My Swimming Style: Not Pretty, But It Gets Me There!

As mentioned earlier, I took up swimming reluctantly nearly 6 months after my then Physiotherapist suggested it, and that I couldn’t even swim one length of the pool without stopping, until I heeded my son’s advice of, “Just try and swim a little further each day, even if it is only a half a metre further, at least it is a little further, and eventually you will get there.”

So that is what I started to do and initially with not a great deal more success because I kept running out of breath. That is till one day I changed my swimming style.

I was trying to better my previous record mark and quickly running out of breath and so just to make that extra bit of distance, I changed from my swimming stroke to a dog paddle stroke, just to get past the 37 metre mark.

Then I found something amazing happening. I was actually getting closer and closer to the 50 metre mark with out being out of breath and much to my surprise I actually made the full 50 metres, when all I was initially hoping for, was about 40 metres that time.

So I immediately changed my swimming stroke to something between the dog paddle and a sidestroke, and I immediately was able to do the 50 metres without being too puffed and ready to try more.

So the next week I again tried out my new ungainly style with the intention of trying to manage two lengths of the pool with out stopping. As I approached the finish of the second lap I decided to try and push for three and when I neared that, I decided to try for four. Eventually I had to stop but only after I had made 8 lengths of the pool with out stopping. Still along way short of my mate’s 30 laps in the same time though! None the less I made a vast improvement on my previous efforts by changing my style and keeping at it.

What about you? Is there something that you have been trying to do, but seem to have reached a plateau with it, and you need to either give up or change your style. Well if I may be so bolds as to suggest that you try changing your style first before you give it away? Maybe, just maybe, you may have to give it away, but don’t do so until you have tried all other avenues first. And don’t worry if your style or method is not pretty or attracts some derision and laughter! (Like mine) As long as it is effective and works for you, should be what is important and not how pretty you look doing it. What say you?