Part 2 of Once-Afraid Adults Jumping into Deep Water

[spellmoon9]

Thanks for the info :-) I guess you're right, first I need to overcome my fear. Is hard 'cause of the water getting in my nose and the burning sensation after that. I need help with this.

[melondash]

@spellmoon9,

You can make it easy for yourself. Use a nose clip to learn. Do NOT put up with any discomfort whatsoever. Discomfort sends you down the wrong path. Learning to swim can be fun all the time. 

[spellmoon9]

What if you don't know how to swim very well and your learning to swim on the deep side and you need to take a break or stop for a second because you are tired or something like that, what should we do? in that case we need to tread water right?

[melondash]

@spellmoon9,

This is a very important question.

It doesn't make sense to be in deep water until you can take care of yourself there. This is why you're afraid. Everyone thinks they should learn to tread and then they'll be fine in deep water. But while you're afraid, you cannot learn to tread. Your focus is on survival, so it can't be on connecting with the water, feeling what it's doing for you, and moving in ABC way. First you MUST overcome your fear. Then, step by step, learn to tread.

[llh629]

@melondash " easier said then done" how do one overcome the fear of the deep end? i have been taking swim lessons for the last 2yrs off and on,,can get from point A to point B,,but put me in the deep end to thread water,,then panic kicks in, can stay afloat for 40sec max, then panic kicks in and i scramble for the wall

[melondash]

@llh629

To overcome the fear of the deep end takes a 24 hour course or 2, as we give it. On your own, you'll need to learn how the water works in the shallow end first. Learn to get your safety from yourself, not from the bottom or the side, in shallow water. If you scramble for the wall, which everyone does if they don't know how the water works with their body, your body is in the middle and YOU are at the wall. In shallow water, practice keeping yourself IN YOUR BODY. Slow down and FEEL.

[spellmoon9]

But if you jump in the water, how you are going to keep your body in vertical position if you don't tread water? You can drown.

[melondash]

@spellmoon9,

Why would you want to keep yourself vertical? If you don't tread water, don't stay vertical. If you want to stay vertical you could bob. I guess I don't understand your question. If you know the water, there's no hurry to be vertical or any other position.

[monilark]

I like seeing people tread water the most; that is what I really need to learn!

[melondash]

Monilark,

Almost everybody believes that they just need to learn to tread water. And maybe it's true. But we've found that people cannot learn to tread until they're comfortable and in control in deep water. That takes a few lessons pointed directly at the solution. You must know how the water and your body work together before you can get the feel of treading and doing it successfully. Best of luck to you.