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FT WEEKEND - HEALTHY LIVING: 'It is a fantastic feeling - you really feel like a fish' |
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Swimming is a basic life skill and, according to doctors, one of the best forms of exercise. Why is it, then, that many of us either don't do it at all or don't do it properly? More than 10m people in the UK claim to swim regularly all year round, yet most of these will struggle to master even the basic strokes such as the front crawl or the breaststroke. According to experts, even those who identify themselves as good swimmers often don't have the right technique. Then there are the hydrophobes - people who, because of cultural reasons or a previous bad experience, won't go near the water at all. Or the type of swimmer who is fine doing lengths at the local pool, yet panics when out in open water. Sadly, all these are common scenarios and ones that can end in disaster. Steven Shaw, a former competitive swimmer and pioneer of the Shaw Method, believes the origins of our swimming malaise can be traced directly back to childhood. Remember the tracksuited school swimming coach blowing his whistle from the poolside while you splashed violently to the other side in a pair of old pyjamas? Or the dad that threw you into the deep end to see if you'd sink or swim? Don't even mention Jaws, the film that put sea swimming back at least 50 years. "Unfortunately, most people don't learn the basics, such as being relaxed or being able to breathe properly in the water," Shaw says. Unlike traditional hands-off "out-of-the-water" swimming teachers, Shaw Method practitioners (there are roughly 55 of them round the country) return to the "basics" that we should have learnt in our youth. There are no armbands, floats or other buoyancy aids, just pupil and teacher, ideally in a quiet stretch of water away from the competitive bustle of the racing lane. "During the first lesson we concentrate on walking, floating and breathing; after that we move on to the strokes," says Shaw. Although a session or two with Shaw might transform your front crawl or enable you to do the butterfly, the method's main purpose is to change the individual's relationship with the water, allowing those with hang-ups about swimming to rediscover the enjoyment that can be had from it. After injuring a leg, Charlotte Parry-Crooke, 55, took regular swimming lessons with Shaw following a course of hydrotherapy. "Before the classes, I couldn't bear to put my face under water with my mouth open but now it's not a problem at all," she says. "Swimming along with your face in the water, your breath working in a relaxed way is a fantastic feeling - you really feel like a fish." Lawyer Geoffrey Timms turned to the Shaw Method because he was having problems with a particular stroke. "I've always been a reasonable swimmer but in the pool I'd do 100 lengths of breast stroke for every length of front crawl. "Previous swimming lessons were simply about getting in and ploughing up and down the pool. Now swimming is something I actively enjoy and I am able to move more gracefully through the water." Unfortunately, many adult swimmers still don't get the most out of being in the water. Either they have been denied the right environment for developing their confidence and ability or, because of the competitive nature of school swimming, they have been brought up to treat the pool as a kind of racetrack. This is compounded by the fact that the newer "leisure pools", with their fun slides and whirlpools, are unsuited to swimming lessons while in urban communities there are issues around the religious and cultural perceptions of going publicly into water. Three years ago The Department for Education and Skills launched its Swimming Charter, aimed at getting more children to take part in swimming, while a £5.5m scheme aimed at non-swimmers in secondary schools piloted last month. Meanwhile, grass roots swimming coaches and local action groups are planning to make local swimming pools more like gyms. "Right now there is no provision for helping people improve their technique but in the future we hope there will be hands-on guidance for those who want specific advice, such as how to swim under water," explains John Lawton, director of education at the Amateur Swimming Association. If you can't wait for your technique to be ironed out, you can contact a willing teacher via your local pool. Otherwise, you might be tempted to take a short swimming break or swim-themed holiday. Swim Inns offers week-long intensive residential courses at The Springfield Hotel near Chester, and have classes for beginners and intermediates. The Art of Swimming, meanwhile, offers bespoke Shaw Method classes at various pools all over the country, including one and two-day courses at Champneys Health Resorts, as well as one-week intensive swim trips to rather more exotic locations including the Taba Heights in Egypt and Gozo in Malta. More adventurous swimmers, as well as those who really want to conquer their fear of sea swimming, might prefer a SwimTrek tour, run by Channel swimmer and organiser of the Cold Water Championships Simon Murie. Hardcore swim trekkers can jet off to the Bavarian Lakes or New Zealand's Bay of Islands, while the sea-shy sign up for Murie's Improver's Trips based on the Greek island of Ano Koufonissi. Learners swim to nearby islands under the watchful eye of ASA-qualified coaches. At the end of the week, they complete a 700m swim to the neighbouring island of Kato Koufonissi, followed by two lifeguards and a boat. "It's actually easier to learn in the sea as the salt water gives you greater buoyancy," explains Murie, who also teaches adults at Tooting Bec Lido, Britain's biggest open air pool. "Anyone can learn the techniques of open-water swimming and it's amazing what people can achieve by the end of the week." |
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