How I Learned To Swim Aged 50 Years Old: My 4 Step Strategy 

so true

A mile without stopping! 👏🏾 I still struggle beyond 50m 😢

That's great... appreciate your spirit

Great

Great I am 64 trying to swim but scared

I am 63 and learning

Good luck for your learning

That's fantastic to hear, how inspiring!!! Let's not stop xx

Very inspiring! Thank you!!

Everyone is inspiring/motivating me but making me...sad [not really the word but neither is "jealous". Idk] bc i can't swim. I also don't really have a place TO SWIM. Seriously need to find one "Hello, silver sneakers? Yes, I need to know when your water aerobics classes are." 😂😂😂 I mean, I do qualify for the silver sneakers program/classes afterall

I'm 59 and learned some technics from a swimming video. With those technics I taught my 8 year old granddaughter, she learned in 2 days!!! She's floating, flipping and gliding with some basic swimming

I’m 50 and probably the youngest in the class I can’t catch as fast the younger people I’m about to cry I want swim so bad

Wish you long years of pleasant swimming, 👍👍👍

GOOD LUCK!!! You've got this!! i’m kind of interested to know how you’re doing 2 months later I had a close call at...maybe 6. I know I wasn’t more than 8. So I definitely know where you’re coming from. I was in a pretty good size lake with my mom & two older sisters. Oldest sister was holding me, bouncing me on her knee while I kind of "half-floated" securely in her arms. Everyone was bouncing a beachball back-and-forth. It got thrown across the lake; the distance was definitely farther for a five-year-old then it was for the 13-14 yr old that was holding me. she was mostly treading water, but could touch the bottom, so didn’t think about it as she left me to go after the ball. I thrashed as I went under, somehow making it to the string of buoys where I attempted to yell for help. FYI--don’t scream for help when you’re bouncing up and down underwater. Did NOT think about that at five years old. I missed out on swimming with my nieces and nephews, partially bc of THAT incident. they were all pretty much great swimmers. My four-year-old nephew would "drag" me around the pool. I would make a chair/floaty out of pool noodles, he would grab an end and take off with me. It was one of his favorite things to do and quite frankly, I loved it as well. Still haven't learned to swim. Ironically, I feel like I did better in the ocean when I visited Florida than I do in most pools or lakes. Again... Good luck learning! Hope you're overcoming your fear and pushing forward.

I live in Florida and am under the impression that the last place to safely swim is at a ocean or gulf front beach! The rip tides are horrible. I say for serious swimming, stick with pools!

I'm trying to learn how to swim and I have 2 months to do it. I was feeling bad after reading these comments but yours has inspired me to think I can do it. did you have an instructor?

@@cynthiamoss6344 only had three classes with an instructor and moved on on my own watching videos and taking exercises to the pool

Absolutely inspiring

I'm excited for you. Best of luck!!

Promise you will keep me posted because I would love you to get this!!!!! I think you can.

I did a workshop on Ti-swimming, together with 10 others. After about half a year of extensive training, a friend of mine swims nearly a mile, but me, that's another story: I can't take a breath properly, my fear of water is so intense! Maybe because I nearly suffocated when being borne. Several tricks, like turning sideways more than at TI, might help. Anyway, giving up is no option.

Yes. Completely liberating

wow that is amazing, good for you

You're so welcome!

There r a few things u should understand about swimming. First when u r very relaxed in the water u will float. Pretend ur abt to sleep, relax. Second don’t bend ur knees, kick from ur hip like when u walk it starts from the hip. Third, don’t pull ur head out of the water to breathe, I’m talking about the top of your head. It helps to bend ur elbow in the air as ur arm is coming out of the water and going to stretch out to the front of ur shoulder into the water. It must bend to get to that position and that’s when u breathe. Water video carefully again and again. That will help u. Everyone can learn to swim at any age. Keep practicing I’ll get it.

Mistake correction (watch)

Correct (u will)

Good luck plz share with others who need help. I’m still swimming at 69 one he thrice weekly as I have to work.

Delete one he

Go for it!

I'm excited for you. Best of luck

don't stop!!

Nearing also at 60 years old, me and my wife had our swimming lessons ( 2 hrs every Sunday) for the past 8 months now, we can proudly say that "we can swim!" Persistence pays. 🏊‍♂️🏊‍♀️👍🙂

Yess I don't feel alone, as I am 59

Awesome

was literally like a lightbulb moment for me

Good luck!! I see that it’s been five months since you’ve posted this, I hope you are doing well learning and having fun also!! I just watched a video that helped with the “sinking to the bottom". I hope your instructor was able to help you with that. The gist of the other video, along with several other tips, was that as long as you have air in your lungs, you will not sink. Lungs without air in them is basically the equivalent of a rock. The body will sink. Hope you're doing great on your journey

Oh I'm really sorry to hear about your traumatic experience. If it helps you to know, I swim with somebody who's best friend drowned and he is very nervous about the water. But he's just taking his time and he's learning to really enjoy it. Good luck!

@@AmandaThebex Ty so much. And I’m glad ur friend is trying as well. ^^ Now I don’t even like leaving the water. Lol

Swimming is not what people think it is. Basically all it is is being comfortable and relaxed in the water, strokes aside.

so true

I totally feel you on the being able to find a pool part. LMAO. it doesn’t help that it’s hard for us to find one/get access to one. how can we learn to swim if we don’t even have a pool or body of water? I don’t know if anyone knows what a bar ditch is, (not the kind that is for road/road construction) but i am NOT swimming in it!! besides, you never know when it’s going to have enough water in it to learn how to swim. LMAO.

keep me posted. That is awesome

Just BE - what wonderful advice

Awesome

I belive this cus I keep telling my coach when I have to kick so furiously it's hard to relax...and you keep telling me relax..arrrgh

I really appreciate this msg.. it made me not to quit as since a week i m unable to paddle. And coach says your body is too stiff

Thank you,,I will try this. I went to class and all they were telling was to kick vigorously. I got tired and they were frustrated that I was not kicking hard enough. I gave up the class. May be will try the way you suggested.

that is excellent. Well done

What is that please?

Good luck

Thank you

@@AmandaThebex I'm 60 and working hard at updating my swimming techniques. Been regular for the past 3 months.

amazing

Awesome. I think you can do it

Definitely keep trying

Thank you

LOL thank you and best of look!

Lay back your head completely,take a deep breath…

Just don't quit. You are better off at 2x/week. My wife (56y/o) and I (58y/o) started swimming lessons (2hrs, every Sunday) since Nov 2022. Now we can both swim one lap (25 meters) comfortably. We believe that soon, we can do non stop for 2 laps.

I'm having issues floating on my back too but I taught my 8 year old granddaughter to float

I just practiced all the techniques in this video. Over and over again. Learning to float and relax was key and knowing that I didn't have to kick like crazy all the time. Lastly for the breathing I would turn completely on my side and take a big breath and stay there as long as needed each time until I got used to it. Each time I went swimming I just did this over and over again. Adding on a lap each time I went. Hope this helps

The harder you pull or kick the more harder you will breathe and run out of air. You need to be completely relaxed. Pull or kick more slowly and with less force. This will help you breathe more slowly and use less air.

Thank you for your input. I agree that after learning to flow you do need to feel really comfortable in the water. So thank you for that. The purpose for me doing this video though was because I was already at that stage and I was frustrated because I couldn't do front crawl. That's simply all this video is, and I'll happily tell you that people have been in touch with me and have actually learned to swim because of the video. So makes me happy. And my husband is also a national level swimmer, which is quite funny because he could never actually teach me to swim. Probably because I had so many bad habits. Habits. But he also reviewed this video and said the advice was sound.

@@AmandaThebex yeah the advice is good. I was just shocked to see that so many videos recommend starting of with the front crawl. Which is so much more daunting for real beginners. But the skills in this video are definitely important!

@@iamanironman4141thank you and I appreciate your input here

Thought "learning to swim" meant - with the English and the Americans alike - learning freestyle, after already swimming breaststroke.