Swimming Without Stress: Overcome Fear of Water

[DDc8565]

Hi man ,, thank you so much ,, you give some hope ,, I'm 18 years old ,, do you think i can swim ,, i try do this ,, but i have problem ,, especially in float ,, i want just know how i can float .. i went to a gym one time befor ,, but the coach just Sitting on the chair ,, and say do this and do this ,, he didn't feeling about me ,, i always feel sad when i see my friends swimmin ,, i think it is fun and Interesting ,, i actually feel so sad when i see some one swim ,, can you give me some hope

[m0pelley99]

hey. i'm 19 years old. i never did much swimming as a kid, but when ever i did get in the water i had an overwhelming stress, even being in shallow water. i have no trouble going underneath for a short amount of time. the trouble is floating. i feel very uneasy about floating on my back or even swimming in water where i cant touch the bottom. i've tried swimming lessons and such but nothing helps...

[swimwithoutstress]

@m0pelley99 Hi, to feel happier, first you need to work on breathing out, like Gill on the video. Give time to this. Then, for floating, what I find useful is to work on letting yourself sink in shallow water (instead of trying to make yourself float). This helps you learn to trust the water. I'm confident we can help you - are you in UK?

[m0pelley99]

@swimwithoutstress thanks for the reply. unfortunately i'm not... i'm across the ocean in newfoundland. but i will definitely work on that in the summer months.

[swimwithoutstress]

@m0pelley99 Have a look at our website .swimmingwithoutstress.co.uk and facebook page. 'Like' us on facebook and you can let me know how you get on and ask for advice there. Also if you 'like' us on facebook and send me your email address, I'll forward you a pdf of my book, Swimming Without Stress, which I think will be useful for you. Good luck

[DDc8565]

@swimwithoutstress

wooooo , thank you so much , you are so nice man , i wish i find someone like you , i really appreciate your words , thank you so much , can you give me your facebook , i can't found the link .

[swimwithoutstress]

@DDc8565 Hi, thank you. It's facebook website /swimmingwithoutstress Glad you're interested in visiting us on fb. Ask us anything you like there.

[DDc8565]

@swimwithoutstress

Unfortunately i'm not there , I hop to be there , but can you give me your address , maybe after year I will come , or give me your facebook or twitter .

[smartpizza3]

I didn't know there was a phobia for this I guess I kinda took it for granted and good video by the way

[nowshinnur]

The sound now helps me sleeping :P

[NikeIZ9]

I'm 15 and I'm a soccer player we need to hit the pool for condition and I don't have a phobia of water just when i get into 6ft water i automatically sink. I can butterfly stroke and swim fine if it's 5 ft but if it's deep I can't just stay floating with my neck and head up. Please help!

[swimwithoutstress]

@NikeIZ9 To keep your head and neck up you need to keep your arms and legs moving. You need to be comfortable under water and aim to come out to breathe just for short periods and then return underwater. If you try and keep your head and neck afloat ( avoiding going under), you get tense and anxious. Are you able to roll onto your back? This is a very useful skill to have for deep water. Have a look at the 'bloke on holiday' video - there's a bit on the end about being in deep water. Good luck.

[furqanrauf]

I have the same problem I wish I had this instructor



[Runaholism]

(sigh) I find running so easy and love to run but I see swimmers swim like runners run but somehow, I just can't grasp the breathing technique.

[swimwithoutstress]

@Runaholism You probably just need a bit of guidance. Have you thought about coming to one of our residential courses? We teach a lot of runners who'd like to improve their swimming. My book, Swimming Without Stress, Lessons for Land Lovers was originally a series of articles written for British Runner magazine, aimed at people just like you. Have a look at our website, swimming without stress, for more information.

[swimwithoutstress]

It seems to make no sense for your teacher to ask you to jump into water without first helping you to be comfortable breathing into the water with your feet on the ground. But this upside down approach is unfortunately not uncommon.

[masterdmcx]

Alright, here's my problem. I'm 14, never swam a day in my life and everytime I jump into the water I get this strange feeling and I start to take water in. I would sink and water would start rushing in and I would get dizzy. (6'1, 200lbs) My course dosen't have this part where you get used to the water by putting your head in.

[swimwithoutstress]

Have a look at the swimming without stress website and see the 'swimming reviews' link on the left hand side. What are your doubts?.. Do you think you might be unable to learn to feel more at home in the water by learning to breathe out into it without stiffening your neck, like Gill on the video?

[ozboybrian]

Can anyone vouch for this working? I have a phobia of having my head (eyes) under water. It's getting way worse.

Almost drowned when I was a kid a couple times.

Always loved water and do enjoy it. Had points where I could open my eyes under water when I was a kid. But now I just start panicking.

[kittkat42]

How do you overcome the fear of being in water over your head? That what I can't get past, I just panic. I don't mind being in the water or swimming under it as long as I know that its at a level that isn't above my head. I tried to take a class and they were teaching us to breathe, I couldn't do it. We had one class and then we were supposed to be in deep water. I failed.

[swimwithoutstress]

Hi, it sounds like you're not ready for deep water yet. You have to be confident with the breathing. Once you can confidently get your head out of the water to breathe in the shallow end, you'll be happy in deep water. Basic skills you should aim to be comfortable with include swimming happily on your front and back and being able to change from one to the other.

[kittkat42]

@swimwithoutstress See I thought everything was a bit rushed. I'll have to try again because I really like being in the water, and I want to know how to swim. I need to find something one on one. Thanks.

[swimwithoutstress]

@kittkat42 Where do you live? If you're in UK you could consider coming on our residential course in Pembrokeshire where you'd be taught by myself and Cheryl - we'd be able to help you slow everything down. Have a look at our website swimmingwithoutstress.co.uk for more information

[starlitslumber]

Wow, she made so much progress! He is such a great mentor and tutor. His kindness and compassion warms my heart :)

[Jon7Lane]

Excellent, one step at a time, slowly. Well done.

[swimwithoutstress]

Thanks a lot for your feedback.

[monilark]

This is great. I can relate very much to this lady, although my achilles has always been learning to breathe. I have recently taken an adult fear-of-swimming class, and while that did wonders to get myself reacclimated to the water, I have signed up for still more lessons in order learn how to breathe in the water!!

You have a great technique!

[swimwithoutstress]

Thanks a lot for your feedback. When you say 'learning to breathe' do you mean learning to get your head out of the water to inhale? This is a big hurdle for ,most learners. You may be interested in out breast stroke clip. Good luck with your swimming classes.

[monilark]

I mean being able to turn my head, take a breath, and put my face back in the water. Blowing bubbles while my face is in the water freaks me out - I always think I'm going to run out of air.

[swimwithoutstress]

Have you seen our swimming without stress front crawl video on youtube? What I think you need to work on is finding a balanced breathing position. Anxiety causes you to lose your balance and an unbalanced breathing position makes the process of getting air in difficult. If you're not confident that you can breathe when you come out of the water, you can't relax and breathe out into it. You then end up hyperventilating: not getting enough air in because you're not letting enough out. Good luck

[Jon7Lane]

You are a great tutor!

[DEVGRUFIVE]

When I was 9 years of age I had never

been in a swimming pool. When I was

12 my mother enrolled me in a summer swim program offered by the Red Cross.

We began in the 3 ft end but near the end of day one a peer pushed me into the 6 ft section of the pool.

Despite 12 on duty lifeguards not one of them saw me get pushed in or thrashing about helplessly afterward. By providence I managed to save myself however I didnt learn until I joined the Army at 24.

Instructors should emulate Ian Cross.

[swimwithoutstress]

Thanks for this. So many people have strories like this about early swimming experiences. As fallofdutee suggests, most people need to overcome fear reflexes which get in the way of learning to swim and this includes children. But experiences like these can make learning doubly difficult.

[swimwithoutstress]

Thanks a lot for your feedback and yes, the fear reflexes tend to get in the way of swimming at all levels.

[fallofdutee]

Good video. It highlights a common problem with people trying to learn to swim. Fear of the water or drowning to be more specific needs to be overcome and thus being more relaxed. This in turn, makes is easier to float and easier to learn the actual techniques required to swim correctly without being constantly distracted by the fear reflex.