I started private swimming lessons in hopes of making lap swimming a exercise habit!
After finally going to my neighborhood pool and trying to swim laps but, after getting mouthfuls of water when gasping for breath, I decided it was time to learn to swim laps effectively. Enter the private swim lessons offered at my town's aquatic center.
Since the last time I took swim lessons I must have been about 10 years old and now I am a month short of 69, I wasn't sure what to expect. Sure I know the basics of 3 or 4 strokes but my technique is sloppy and I really haven't gone lap swimming for about 12 years.
First lesson was at 8:45 am yesterday and I learned a lot including that basically my freestyle stroke was good but has room for improvement and that my legs were rubbery after the lesson LOL.
What did I learn? We focused on freestyle only and I learned that my breathing technique had lots of room for improvement.
o I need to breathe out through my nose instead of my mouth & in through a "small" mouth rather than fully open
o
2 strokes – breath – 4 strokes – breath for a good breathing pattern to reduce hyperventilating
o
Keep kicking while breathing and let my toes kick out of the water. Also glide a bit
with left arm forward while taking (gasping?) a breath
o
Kick a fuller range of motion and be sure to kick equally
to using arms
o
Lift my arm up with bent elbow then skim water
as come forward instead of doing an arm circle
