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10 Swimming Tips For Beginners

By: Amber Smith

Break Studios Contributing Writer

These 10 swimming tips for beginners are great for everyone that is new to the sport. Swimming can seem like a difficult challenge at first. However, after you spend some time in the water, it will become more natural. Spend time practicing your technique and you will be a pro in no time. Use these tips as a way to help you get started.

  1. Purchase a good pair of goggles. This is an important first swimming tip for beginners because they are a great tool when it comes to swimming. Find a pair that will prevent water from seeping in. The seal should be firm around your eyes.
  2. Practice your kicks on the wall of the pool. Since kicking is an essential part of swimming, you are going to need to practice doing it the proper way. The wall is a great place to start. You can hold on to it as you are practicing your kicks behind you.
  3. Spend time stretching. This is one swimming tip for beginners that you don't want to forget. Stretching is an important part of warming up before you get into the pool. It's a great way to prevent cramping and can save you from a lot of pain.
  4. Develop a feel for the water. When you're first starting out, the water will feel like an alien environment. Therefore, it's essential that you get a feel for the water. Spend some time moving, pushing and floating around.
  5. Learn to exhale. As beginners, many tend to hold their breath when their head is in the water. Don't make the same mistake. This is an important swimming tip for beginners to follow because you don't want to develop bad habits. You should exhale in the water so you can inhale when your face is out of the water.
  6. Practice arm strokes on dry land. You should take advantage of dry land by practicing your arm strokes. In fact, the best place to learn them when you are first starting is out of the pool. Movement should be led from your elbow.
  7. Purchase fins to eliminate a cross-over kick. This swimming tip for beginners is only necessary if you have a cross-over kick. They are a great way to make you kick efficiently. Not only that, but they can also help increase ankle flexibility.
  8. Practice with a kick board. They are great to use for exercises inside and outside of the pool. You can use them to get the feel of a stroke, as well as the kicking motion that accompanies it. Also, you can swim with it using one or two hands.
  9. Eat a proper diet. This is an important swimming tip for beginners to follow because swimming takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of energy and eating right will give you some of this. Make sure to consume fruits, as well as carbohydrates. This will also help prevent your muscles from cramping.
  10. Practice drills. In this final swimming tip for beginners, you should do drills periodically. Drills are a way to practice different parts of swimming techniques. They are a useful exercise because you are not doing all of the movements at once.
Posted on: Jan. 29, 2011