Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)
  • Is it too late for me to learn how to swim?
  • heisenberg
    Free Member

    Im 35 🙁

    rossi46
    Free Member

    Never too late, my nan learned to parascend (parachute being towed by a speedboat) at age 68!

    Edit: she learned to swim aged 62- my mum taught her!

    highclimber
    Free Member

    Never too late to start to learn to do anything. Old dogs and all that!

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    wwaswas
    Full Member

    heisenberg is uncertain?

    crikey
    Free Member

    It depends; are you actually in the water now, and can you touch the bottom with both feet?

    If the answers are yes and no, it’s too late.

    AlexSimon
    Full Member

    Never too late to start to learn to do anything. Old dogs and all that!

    Eh? the phrase is “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”

    Anyway – as long as you have the motivation and time, you’ll be able to do it.

    Xar
    Free Member

    I’m 36 and i’ve just started lessons, haven’t drowned yet. Signed up to a triathlon to force myself in to learning to swim. Got 5 months to learn to swim 500m’s.

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    Probably…

    wordnumb
    Free Member

    Thought this was going to be “Is it too late for me to learn to swim – I live in Great Yarmouth.” (edit: beaten to it by 37 seconds)

    I’ve heard of plenty of people learning to swim later in life. It helps if you just didn’t get around to it before, rather than suffering from a life-long fear of water.

    petrieboy
    Full Member

    I’m 35 and learned to front crawl in April and did an ironman including sea swim in October. I could swim breast stroke before but I was definitely a weak swimmer. A couple of hours with a good coach I could trust was all it took to get me relatively competent then it was just lots of practice. So yeah, to for it. I quite like swimming now.

    40mpg
    Full Member

    My dad learned in his 50’s. He’s off snorkelling in Greece a couple of times a year now after being terrified of the water most of his life.

    It helped having a good, sensitive instructor (and that she was fit too 8) )

    Tracker1972
    Free Member

    lol at lemonysam but to answer the op, easy. You are an adult so unless you have an irrational fear you will listen and learn.
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    Unless you are a man, in which case you will probably pick up enough to not drown but wonder why it’s so hard! From my extensive experience… of being a man 🙂

    Blazin-saddles
    Free Member

    Mrs BS hated the water until she was 40, wouldn’t go near it. she now swims around 4km a week in a near by lake with a tri club and pool swims once it gets too cold for that.

    Never too late.

    pondo
    Full Member

    Do it 🙂

    robdob
    Free Member

    I asked a similar question a while back:
    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/adult-learning-to-swim-any-experiences-or-tips

    I did have someone on here offer to help with some professional swimming lessons he was going to offer me (not him teaching) but he stopped replying to my emails when I was trying to organise it.

    Still want to, still absolutely terrified. 🙁

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Friend of mine learned at 34. Really enjoyed it.

    Trekster
    Full Member

    Is it too late for me to learn how to swim? at 35?

    No 😆

    Taught a friend, a 50yr old grand dad wanted to swim with the grand kids whilst on holiday. He was absolutely terrified of water/swimming having had a bad experience when young. Took him from white knuckle holding onto the poolside to swimming a width in about 3mths. 😆
    I am/was a swimming teacher 🙂

    ohnohesback
    Free Member

    If you live on the east coast, probably yes…

    stever
    Free Member

    My mum was a swimming teacher – she taught loads of pensioners who thought they’d never be able to swim. Don’t *think* any of them drowned.

    heisenberg
    Free Member

    I can dive or snorkel or move underwater, can even walk .. (This is a long story,…its either flapping or trying to swim to shore with 50-50 chance getting drown.. Or just hold breathe and walk underwater to shore with bigger chance that i am really moving towards the shore… Some fisherman dump us in the middle of deep (ish) sea)
    ….. But i just dont know how to float and swim properly i.e. Swim across a pool… Want to enroll in my local pool.. But too many kids and i might just end up being laughed at 😐

    cheekyboy
    Free Member
    jam-bo
    Full Member

    heisenberg is uncertain?

    Probably.

    ononeorange
    Full Member

    I learnt at 33. I was worried about having the @@@@ ripped out of me too, but went on an adult course and to my astonishment there were other adults too! I really enjoyed it – to my surprise – but have hardly set foot back in water since ( would have @@@@ ripped for being fat and having a real paddle steamer style.

    Give it a go!

    tonyd
    Full Member

    One of my mates learnt at 35 or thereabouts and he used to be terrified of water.

    tomhughes46
    Full Member

    Try to find a council pool with adult lessons. Was my NY resolution and can now front crawl pretty comfortably. Was wary at first, but most people were >55 and the instructors were really supportive and everyone is in the same boat. I found I needed pretty strong determination to push through the ‘I can’t do it’ barrier, but I have had half arsed attempts on and off for the past decade and am really glad I did it. Next year aim is to try surfing.

    oliverd1981
    Free Member

    I taught my grandma the basics when she was in her 60’s and she joined a seniors club and enjoyed it a lot. (Once we got over the astonishment that you absolutely must get your hair wet)

    Never managed to teach her a decent racing dive though (a very satisfactory skill indeed)

    ElShalimo
    Full Member

    I learnt at 20. I can swim but im still scared of water but the lessons were not as bad as I thought they’d be. It’s like most things in that you have to keep at it or you lose confidence and get rusty technique
    my advice is:
    Find a local coach and do a couple of 1-2-1 sessions to get over your initial fears
    then enrol on your local adult swimming classes

    The coaches do this all the time so can help you achieve your goals

    Ps I recently went to a local coach for improver lessons as I’d regressed and had issues with my face in the water. It really helped me overcome the problem. (I’m 42 now). I’m still crap but my confidence is much higher

    heebyjeeby
    Full Member

    Interesting thread this for me as a 39 year old non swimmer.
    I am pathetic when it comes to being near water. The smell of chlorine makes me nauseous, I see my eldest lad (5 and a half) in the water and his lack of fear puts me to shame. I go abroad on holiday and pussy foot around the pool!
    It’s pathetic really and I know I must learn – pressure now on as I am best man for a sailing freak and the stag do he wants in a few months is windsurfing and kayaking which basically fills me with dread.
    Best get learning huh?

    Torminalis
    Free Member

    heisenberg is uncertain?

    LOLZ

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Your dad’ll probably put his back out throwing you in the deep end but otherwise should be fine.

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