Rediscovering Aquatic Wonders: The Joy of Swimming Lessons in Midlife

I’ve never excelled at swimming.

I mean, I can manage to swim. However, what I experience in a pool seems more like a struggle for survival than exercise — particularly after a few laps. My legs are excessively long, my stroke is inconsistent, and I perpetually battle to take a substantial breath.

It’s not enjoyable, which is why I seldom swim for fitness. Additionally, the culture surrounding swimming can be daunting, with its caps, goggles, and regulations about lane etiquette.

Yet it serves as an excellent winter workout, provided you have access to an indoor pool. Thus, I recently embarked on a journey to improve my swimming skills, thanks to my first lessons since elementary school.

It appears that with merely a few lessons, significant improvement is achievable. Once you attain it, you suddenly possess an alternative for an aerobic workout that is gentle on the joints.

“That’s the advantage of swimming,” stated Matthew Barbini, performance director for USA Swimming, who transitioned to the sport following a teen injury. “There is genuinely no impact. There’s no pavement involved. There’s almost no equipment necessary.”

Swimming lessons are extremely beneficial.

Although swimming is gentle on the body, exercising in water can still feel inherently unnatural. Thus, it isn’t surprising that as an adult, you might require additional guidance to master it.

I employed Angie Peluse, a Denver area swimming instructor specializing in adult lessons, to assess my freestyle technique. She noted that roughly half of her clients are comparable to me — they can swim but require coaching.

Therefore, I floundered in a pool while she rapidly evaluated my stroke. According to her, untrained swimmers like me can resolve many of their issues in four to six sessions, supplemented with a few practice intervals in between. Ideally, these should occur on a weekly basis, so anticipate spending a fair amount of time at the pool over a month or two.

For those who cannot swim at all, grasping the basics may take a longer period, depending on your level of anxiety concerning water.

There is no national authority governing swimming instructors. To find a competent one, Ms. Peluse suggested starting with recreation centers or local adult swimming associations. Following that, you can check out nearby college swimming teams.

However, if you aim to enhance your swimming skills independently, here are some of the most frequent errors that individuals — myself included — commit in the pool.

Lesson No. 1: Body Position

My initial lesson occurred in a 24-foot pool at Ms. Peluse’s facility. She promptly identified my first error — a very common one among individuals lacking coaching. I kept trying to gaze ahead, towards the pool’s farther end, which elevated my chest and dragged my feet down, causing me to submerge.

I am inherently less buoyant than the average person. When I float on my back, my legs instantly sink, regardless of my efforts. Thus, this lesson was particularly crucial for me.

How to enhance

This part is simple: Look straight down and keep your gaze centered on the bottom line of the lap lane. No matter what, resist the urge to look up.

“The wall is not going to shift,” said Nadine Ford, a seasoned swim instructor and founder of Mahogany Mermaids in Charlotte, N.C. “Relax. Lower your head.”

Looking upwards is surprisingly tough to overcome, so plan for at least one practice session in the pool where your sole focus is to keep your head down.

Lesson No. 2: Kicking

It was also clear that I was concentrating excessively on my arms and not sufficiently on my legs.

“Your kick is the most driving aspect of the stroke,” stated Mr. Barbini, who offers advice to elite athletes nationwide. “The strength in your upper body doesn’t matter.”

Since I was essentially attempting to pull myself through the water with my arms, my kicks were too wide and sluggish. Slower kicks equate to less propulsion and, once more, an inclination to sink.

How to enhance

Begin by swimming a lap in your usual manner. Then attempt one where you concentrate on flicking your legs for more vigorous kicks and notice if you can feel a difference. Ms. Peluse advised to envision that you are kicking off a pair of slippers — with straight legs and toes pointed.

“You want it to be expansive enough to provide propulsion,” Mr. Barbini encouraged, but “compact enough to avoid unnecessary drag.”

During each lap, Ms. Peluse guided me to push off from the pool’s edge, with my hands extended in front, as if diving, and to go as far as possible underwater while only employing my legs. I soon recognized how effective my legs could be and challenged myself to kick faster and more efficiently.

Subsequently, swim a lap using a kickboard — and a pair of fins, if accessible. The kickboard will compel you to kick faster to advance, while the fins will enhance speed and help maintain your hips elevated. They also require good technique to use effectively.

“Experience what resistance feels like,” Ms. Ford said. “Then we will remove them, and I would like you to replicate that.”

Lesson No. 3: Arms

Ms. Peluse clarified that I was dedicating far too much time with my arms submerged underwater instead of in front, which severely impacted my stroke.

The optimal method to remain buoyant is to have both arms straightened in front of your head, similar to a diver. The additional time you spend with at least one arm in this position, the better.

How to enhance

A very straightforward drill exists to learn this: the catch-up drill. Hold a kickboard in front of you while maintaining both arms fully extended.

Now initiate your arm stroke, but maintain one hand on the board at all moments, releasing the previous one only when the subsequent one secures the board. It may initially feel incorrect to extend your arms for such a duration, but persevere.

Lesson No. 4: Breathing

“Regardless of whether you are the finest swimmer in the world, respiration will always hinder your speed,” stated Mr. Barbini.

In addition, I constantly feel as though I’m not receiving sufficient air, particularly after the initial lap. I frequently twist to lift my head out of the water to inhale more. The issue, I discovered, was less about the frequency of my breathing and more concerning my timing.

How to enhance

Mastering the art of breathing requires effort, and numerous swimmers experiment with their technique for years. However, the first step is straightforward: Inhale above the water and exhale underwater. A lot of individuals exhale while their head is above the water, Ms. Peluse noted. Practice exhaling completely — gradually and consistently — underwater, rather than all at once just prior to inhaling.

“It’s a gentle flow,” mentioned Ms. Ford.

I wish I could claim that I now move through the water with the elegance of a dolphin. Unfortunately, I do not, and I still face challenges after the initial few laps. Yet after four lessons, I can visit any pool in the country, engage in a vigorous workout, and feel as though I belong.

And, on a fortunate day, I might even find a bit of joy while doing it.