15/04/2024
How long will it take me/my child to learn to swim from scratch?
There is no definitive answer to this other than it is not a quick skill to learn – but an important skill to accomplish. I have high-lighted below some factors which may help the reasoning behind why learning to swim competently is a long one, and how to reduce the time scale.
Most swimming lessons in the UK for adults and children have a duration of around 30 minutes each week. To gain some perspective on this, that equates to 26 hours in the water per year (which in reality would be less when taking into consideration swim pool closures for holidays and absent sessions e.g., for sickness etc). So, when reflecting on the amount of learning there is involved to be a competent swimmer (four strokes and a lot of skills such as treading water, diving etc) it becomes clearer why swimming is a long process when based on the above schedule.
Unlike recreational land sports and activities, swimming requires a more restrictive practice environment e.g., a gymnast can practice early exercises on a mat either indoors or outdoors, every day – for free, while a swimmer who is just starting out will require a pool all year round with various factors taken into consideration, e.g., depth, temperature, clarity etc. The practicalities of owning a pool in the UK are often outweighed by cost, maintenance, weather, and temperatures etc. With this in mind we are at the mercy of our local pools opening hours matching our agendas coupled with the additional cost of entry. In short, there are more barriers to navigate when learning to swim which also impacts the pace at which we can learn at in comparison to some other sports.
If a swimmer is able to indulge in more lesson’s each week, then it is obvious the speed that they learn at will be faster. However, a swimmer can improve by using the practices learned in a lesson and applied over and over during a public swim session (providing their safety has been considered) – the improvements will be tangible providing they are practicing what has been asked of them. If a swimmer was to add just 1 hour a week on top of their lesson (ideally two half hour sessions), then their training would have increased to 78 hours per year, which would have taken three years to achieve if we were to base it on the schedule I mentioned earlier.
The benefits of increasing the sessions are palpable. Regular exposure reduces anxiety and increases confidence – enabling fears to be overcome much quicker. The ability to replicate a movement through repetition without being consciously aware of making the move will be regularly recapped (muscle memory) this will help the swimmer learn the skill faster as the wait between lesson to session will be shorter. Flexibility will improve faster (this can be supported by stretches at home), and stamina will increase sooner. If children are ‘unwilling’ to practice what they learned in a lesson outside of their regular class, they will still benefit from free play swimming.
Another consideration is that we all have different body compositions (adipose tissue, muscle, and bone) that will impact our ability with how fast we learn a stroke or skill. We all learn at different speeds and have unique learning styles e.g., some people learn through kinesthetics (by doing the activity physically), while others may learn by observing a demonstration. Anxieties, confidence, and health conditions may also impact the speed of learning.
Swimming is a lifesaving skill that is brilliant for both mental and physical health. It may seem like a long passage of time for a child or adult to become a proficient swimmer in either all, or some of the strokes/skills. However, it does not really matter how long it takes to learn, as long as they are safe and enjoying the journey – they will learn it and ultimately enjoy swimming for life.
