to swim: from being an all-encompassing exercise to saving your life if you get stuck in water. If you want to learn how to swim, this post serves as a good starting point and makes you a better swimmer if you’re a proficient swimmer.

Swimming 101: How to swim and what to caution

Swimming can appear frightening if you are yet to learn how to swim. However, it is possible for virtually anyone and everybody to do it. Immersing yourself and playing in the water brings about incredible fun. Also, being able to swim can mean the difference between life and death when all that surrounds you is water. All you need to do is make sure that you’re at ease in the water, learn basic swim strokes, and then proceed to the advanced techniques if and when you ready, and without forgetting to take the necessary precautionary measures every time you hit to the waters.

Being at ease in the water

1. Release your feet

The majority of people delay learning to swim since they fear drowning in the water. Although drowning do happen, they are easily avoidable through simple safety measures. Obey the following guidelines every time you swim and you will dramatically decrease the probability of drowning occurring:

Never swim unaccompanied. Always have at least one other individual who’s a strong swimmer whenever you go swimming.

Avoid starting to learn to swim in moving water. When swimming in a river or ocean, you have to be more mindful of the direction and movement of the water. If you’re a novice and you’re swimming in such water bodies, ensure that you’re in the company of people who know what they’re doing.

Always stay within a deepness you can handle. While you are getting to learn how to swim, it is important that you don’t get into water that you remain in water that’s shallow enough for you to get on your feet in. This way, you can easily stand up and take some air if anything goes amiss.

Never swim in severe weather. Swimming during a lightweight rain shower is just fine. However, if you hear or see a storm coming – whether you’re a novice or an experienced swimmer –leave the water straightaway.

Don’t swim in frigid water. It can suddenly become difficult for you to move your limbs to propel yourself if you’re swimming in freezing water.

2. Be accustomed to floating

When in the pool, hold onto the side and allow your legs to float behind you. Feel free and let your legs lift easily. Practice floating this way on your stomach as well as on your back, till you’re able to allow half your body to float.

Make an effort to float on your stomach as well as on your back when you are ready. Remain in shallow depth where you can just stand on your feet if it doesn’t work out. If it feels odd when

water is around your ears yet your mouth and nose are literally up in the air, do not worry, you will get accustomed to it. You can afford more stability by spreading your arms at right angles so your body forms a T shape.

3. Do not panic

If you can’t move your hands and legs or you have waded into an unmanageable depth, do not panic as you have a fallback – floating on your backside. Do not start breathing quickly and do not flail around if you cannot swim; just lie on your backside as flat as possible, letting the water move you as you recapture your cool.

4. Know how to exhale under water

When you’re still in the shallow end, inhale a deep breath then immerse your face in the water. Exhale slowly through your nose till you run out of the air, and then come up again.

If you aren’t comfortable exhaling through the nose, consider holding it closed or wearing a nose plug as you exhale from your mouth.

5. Put on goggles

Having your goggles on will make you more comfortable as you open your eyes underwater. It will also help you see more clearly and those with mirrored lenses will block the glare from the sun, which is especially helpful if you’re swimming outdoor. A pair that has spongy circles in the eye area is best. Dip it in water so it can stick onto your skin. Tighten up the straps around your head and in line with the eye area for the goggles to fit snugly. For comfort purposes, the goggles need not be too tight for them to keep water at bay.

Getting ready for unlikely circumstances

Summer time is time to indulge in everything fun and joy, more so swimming at the beach. While at it, you may get carried away and find yourself in an unlikely situation in the water. The last thing you want is your fun time to change into an emergency situation or a visit to the medic. When you are swimming in the sea or ocean, it is possible that you can be wedged in a riptide. Memorizing the following steps prior to getting into the water can save lives.

Do not panic. Panicking only leads to more troubles. When you panic and flail, you’re essentially keeping yourself underwater and subjecting yourself to more dangers.

Swim sideways. Never attempt to swim straight to the shoreline or straight into the water. Instead, seek to move in a direction that’s actually parallel to that of the coastline.

Use a swim stroke that enables you to breathe. Use the strongest swim stroke that you can manage and that gives you ample room to breathe. It could be a breaststroke, a sidestroke or a front crawl.

Keep swimming till you are no longer in the riptide. You may have to swim a far distance before you can be safe, but you need to keep going, lest you ruin the good work you have managed so far by moving at the direction of the shoreline at the inappropriate time.

When possible, call for assistance. If possible, gesture to the beach attendant or shout “HELP!” the soonest you can. However, do not attempt doing this if it requires that you stop swimming or you sacrifice a breath – the best option is for you to keep going.