Honestly I don't know swimming. And I thought, summer's almost here and I should start looking for some help. So while checking for some adult classes in Austin and I stumbled upon this class in YMCA which was called "Timid Of Water" (TOW). In the description it was mentioned that the class was designed for adults who would like to swim but are afraid of water. And without any doubt in my mind, I registered for this class.
Got a simple Speedo's swim trunks and arrived at the first day of class. The very first doubt that I had in my mind was who would be fellow swimmers and would they be adult adults ?.. I found out that there were 5 other people with me in the class, ages ranging from 13 to 30. Well then I told myself, Phew ! I am in the right class.
The first few days were simple. We were in a smaller pool which was warmer and shallow 5' as compared to the lap pools. The first few lessons were kicking in the water, floating face up. In the coming days, we learned that swimming is all about synchronization of three important things .Leg Movements, Breathing and Hand Movements. Some of the things that I had trouble with were the breathing rhythm and how to turn the face sideways to breathe quickly. And not to forget, I recognized that my eyes would turn red after swimming for a while. I guess the fix for that was quite simple, I just had to get swimming goggles.
Later during the course, I tried the simple 3 stroke breathing exercise which kind of resolved my issue and I also learned that I need to turn my face in such a way that only my nose would come above the water and I could barely see the feet moving. The next step was to learn the breast stroke which kind of allowed us to keep our heads above the water.
On the last day we were taken to the lap pool and water was really cold as compared to our prep pool. After getting adjusted with the temperature in the pool, we tried our lessons for the first time in a deeper pool. I would not say, I know swimming now but I can manage it. The class served its purpose. I am not afraid of water anymore.
