Trouble swimming?

Post Reply New Topic

I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia aswell as AS, and I've always had trouble swimming. It might be related to my sinus problem because I used to get ear infections and nosebleeds when I went under the water, which might be the cause of my anxiety in water. But I was the last to learn to swim out of the whole class, and everyone in the class had learnt to swim by the age of 6, and I was still in armbands at age 9, and wouldn't come out of them. I actually learnt to take my feet off the ground and kick without any aid when I was 11, but I could only do doggy-paddles because that was the only swim I could do what didn't involve getting my head under the water. But even then I struggled.

It wasn't very nice though, because as a child I used to love swimming, it used to be my favourite subject at school, and I used to go to the local swimming-pool a lot with my cousins at week-ends and in the school holidays, but I still could not swim. And it's a funny coincidence how I was the only Aspie out of my class and out of all my cousins, and I was the only one who couldn't swim out of my class and out of all my cousins - which was one of the reasons why I convinced myself that my AS has delayed in my learning.

Anyone else had this trouble? Or is it just because of my ears and nose issues?

sounds like the dyspraxia or just plain fear. i was slower than my sister in learning to swim by a little- one year, but went on to become a competitive swimmer in high school.

I think my problems are similar to yours Joe90. I can swim, but not confidently and I was about 10 before I learned. A length is my limit, then I need a short break (yet I'm fit) and I no longer submerge my face in the water, although I did when I was younger. I got my badges doing backstroke, but tend to do breaststroke these days. I also have sinus issues and perennial rhinitis and was diagnosed with mild asthma just last year, but I've probably had it much longer. So, breathing is a bit of a concern for me and I'm very conscious of trying to co-ordinate my breaths with my strokes.

That said, my 6yr old daughter is a better swimmer now than me at 39. She definitely doesn't have anything resembling dyspraxia, whereas I do to some extent. She loves swimming and also has the perfect body shape for it.

I can swim OK now. The only swimming "trick" I can't do is turn around underwater, ie, do the underwater flip when you get to the end of the pool at the end of the lap. However, I must say, it did take me seemingly a long time to learn to swim. I managed to just try really hard and do it, and just got the hang of it.

Unrelated sorta, but as a kid, after learning to swim, I'd actually swim laps by myself at like age 10 or 11, I didn't wanna go play Marco Polo with the other kids. Now I can look back and say that's a sign of my ASness, but c'est la vie.

I have/had a lot of difficulties with most athletic things as a kid, now I know it can be mostly attributed to my NVLD, but if I learn them without pressure at my own pace, I do quite well in athletic stuff, just generally it will take me longer and take me more effort than others.

I wasn't allowed to learn to swim.

My mother brought me to some free/cheap swimming lessons at a local pool when I was a kid but when they got up to the part where you had to put your face in the water I had to drop out. I can't put my face in water without a noseplug on and they wouldn't let me wear one.

I never had a swimming pool in school. The high school had one but the last time I was in a normal school was in sixth grade.

Growing up, I had trouble learning to swim. (I'm not sure if I still have the skills since its been a while since I last swam).

I remember I had to repeat level 2 swimming lessons a few times. I only got to level 4 before I quit (I was getting old by then).

In grade 6 in gym class, I was the slowest swimmer in the class (out of all the boys). The teacher told me that I was not allowed to go to the deep end.

I cannot swim and never have been able. I hate being wet too.

My parents owned ski boats the whole time I was growing up so I have many memories of being huddled in the cabin of the boat wearing a life jacket and hiding under a pile of many more life jackets shaking and intermittently screaming in fear.

Ah, the bad old days...

I can't swim. I think it's a combination of my horrible motor skills and a fear of getting water up my nose. I even took swimming lessons when I was younger.

Took a long time to learn to swim.

No one could teach me. I couldnt be taught. Had to teach myself.

I taught myself to dog paddle, and then from there taught myself to crawl and breast stroke.

Always hated getting water in my nose, but I think that chloridation in the water of public swimming pools contributed to that. Swimmng pool water irriates my nose more than either fresh water in lakes or salt water in the ocean does.

I learnt how to swim properly about 5 years ago and am now a swimming instructor. It took me ages to learn but I really like the feel of water. I am terrified by the waves in the sea and hate being in water that is too deep for me to stand in.

I cannot swim.
I was terrorized by swimming classes... Never knew, now that I look back, if it steemed from motor impairment or phobia. I can hardly ride a bike too.

I always assumed that jumping in water represented "being on your own and losing grip" and that's what terrorized me.

Just as with learning most everything else, I failed miserably at swimming lessons when I was 5 or 6. But also just as with most every other learned skill, I taught myself to swim just fine, and I'm a good swimmer. It didn't make sense to me how the swim teacher was explaining things, and it still doesn't when I think back 35+ years. I guess I never had a real fear of water, and that's probably because I grew up near the ocean, and we went to the beach nearly every weekend during summer, so I was exposed to the ocean as a toddler. I've been caught in rip tides, and it's no big deal, but for some people who don't know how to ride it out, they panic and die. It's so simple what to do, and anyone can do it; probably even if they're severely handicapped physically.

The fact is, that you will not sink in a pool or the ocean. You need to understand and FEEL how to position your body so that it's not any effort to keep your nose above the water. If you're a little heavy, it's even easier, as body fat is much lighter than water. Your head is the heaviest part, so you just need to put the rest of your body below the water line, and that in turn forces your face up & out. If you struggle and thrash, you'll inhale water, and drown.

In a riptide, let it pull you out, as the best champion swimmer in the world CANNOT outswim a riptide! It's not going to pull you miles out; just a few dozen feet at most. Once out, and even as it's pulling you out, you just have to gently swim parallel to the coastline, about EIGHT FEET, and you're out of the riptide, and will be swept right back onto the beach with virtually no effort. Just remember to swim one way or the other, but not TOWARD the beach. Remember it doesn't matter how fast the tide is pulling you away from the beach. If you're paddling in a direction 90 degrees to the riptide, you will be moving in two directions at the same time, which is what you want.

Charles

i'm not much of a swimmer myself.
i can float just fine (too good actually, i dont sink even if i want to, so going underwater is nearly inpossible), but if i try to move from A to B, i use some kind of mix between normal walking and a doggypaddle; it looks awkward and it very ineffective, but it is enough to save me from drowning.

however, aside from this, i do like being in the water; for some reason, the increased pressure on my skin relaxes me...

I've perfected my own swimming technique by modifying the breast stroke. I can't swim nearly as fast as most people, but I have better endurance.

I was a slow starter however once i got the hang of swimming i was able to swim the entire length of the pool going underwater without no problems even diving of boards however i haven't done swimming for a long time now.

I never had any trouble learning, nor any fear of the water, but lack of stamina and general physical feebleness meant I was always a poor swimmer as a child.