Swimming is an enjoyable and excellent activity to stay fit. There are many benefits to adding swimming to your routine, such as enhancing your mood, reducing anxiety, burning calories, and helping prevent illnesses. In addition, swimming is also a good exercise for those who have arthritis and other pain conditions. As such, it’s not surprising to know that swimming classes are in-demand in Singapore and many other countries. However, in order to swim seamlessly, it’s essential for you to learn how to coordinate your entire body and develop the fundamental skills necessary for a successful swim. For one, you need to concentrate on the movements of your arms and legs as well as on your breathing control and swimming strokes. To learn more about this, read on as this article explains the five basic swimming skills every beginner should learn. 

1. Breathing

Breathing is often disregarded as a basic swimming skill, but it’s actually a crucial one. If you’re not comfortable breathing while in the water, you won’t be able to enjoy swimming completely and learn new skills. Essentially, the idea is that when your head is underwater, you need to breathe out with both your mouth and nose. Then, when lifting your head to the side, you should take a full breath before placing your head back down.

2. Floating

Before you learn how to kick and do strokes, you must first learn how to float in the water. Floating allows you to become accustomed to the habit of properly moving through water. It also helps maintain your body on the surface of the water. Your body basically encounters a vertical buoyant force when submerged in water, and floating helps your body maintain a horizontal position. Floating is an essential swimming skill because if you fall accidentally in the water, you can just float on the surface until rescue comes.

3. Body Movement Coordination

When swimming, all your body parts need to be well-coordinated with one another. In other words, you need to master body movement coordination in order to swim successfully. You should have the ability to move the muscles of your hips, lower back, and abdomen in a synchronised way so as to keep moving forward. For your body to make a way through the water, your hands should be moving and cutting through the water first and then followed by your elbows.

4. Kicking

Kicking is another fundamental skill you should learn if you wish to become a pro at swimming. Kicking allows your body to move in the forward direction. If you plan to take private adult swimming lessons, your instructor will likely let you use kickboards to support your body while you’re still learning how to kick in the water. The same thing is true for swimming lessons for toddlers and kids.

5. Strokes 

Once you’ve mastered the art of floating and kicking in the water, the next thing you should learn is how to do some swimming strokes. The term “strokes” refers to the movements of your arms that help pull your body through the water. You’ll likely learn plenty of swim strokes throughout your swimming programme. Some of the most common swimming strokes you’ll probably encounter are the front crawl, backstroke, sidestroke, and butterfly.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, swimming is one of the best activities you can spend your free time doing, especially if you’re looking to become healthier and fitter while having fun. However, before you can completely experience the joys of swimming smoothly, you must first learn fundamental skills to ensure your safety while in the water. Specifically, to become a proficient swimmer, it’s crucial to master breathing control, floating, body movement coordination, kicking, and strokes. Should you require the professional guidance of a certified instructor to develop your swimming skills, Swim2u is here to help you! We offer safe, comprehensive, and exciting private swimming lessons for toddlers, kids, and adults. And if you’re a woman who wishes to learn how to swim with your female friends and acquaintances, we also provide comfortable swimming classes for ladies only. With the aid of our instructions, you can surely become a pro at swimming in no time. So, go ahead and sign up with us now!