[Closed] Is it too late for me to learn how to swim?

Never too late, my nan learned to parascend (parachute being towed by a speedboat) at age 68!

Edit: she learned to swim aged 62- my mum taught her!

Never too late to start to learn to do anything. Old dogs and all that!

heisenberg is uncertain?

It depends; are you actually in the water now, and can you touch the bottom with both feet?

If the answers are [i]yes[/i] and[i] no[/i], it's too late.

Never too late to start to learn to do anything. Old dogs and all that!

Anyway - as long as you have the motivation and time, you'll be able to do it.

I'm 36 and i've just started lessons, haven't drowned yet. Signed up to a triathlon to force myself in to learning to swim. Got 5 months to learn to swim 500m's.

Probably...
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Thought this was going to be "Is it too late for me to learn to swim - I live in Great Yarmouth." (edit: beaten to it by 37 seconds)

I've heard of plenty of people learning to swim later in life. It helps if you just didn't get around to it before, rather than suffering from a life-long fear of water.

I'm 35 and learned to front crawl in April and did an ironman including sea swim in October. I could swim breast stroke before but I was definitely a weak swimmer. A couple of hours with a good coach I could trust was all it took to get me relatively competent then it was just lots of practice. So yeah, to for it. I quite like swimming now.

My dad learned in his 50's. He's off snorkelling in Greece a couple of times a year now after being terrified of the water most of his life.

It helped having a good, sensitive instructor (and that she was fit too 8) )

lol at lemonysam but to answer the op, easy. You are an adult so unless you have an irrational fear you will listen and learn.
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Unless you are a man, in which case you will probably pick up enough to not drown but wonder why it's so hard! From my extensive experience... of being a man 🙂

Mrs BS hated the water until she was 40, wouldn't go near it. she now swims around 4km a week in a near by lake with a tri club and pool swims once it gets too cold for that.

Never too late.

Do it 🙂

I asked a similar question a while back:
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/adult-learning-to-swim-any-experiences-or-tips

I did have someone on here offer to help with some professional swimming lessons he was going to offer me (not him teaching) but he stopped replying to my emails when I was trying to organise it.

Still want to, still absolutely terrified. 🙁

Friend of mine learned at 34. Really enjoyed it.

Is it too late for me to learn how to swim? at 35?

No 😆

Taught a friend, a 50yr old grand dad wanted to swim with the grand kids whilst on holiday. He was absolutely terrified of water/swimming having had a bad experience when young. Took him from white knuckle holding onto the poolside to swimming a width in about 3mths. 😆
I am/was a swimming teacher 🙂

If you live on the east coast, probably yes...

My mum was a swimming teacher - she taught loads of pensioners who thought they'd never be able to swim. Don't *think* any of them drowned.

I can dive or snorkel or move underwater, can even walk .. (This is a long story,...its either flapping or trying to swim to shore with 50-50 chance getting drown.. Or just hold breathe and walk underwater to shore with bigger chance that i am really moving towards the shore... Some fisherman dump us in the middle of deep (ish) sea)
..... But i just dont know how to float and swim properly i.e. Swim across a pool... Want to enroll in my local pool.. But too many kids and i might just end up being laughed at 😐

heisenberg is uncertain?

Probably.

I learnt at 33. I was worried about having the @@@@ ripped out of me too, but went on an adult course and to my astonishment there were other adults too! I really enjoyed it - to my surprise - but have hardly set foot back in water since ( would have @@@@ ripped for being fat and having a real paddle steamer style.

Give it a go!

One of my mates learnt at 35 or thereabouts and he used to be terrified of water.

Try to find a council pool with adult lessons. Was my NY resolution and can now front crawl pretty comfortably. Was wary at first, but most people were >55 and the instructors were really supportive and everyone is in the same boat. I found I needed pretty strong determination to push through the 'I can't do it' barrier, but I have had half arsed attempts on and off for the past decade and am really glad I did it. Next year aim is to try surfing.

I taught my grandma the basics when she was in her 60's and she joined a seniors club and enjoyed it a lot. (Once we got over the astonishment that you absolutely must get your hair wet)

Never managed to teach her a decent racing dive though (a very satisfactory skill indeed)

I learnt at 20. I can swim but im still scared of water but the lessons were not as bad as I thought they'd be. It's like most things in that you have to keep at it or you lose confidence and get rusty technique
my advice is:
Find a local coach and do a couple of 1-2-1 sessions to get over your initial fears
then enrol on your local adult swimming classes

The coaches do this all the time so can help you achieve your goals

Ps I recently went to a local coach for improver lessons as I'd regressed and had issues with my face in the water. It really helped me overcome the problem. (I'm 42 now). I'm still crap but my confidence is much higher

Interesting thread this for me as a 39 year old non swimmer.
I am pathetic when it comes to being near water. The smell of chlorine makes me nauseous, I see my eldest lad (5 and a half) in the water and his lack of fear puts me to shame. I go abroad on holiday and pussy foot around the pool!
It's pathetic really and I know I must learn - pressure now on as I am best man for a sailing freak and the stag do he wants in a few months is windsurfing and kayaking which basically fills me with dread.
Best get learning huh?

heisenberg is uncertain?

LOLZ

Your dad'll probably put his back out throwing you in the deep end but otherwise should be fine.