“Unsporty to swimmer”
I was attracted initially by the poster that said ‘do you feel tired after swimming a few lengths … get out of breath easily …’ because that described my problems exactly. I have never been good at sport, and swimming lessons at school were so awful that it’s amazing that I did eventually learn to swim in my teens. My style was mainly self-taught, and after 20 lengths I’d be very tired and have an aching back and shoulders.
I didn’t have huge expectations – all I wanted was to learn to swim ‘properly’, so I could move a bit faster and not feel embarrassed about my lack of technique. I had never heard of Immerse, however I was hooked from that first half-hour Swimcheck, because it was so different to the way I’d learned to swim before. Gliding felt really natural, and I could immediately feel the benefit of being in a more streamlined position in the water. Nick is a great teacher, and very patient and I felt the lessons progressed at a pace that I was comfortable with. It is brilliant to have someone in the water with you, showing you what to do, rather than standing on the side shouting at you, and that gave me a lot of confidence. I also liked the fact that there is no emphasis on speed or endurance, but that it’s a much more thoughtful approach to exercise.
The benefits have been huge – I can now swim twice the distance that I used to, and without any back or neck pain. I’m spending a lot longer in the water, and yet don’t feel breathless or tired afterwards, in fact I feel better after I get out of the pool, than before I get in. It’s made a big difference to the way that I move in the water, as I no longer feel as if I’m fighting to stay afloat, but have much greater control; this way of swimming feels very fluid and relaxed, and I enjoy it so much now, that I swim nearly every day if I can.
There have been some great side-effects to this – I’ve lost a stone and a half, have a lot more energy and my joints are much more flexible than they used to be.
I am absolutely evangelical about what these lessons have done for me – I’ve gone from being someone totally unsporty who only exercised because I knew I ought to, into someone who can’t spend long enough in the pool.
These lessons have transformed my approach to being in the water and I’d wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn to swim with grace and ease, and to enhance their enjoyment of swimming.