Many people get frustrated when learning to swim. They look at the basic arm stroke and kick movements, compare them to the complexity of sports like ballet, skateboarding, or artistic gymnastics, and ask themselves: “Why is it so hard for me if it doesn’t seem that complicated?”
You’re right. Swimming technique, at its core, is not the biggest problem. What truly makes the process difficult is not the complexity of the movements themselves, but the constant battle against the aquatic environment.
Technique Is Simple — The Environment Is the Challenge
If we analyse the freestyle stroke, it is a relatively linear sequence of movements compared to, for example, the multiple axes of rotation in a diving jump or the full-body coordination required for a backflip.
The Horizontal Position Barrier
On land, we are built for a vertical position. Our centre of gravity and centre of buoyancy are aligned, and gravity helps us maintain balance.
In the water, everything changes:
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- Non-Natural Position: We must maintain a horizontal position to move forward efficiently. This posture is completely foreign to our daily routines.
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- Challenging Alignment: As soon as we lift the head or the hips drop (which naturally happens due to body density), massive resistance is created. Effort is no longer directed toward moving forward, but toward “maintaining buoyancy” and alignment.
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- The Mental Battle: Adapting to the Aquatic Environment
The real barrier that prevents learning to swim quickly is not technique, but proper adaptation to the water. This is an environment that is not natural for us, and our brain knows it.
Fear and Zero Confidence
Water triggers a survival instinct. The fear of not being able to breathe or of sinking makes the body tense. A tense body is a body that doesn’t float and fights the water instead of gliding through it.
“Winning adaptation” means:
Confidence in buoyancy: understanding that the water supports us.
Relaxation: allowing the body to sink slightly in order to find its optimal balance point.
Aquatic proprioception: feeling and controlling the pressure of the water on the body — something that can only be developed through exposure.
The Solution: Train Adaptation Before Technique
Before worrying about the path of your hand or the dolphin kick, you must first dedicate time to sensitivity and adaptation:
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- Mastering Buoyancy: learning to feel the water and relax in both front and back floating positions.
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- Breath Control: practising complete and prolonged exhalation underwater.
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- Gliding: understanding how to minimise resistance and “cut through” the water in the horizontal position.
Once you adapt to the environment and feel comfortable and buoyant, the correct technique becomes much more intuitive and easy to apply. Swimming is a matter of efficiency, not strength.
At “Be Water Friends” we apply the Reverse Learning Method
In our school, we understand that forcing technique before adaptation leads to frustration and to bad habits that are difficult to correct.
That’s why our teaching method prioritises mastery of the environment:
Our Golden Rule: we guarantee that you achieve proper adaptation to the water and total confidence in buoyancy *before* introducing any complex arm stroke or kicking movements.
Once adaptation is achieved, technique is taught in a fractional and progressive way. We break down each movement into simple steps, ensuring safe, smooth, and easy learning that allows you to swim with confidence and efficiency from day one.
