PeakOil is You
Swimming
First unread post • 13 posts
• Page 1 of 1
Swimming
by FreakOil » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 12:02:43
My girlfriend wants me to teach her how to swim. I'm an excellent swimmer, but I've never taught anyone how to swim before. Does anybody have any suggestions? I really like this girl, and I don't want her to die.
"We shall live in interesting times, and we shall die in them too." - Heineken
-
FreakOil - Coal
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Sun 04 Mar 2007, 04:00:00
- Location: Hong Kong
Re: Swimming
by Zardoz » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 12:06:38
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FreakOil', 'M')y girlfriend wants me to teach her how to swim. I'm an excellent swimmer, but I've never taught anyone how to swim before. Does anybody have any suggestions? I really like this girl, and I don't want her to die.
Start off with the technique that seems to work real well with little kids: Have her get used to being face-down in water, blowing bubbles, in the shallowest part of a swimming pool, or even in a bathtub. That's a major step. Once kids get used to that, they're ready for the first steps of swimming instruction.
"Thank you for attending the oil age. We're going to scrape what we can out of these tar pits in Alberta and then shut down the machines and turn out the lights. Goodnight." - seldom_seen
-
Zardoz - Expert
- Posts: 6323
- Joined: Fri 02 Dec 2005, 04:00:00
- Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia
Re: Swimming
by catbox » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 12:17:00
Even though we started swimming with our daughter at 9 months...in the family style lessons, once she was old enough, she took lessons with a teacher and a few other kids. She's 7 now and loves the water and swims like a fish! I left it to the pros and it worked out well. She really likes the social part of it too.....she has FUN.
cb
cb
-
catbox - Coal
- Posts: 426
- Joined: Thu 29 Sep 2005, 03:00:00
- Location: I heard we are not the real America..Eugene, Oregon.
Re: Swimming
by steam_cannon » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 13:46:25
Yeah the face in the water thing is a good place to start.
And there are a few other things to consider like location and
not embarrassing her.
* If it's a river or lake, you can just get a life vest and let her get used
to bobbing around learning to kick.
* But if it's a pool, kids use kick boards, but adults really don't usually
use them. So if she is shy about using a "kids" kickboard, instead she
could use those foam floaty sticks without any embarrassment, since
they are perfectly acceptable for adults to use in pools.
* Also, take it slow if she has any issues with fear of swimming. She
may want to learn, but if fear has trumped learning in the past
then you don't want to push it.
* Check on the net for adult swim classes / instructors in your area.
It might be an hour drive and a few hundred bucks, but often
people deal with teachers they are unfamiliar with better then with
people they know.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FreakOil', 'I')'m an excellent swimmer, but I've never taught anyone how to swim
before. Does anybody have any suggestions? I really like this girl, and
I don't want her to die.
There's no shame in not teaching her yourself. Often very nice
And there are a few other things to consider like location and
not embarrassing her.
* If it's a river or lake, you can just get a life vest and let her get used
to bobbing around learning to kick.
* But if it's a pool, kids use kick boards, but adults really don't usually
use them. So if she is shy about using a "kids" kickboard, instead she
could use those foam floaty sticks without any embarrassment, since
they are perfectly acceptable for adults to use in pools.
* Also, take it slow if she has any issues with fear of swimming. She
may want to learn, but if fear has trumped learning in the past
then you don't want to push it.
* Check on the net for adult swim classes / instructors in your area.
It might be an hour drive and a few hundred bucks, but often
people deal with teachers they are unfamiliar with better then with
people they know.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FreakOil', 'I')'m an excellent swimmer, but I've never taught anyone how to swim
before. Does anybody have any suggestions? I really like this girl, and
I don't want her to die.
people can be very difficult when trying to learn something. She
may tell you she won't be any trouble, but she may get very angry
with you for simply telling her what to do because she can
do it her way. Drills upset people when it's not a stranger. So if
you really do care, sometimes it's better to spend your date money
on paying a swimming instructor then letting her screw up your
relationship.
I'm just saying, there's more to worry about then her sinkin...
Last edited by steam_cannon on Sat 29 Mar 2008, 14:04:02, edited 1 time in total.
-
steam_cannon - Expert
- Posts: 2859
- Joined: Thu 28 Dec 2006, 04:00:00
- Location: MA
Re: Swimming
by kpeavey » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 13:57:06
In order to swim a person needs to learn how to make themselves float in the water. After that, its all about propulsion.
Have her wear a life jacket and start with a doggie paddle near the shore, moving parallel to the shore, with you within reach at all times, and never deeper than about 4' of water.
As she struggles to move in the water, her body will be making the adjustments needed to learn to float. As with riding a bike, you can't teach balance, the body has to learn it on its own. All you are really doing is offering the support needed for her to overcome a natural fear of going underwater. She needs to become comfortable in the water.
Flippers can help a great deal. The things will give her considerably more thrust, and they can be a lot of fun. With the problem of propulsion simplified, her body will be more able to adjust to floating.
The next step is to remove the flippers or the lifejacket. A smaller floatation device would be an incremental step. There are arm floats on the market. After that, move out to water 5' deep. Until she learns, I would not go further out than that.
It may take several trips to the water for her to learn to swim, so be sure to make a day of it. Potato salad, some tunes, soda, a blanket. Avoid the beer while she is learning.
I don't remember learning to swim. As kids we were always in the water in the summer. A bunch of fish we were.
Have her wear a life jacket and start with a doggie paddle near the shore, moving parallel to the shore, with you within reach at all times, and never deeper than about 4' of water.
As she struggles to move in the water, her body will be making the adjustments needed to learn to float. As with riding a bike, you can't teach balance, the body has to learn it on its own. All you are really doing is offering the support needed for her to overcome a natural fear of going underwater. She needs to become comfortable in the water.
Flippers can help a great deal. The things will give her considerably more thrust, and they can be a lot of fun. With the problem of propulsion simplified, her body will be more able to adjust to floating.
The next step is to remove the flippers or the lifejacket. A smaller floatation device would be an incremental step. There are arm floats on the market. After that, move out to water 5' deep. Until she learns, I would not go further out than that.
It may take several trips to the water for her to learn to swim, so be sure to make a day of it. Potato salad, some tunes, soda, a blanket. Avoid the beer while she is learning.
I don't remember learning to swim. As kids we were always in the water in the summer. A bunch of fish we were.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984
_____
twenty centuries of stony sleep were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, and what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-George Yeats
-George Orwell, 1984
_____
twenty centuries of stony sleep were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, and what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-George Yeats
-
kpeavey - Expert
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Mon 04 Oct 2004, 03:00:00
Re: Swimming
by steam_cannon » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 14:14:15
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kpeavey', '
')It may take several trips to the water for her to learn to swim
"Cough" 30 "Cough" ')It may take several trips to the water for her to learn to swim
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kpeavey', 's')o be sure to make a day of it. Potato salad, some tunes, soda,
a blanket.
I'll say again, there's no shame in hiring a swimming instructor. Unless
she is a good teacher, don't assume she's an agreeable student. If she
decides she hates swimming, at least she won't hate you. Depends on
the person I know, but I've taught enough people computer software and
people aren't drowning in an office (but you'd think they were).
And my wife for example, two masters degrees and she's the kind
of student who would argue with a professor during class. Teaching
my wife anything isn't worth it in my opinion. There are a lot of
people out there who want to learn, but cannot help themselves
from being upset at whoever is teaching them. I'm not saying these
are bad people, it's just their nature and I think it's the nature of
most students.
So if you're teaching her, maybe consider a life vest and a helmet...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S. Something to consider when you read these answers is, people
who blog are often people who like to teach. So you may get a lot
of answers telling how to teach her yourself, but that may or may
not be the best thing to do.
Last edited by steam_cannon on Sat 29 Mar 2008, 14:30:05, edited 2 times in total.
-
steam_cannon - Expert
- Posts: 2859
- Joined: Thu 28 Dec 2006, 04:00:00
- Location: MA
