February 6, 2019
So here a some fun facts. I mostly grew up in a single parent home. Mom had to work and go back to school to support us. My kid brother and I spent a couple of years in the after school program at the local YMCA. One of the benefits…..swim lessons!
At 10, I was the oldest kid in the “Tadpole” group…and I struggled through the whole thing. I managed to learn just well enough to show I could make my way across the pool when I started high school.
Fast forward almost 30 years. Seasoned marathoner, loving my bike…one little thing standing between me and triathlon. Friends, when I say I had to start at the beginning, I mean it…I had to practice putting my face in the water.
So for those of you that are trying to work through any trepidation with the swim, I give you Coach Kopcha’s 5 Tips for the New Swimmer!
1. GET TO THE POOL.
Sounds simple enough, right? Unless you are dreading it. Then you will come up with ANY reason not to go. Write it down. Schedule a Sprint Triathlon. Tell people you are going to the pool. Post it on social media and document your journey. Meet a friend at the pool. Accountability can be amazing!
2. SWIM OFTEN
I’m talking about several times a week. For me…that magic number was 5. They don’t need to be long workouts. Any amount of time will do. But get to the pool as often as you can and start “making friends with the water”. You can’t fight your way through the swim…a certain amount of relaxation is necessary. And that won’t happen if you aren’t willing to spend some serious time in the water.
3. DROP THE EGO and BE PATIENT
This is just good to practice in general! As a strong runner and someone who felt she had a pretty good mind-body connection, it was SO FRUSTRATING to start from scratch! My brain was literally thinking “I’ve qualified for Boston!! What is my damn problem?” One sport does not equal the other. Just settle down and be patient!
4. SLOW DOWN
In my experience as a teacher and a coach, bad habits are usually the result of not paying attention to what you are doing and trying to go faster than you are currently capable of doing with good technique. Learning a skill initially takes a lot of conscious thought and it takes thousand of hours to correct a bad motor pattern. Slow down and be patient!
5. WORK WITH A COACH
People LOVE to teach what they are passionate about! Don’t hesitate to reach out to a local swim coach! They can step back and see what you can’t when you are (I was) freaking out about swimming in the first place. Let them share their love of the swim with you and help you find your way!
We all have to start somewhere! Just keep swimming, right? I promise…it will be OK! You won’t always hate it…someday you might even kind of like it. Don’t worry…your secret is safe with me! See you at the pool!
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