Top Tips for Beginners to Improve Their Swimming Skills

Although learning to swim can feel intimidating, being able to glide through the water opens up many doors to better physical and mental health. On top of knowing you can save yourself or someone else in the event of a potential emergency, it’s also nice to enjoy a swim to build cardiovascular fitness. Plus, swimming is just plain fun. Whether you swim in a community pool or a custom outdoor pool in your San Diego backyard, getting better at swimming is easily achieved when you use these strategies to improve your abilities.

Master the Basics

While it’s perfectly natural to want to rush to the finish line, the truth is the best swimmers take time to perfect their basic skills. Knowing how to breathe properly as you swim helps you stay pumped full of oxygen for greater endurance and stamina. Even professional swimmers spend time practicing their basic kicking and pulling techniques to ensure they always maintain proper form.

Learn the Different Strokes

Once you’re able to coordinate your arms and legs to push and pull your way through the water, it’s time to start refining your skills. Learning the different swimming strokes gives you the ability to choose from several techniques to achieve your goals. Being able to perform a butterfly stroke versus dog paddling through the water is what separates the true beginners from those with developing skills. Keep in mind you won’t necessarily perform each one to perfection after only a few days. You’ll want to keep practicing your stroke skills to reach maximum efficiency as you swim.

Work Your Way Up to Longer Distances

Swimming might look effortless, but moving your body through the water’s resistance is hard work. Building up your endurance is important, especially if you plan to engage in competitions. You can make swimming farther a game by trying to increase the number of laps you do during each practice session compared to the last one. Making a chart of each day’s laps can help you see your progress as you increase how far and long you can swim.

Take Professional Swimming Lessons

Beginner swimming lessons help you work through the different skills while receiving feedback from a professional. Group lessons are available for both children and adults, and you may find swimming with others adds a social element you find appealing. 

Others may prefer hiring a private swim coach. This option can allow you to maximize each moment you spend in swimming lessons. Plus, having a coach who can come to your backyard pool makes it easier to stay accountable for completing your lessons.

Practice Swimming Frequently

Ideally, beginner swimmers should be hitting the water at least three to four days each week. But you’ll also find your skills improve faster if you can squeeze in more swimming time. When you love swimming, installing a residential pool allows you to easily hop in the water for practice whenever you have a few spare minutes in your day. 

If you’re ready to build a pool of your own so you can practice your swimming skills, reach out to the experienced professionals at San Diego Pools. We’re a premier San Diego pool builder, and our pool design and construction experts are dedicated to building the pool that’s right for your family and providing you with the highest-quality service in the industry. Give us a call today.