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this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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We learned swimming in primary school in Germany, no opting out.
But having lived in several African countries and now in China, it's surprising how many people not only can't swim, but are deathly afraid of water.
If you can't swim, bring desthly afraid of water is a good survival instinct.
After an incident of near-drowning as a toddler, my parents prioritized swimming lessons in my childhood. I can never remember not being able to swim. However, when I was in the military, there was a survival swimming section where you had to get in a pool with full clothing and a weapon, and swim a length. You were supposed to keep the weapon above water at all time. So you're doing a side-stroke with one arm holding a 7lb weight above water, in long-sleeved shirt and pants (I recall being grateful no boots or socks). Most of us California boys made it; lots of people didn't make it with the rifle the whole way, or tapped out without getting anywhere at all. The point is, near the end, when I was exhausted from fighting the water, and it was starting to get hard to keep my head above water, I felt an unexpected panic rising. I can easily believe that if it had gone on much longer, the panic would have taken over and years of swimming experienced would go out the window, and I'd have ended up thrashing futiliy in the water like the guys who dropped out at the start.
Drowning is a singularly frightening experience.
Crazy! I was drownproofed as an infant, and was a water baby my whole life. I joined the swim team in highschool and university. That swim test was stupidly easy if you knew how to backstroke. Just hold the weapon above the water in both hands, and kick. Your head will dip below the water, but will come right back out, so breathe then and exhale while your head is under the water.
They made me do it side stroke as well. That was much harder, but I could have kept going for at least 200m (down and back 4 times.)
I had no clue that us competitive swimmers have that much more endurance in the water than the average swimmer.
I swam from a young age and did swim team during elementary school, and I was always a strong swimmer but didn't keep up with training after I quit. One year during uni wrestling cross training we were doing laps in the pool and the women's polo team was also there at the same time, so our coach told us to go play with them for a bit. Despite both wrestling and polo demanding high endurance and total body fitness the muscles used are completely different and we had a fun session of almost drowning while the ladies shoved us underwater and hucked balls over our submerged heads.
My half-sister's dad is Greek and she could swim like a fish. I have never had any skill at it, but it wasn't a priority to my dad.
One of my friends is 33 and she and her older sister can't swim. They grew up on a rural farm far away from any body of water. "Where would we have learned or practiced?" Over the years, I have learned that a lot of people in the US cannot swim, especially when they were poor as kids, even in major cities near water.
Gen-X. Lived near a lake or ocean 80% of my life. Grew up poor. Swimming lessons were a costly luxury that didn't make the budget. Ever.
I feel like swimming lessons are a bit of a scam anyways. Me and my brother grew up poor. We both can swim perfectly fine. We went to lakes / public pools often while growing up.
Never took any swimming lessons. My parents never did swimming lessons and neither did their parents. Just throw the kid in and let him figure it out while he's still young. It's an instinct sort of like dogs.
"Just throw the kid in" This works for just about everything, you'll be surprised.
Dinner? Just gather the ingredients ( to be fair, they're still kids ) and throw the kid in. They'll be a master chef in no time, it's natural.
But seriously, i also learned by instinct, but i remember lots of kids were cautious of and some were really afraid of water and needed a little teaching and patience. It was part of school here in Germany, no opt-out.
(Un)surprisingly, the US had lots of public pools, but they got removed because of racism. Definitely affects everyone especially the poor with little means of travel. https://www.marketplace.org/2021/02/15/public-pools-used-to-be-everywhere-in-america-then-racism-shut-them-down/
Ever indoor pool I've gone to in the UK has offered Swimming lessons. Not having natural bodies of water isn't a great excuse for basic swimming. Seems to just be a culture difference since everyone I know had lessons at an indoor pool as kids
How much do you think I'm talking about? You'd be spending more going to the cinema then a swimming lesson. Obviously it may not translate but if so then at least we've found a cause
There are limited spots for public swim lessons in my city and they are $150 for a set of lessons. If you go the private route, it is generally at least double that.
Well that definitely solves the issue. It might be £5-15 a lesson in the UK depending on your age
I never went to the cinema until I was 22. Poor people don't do that shit.
Typical for colored people
Maybe that’s different from state to state. I grew up in Hessen but don’t remember having mandatory swimming lessons. I learned it mostly on my own so I don’t even have a „Seepferdchen“ and know a few people from NRW who don’t either. I remember there was the option to do it in school but not sure why I didn’t take it then.
Either way, not being able to swim at all is pretty rare in Germany because going to the pool is a popular activity for kids here.
Same in the US. Most schools do not have their own pool and swimming is not a required skill. Tons of people don't know how to swim here.
Many schools in Germany also do not have their own pools. You will be transported on a bus to the closest one.
There is schools with their own pool? Heck, half the inner city schools dont have a proper gym hall and use public ones.
I think one of the schools close to mine actually had their own pool for some reason. We always went there.
For me it's not for a lack of trying. It just hasn't stuck I guess.
I cannot understand how someone can not learn how to swim. Idk, it's like never learning to jump, or skip, or run?
I know things get harder to learn when your brain isn't plastic and malleable (i still can't roll my Rs), but it's still strange and seems dangerous.
Poor kid. Couldn't afford lessons. Revel in your privilege! :-D
I understand that in America, at least, there are certain elements that kept certain people from being able to learn to swim. To me, it wasn't lessons. I was just around water? Maybe I was too young to remember any formality to me, I was around water, so I learned to swim.
Are there not more physical elements involved?
Sand. It's coarse and rough and it gets everywhere, but that shouldn't stop you from learning to swim, it can be made easy. Start by practicing floating and familiarizing yourself with the medium. Being at ease is essential, so stay wherever the waterline reaches your shoulders. Breathing is an important part of the ordeal, because full lungs keep you afloat. Breaststroke and sidestroke are good starting points, whichever resonates more with you. Personally I think sidestroke is better because it's very smooth and the body falls quite naturally into this position (look it up on youtube for tutorials, it's very simple). Last but not least, we learn by playing, so have fun. 😀
Well if I'm where it's at my shoulders, of course I'd be floating because I'd be standing. Otherwise the water proves itself to have other plans no matter what is to be said about it.
You've been standing all this time ?
Whenever there was any place to do it on.
Next time you can try lying flat on your back in even less water depth, let's say around the belly? Try keeping afloat by focusing on your breathing (you can look up inverted breathing), and when you feel like you're dipping too much, your legs can always correct course by contacting with the floor. It depends on your morphology, but arms extended up and hands above your head works well for me (the position babies sleep in). Then tilt your head backwards a little, chest puffed, let your back arch naturally. That's my method, you can try it
I had done that a lot. I don't see any luck in that sense, even compared to other things.
I can't help but commend the legitimately useful comment above me, but also, yes.
Yes, swimming is more complicated than I could possibly understand because I knew how to do it before I knew what I was doing. I'm a native English speaker, so I understand privilege, but swimming seems like such a primal thing to not be able to perform. I have a relatively close friend who can not swim and is scared of open water. It's weird to me. Maybe there's a privilege to swimming ability in America, but he's a white dude, so it's weird.
English wasn't the language of my first environment, but other than that, nothing about me, ethnically or not, seems to suggest being underprivileged. Maybe it's just my luck.