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Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water?
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 2009-08-21 3:36 PM |
Master  4119   Toronto Bronze member |  Subject: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water?Okay. I am new to swimming. I just learned last year and I can swim freestyle in a pool slowly pretty well forever. I did a super sprint in a june and got through the swim though i was panicking the whole time. I attempted a tri this past weekend with a 750m swim and in the first leg of a triangular swim I was panicking again and just didn't do it. I let the my wave go by and tried to calm myself but i couldn't shake it - i had a wetsuit and everything. I didn't think I was so afraid but I am. I let the boat take me in and they let me do the other two legs unofficially and i had a great time. it sucked that my fear gripped me so hard! I am planning to get in as many OWS as much i can for next few weeks while the water is decent and to finish off the tri season with another super sprint. Back to the beginning. The other plan i have to take swim lessons focusing on deep water skills - make me dive, tread and generally get okay with it ... (i have already taken 3 or four rounds of swim lessons which mostly focused on strokes which i've learned and can do well) Now, I know some of you out there are like me and learned to swim after being non-swimmers. Please tell me how you got over your fear of deep water and open water. I really want to conquer this fear and I know I can. How did you do it? |
| 2009-08-21 3:41 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Regular 79 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I have done 6 triathlons and I'm still anxious when I get to the water. Are you pretty calm all morning or are you extremely anxious as soon as you wake up? It might not be the swim itself but just the anxiety of the triathlon. I can do open water swims all day and feel just fine but when it comes time to compete I start feeling some anxiety kick in. Honestly the only way to get rid of that feeling is to do more tris. My first two tris were sprint and I back floated part of one and pretty much doggie paddled the other one. Keep trying and for the next one if you freak out do a back float. |
| 2009-08-21 3:53 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Extreme Veteran 416 Raleigh, NC | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? It took me lots of practice to get over the anxiety of open water swims. I only did one OWS before my OW tri and I freaked! Big mistake, I have since been in the lake at least once a week since then and now I actually look forward to it. Had another OW tri last weekend and did great, I was slow but I didn't panic. I have to go at my own pace and not get caught up in the excitement and pace of other swimmers. I also practice with a pool noodle tied around my waist which helped calm my fears of deep water and swimming too far from shore, if I got too tired or took a huge gulp of water I could grab onto the noodle to calm down. Now I don't need to noodle as I have learned how to cope but it helped calm me down in the beginning. Also check and see if there are open water clinics near you, I went to one and it also really helped! |
| 2009-08-21 4:19 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Regular 77 OMAHA | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Well-My dad threw me in the deep end of a pool when I was 2 ... seemed to work well! |
| 2009-08-21 4:33 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Champion 10157 Alabama | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I can understand how some people would be terrified of an OWS. I grew up swimming and have always been very comfortable in and around water. So for me there was never any fear or concern about an OWS. My wife on the other hand did not grow up swimming like I did and is not comfortable around the water and I don't she ever will be. But she is not trying to do triathlons so it doesn't really matter. My suggestion is simply, spend time in the water! When you first learned to drive you were scared but after hours and hours and hours of driving you lose that fear. Same is gonna be true for water. The more time you spend in the water, the less you will fear it. Take swim lessons, swim 3 or 4 times a week, go to the lake, swim there, go to the beach and swim....mabe take SCUBA classes and learn how to dive. I don't think you are gonna find a shortcut. I really think time in the water is the only thing that is going to put you at ease in the water. Sorry if this is not the answer you were hoping for. Maybe a non-swimmer can provide a better answer.
~Mike |
| 2009-08-21 5:12 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Extreme Veteran 3177 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I had been in pools most of my early early life...then when I was about 5 or 6 my uncle through me off the end of a dock into a large lake. I knew how to swim so the put me out there. Never looked back since. In OWS now the only thing that makes me nervous is other people and noise in the water. If it is during a swimming event I just dont like to run into people, if just out around a lake the noises of motor boats etc reverberate too much for me. I guess I am pretty lucky in that but I would say to get over your fear, do more OWS, and here is the important part, with 3-4 of your closest tri friends around you! they can help, they can encourage, and having a bigger group than 2 means you are more closely experiencing race conditions for swimming. As far as deep water goes is there something in particular that scares you such as the lake of reference points below you or more the feeling of not being supported by anything below you? Issues like that can be overcome by identifying them and then dealing with them directly but the way you deal with it changes depending on the person.Good Luck! |
| 2009-08-21 5:39 PM in reply to: #2363281 |
Master 4119 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Rogillio - 2009-08-21 5:33 PM I can understand how some people would be terrified of an OWS. I grew up swimming and have always been very comfortable in and around water. So for me there was never any fear or concern about an OWS. My wife on the other hand did not grow up swimming like I did and is not comfortable around the water and I don't she ever will be. But she is not trying to do triathlons so it doesn't really matter. My suggestion is simply, spend time in the water! When you first learned to drive you were scared but after hours and hours and hours of driving you lose that fear. Same is gonna be true for water. The more time you spend in the water, the less you will fear it. Take swim lessons, swim 3 or 4 times a week, go to the lake, swim there, go to the beach and swim....mabe take SCUBA classes and learn how to dive. I don't think you are gonna find a shortcut. I really think time in the water is the only thing that is going to put you at ease in the water. Sorry if this is not the answer you were hoping for. Maybe a non-swimmer can provide a better answer.
~Mike Not to worry - I am not afraid to spend time in the water - as I said above i have taken 3-4 sessions (aka 4-8 weeks at a time) of swim lessons and generally get in the pool 3x a week for the last 4-5 months. My gym pool is really a small lap pool and I can do it. It's more about the deep water and being where there are no walls to grab. So, i will look for ways to do more than laps in my gym pool - i think what you said about varying it up will help. |
| 2009-08-21 5:41 PM in reply to: #2363175 |
Master 4119 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? ydarb - 2009-08-21 4:41 PM I have done 6 triathlons and I'm still anxious when I get to the water. Are you pretty calm all morning or are you extremely anxious as soon as you wake up? It might not be the swim itself but just the anxiety of the triathlon. I can do open water swims all day and feel just fine but when it comes time to compete I start feeling some anxiety kick in. Honestly the only way to get rid of that feeling is to do more tris. My first two tris were sprint and I back floated part of one and pretty much doggie paddled the other one. Keep trying and for the next one if you freak out do a back float. I am nervous going in but i am generally calm when I wake up. It's not until I am on the beach that it really starts to set in ... at the last one it really got me looking the buoys ... just looked so far out there .... |
| 2009-08-21 5:48 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
| Veteran 142 South Jersey (Cherry Hill) | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Realize that you can always turn over on your back and take a breath or two if you need it. Just try floating out in a pool or lake and when you realize you're not going to sink, it may quell some anxiety. Good luck! |
| 2009-08-21 6:57 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Regular 113 NYC | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I have the same kinda fears. My first Oly distance race I took about 10 strokes and then kept looking at the kayaks thinking that I might have to flag one down. Two things that I did in my last tri that helped was: 1) to trust the wetsuit and remember that you're not gonna sink. You will float without even kicking so remembering this made me feel a little more confident. 2) not to let the other competitiors dictate how I was gonna swim. I knew everyone would swim faster than me and I let them. I swam my own relaxed pace so that I didn't get out of breath and start hyperventilating. Once I start feeling short of breath my technique goes to heck and I get more tired and out of breath and before you know it I am panicking that I'm gonna drown. So I concentrate on my pace and technique and staying relaxed... |
| 2009-08-21 6:59 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Extreme Veteran 5722 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Have you tried swimming along the shore and slowly moving further and further away from the shore ? |
| 2009-08-21 7:45 PM in reply to: #2363496 |
Champion 7233 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? if you can swim well, the things i would recomend, spend as much time as you can in and around the water, this will help. get excited and look forward to the swims. if you enjoy it it will be a lot easier to get through, and not something you fear. |
| 2009-08-21 8:12 PM in reply to: #2363424 |
Master 1531 TORONTO | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? For me it's about digging deep and figuring out what the root of the fear is. If it's the distance then I think what SCD44 says is great advice: SCD44 - 2009-08-21 6:48 PM Realize that you can always turn over on your back and take a breath or two if you need it. Just try floating out in a pool or lake and when you realize you're not going to sink, it may quell some anxiety. Good luck! When you are out of breath, heart racing - maybe just rolling over onto your back and floating, catching your breath - doing a little bit of back stroke - all would help give you that mental break you need to refocus. So in addition to your swimming laps etc maybe take some time to practice a stroke that you can use as a backup stroke. Side and back work well for me but a lot of people really like breast stroke. Maybe work on treading water a bit too. Personally I find it's the start that throws me into a panic. Waiting in the water, the sound of the horn, everyone swimming around you - sometimes over you - it's hard to pace yourself at your own speed and it's easy to get caught up in the rush of it and find yourself winded within a short distance. I try to distance myself from the pack and when the horn sounds I take a deep breath and count to 5 before easing into it. You are also a fast runner - you are used to going the distance and doing well. Maybe mentally giving yourself permission to just finish the swim vs. being in the top of the pack will calm you a bit... Doing it on your own time. Just some thoughts! If you want company for a Kelso swim let me know - I'm back in town after next Friday... |
| 2009-08-21 8:17 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Royal(PITA) 14270 West Chester, Ohio | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Feel free to read most of my race reports if you want a laugh about horrible OWS. The week before my last race I was on vacation and spent the entire week going to lakes to swim. (my taper week graph is more activity than any other week for all the swimming I did). I had my BEST OWS EVER in that race. Not a competitive time but no panic attack, no resorting to back stroke and no hugging a kayak. Sometimes the only way out is through and that's how I conquered my OWS panic. Good luck. |
| 2009-08-21 8:19 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
| New user 71 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Two things that kind of gotten me over the hump of the open water during competitions 1. Lots of open water practice swims 2. I start off the swim, at least the first 100 meters or so, as slow as I can and still make forward progress. This helps calm me down and not hyperventilate from all the excitement. Once I get into a groove then I just do my normal thing. I've gotten through 3 half IMs with this strategy. With put this strategy to the test at IMFL in a few months. |
| 2009-08-21 8:27 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Expert 1215 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Like has been mentioned, know that you can roll over on your back and float for a bit. You just need to trust that you can float. My first couple of OWS were massive panic attacks. Now, years later, I enjoy the freedom of knowing I can swim to the middle of a lake and swim back. |
| 2009-08-21 11:20 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Expert 1276 Salem | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I went on a OWS for the second time this evening with the local tri club. Last week was my first time out with the club and I did great. I had two previous swims in Tri-It Sprints (1/4 mile swim) and did ok; second one I was first out of the water. This evening I experienced some panick and was close to shore so I calmed myself enough to pull myself to the shore. I swallowed a lot of water and I think went a bit too far than what I was used to going and got tired. It sure was a weird feeling. Kind of felt like my breathing was restricted. Next week I'll plan to go again and it will be interesting to see how I respond. I believe I'll do fine and know I need to get back out there and swim within my limits and not let others dictate how far I should swim; after all I have to deal with those bad swims and those are not fun experiences. |
| 2009-08-22 6:24 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
Member 210 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? Panic is a perfectly normal (and sometimes uncontrollable) human emotion. It normally helps save us, but sometimes our brains and our nervous system don't communicate well. You KNOW you can swim, you KNOW you won't drown, but for some reason, your body is saying, "GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!" Things you can do to help calm you down in the swim:
Don't give up, and good luck at your next race! |
| 2009-08-22 11:43 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
| Master 2460 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I'm pretty new to OWS as well. Lot of great tips above. I found that as a beginner, just going out into the surf and wading on my own for a good 15 minutes and doing "miniswims" before the group swim or race start helped a ton. |
| 2009-08-23 12:33 AM in reply to: #2363161 |
Expert 977 Huntington Beach | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I focus on my hands in the water. I watch them do their rotation under water and imagine I am in a pool. Focusing on them keeps my mind off everything else. |
| 2009-08-23 5:46 AM in reply to: #2363161 |
| New user 4 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I,m new to triahalons and i have the fear of water (not the water it self) lack of knowledge on how to work with the water i have only been with the site for a week so far and have been looking at the forums on how to get this right my other problems is how to extend your training in the water ( how to push yourself) and getting better at it ..I have done a mini tri ssome years ago and swam bad that was the last time i attempted doing tri,s the coaching wasnt very good as they were more keen on helping the young ones out ( can understand that really) my kicking is hopeless i dont even move in the water when i have a kickboard i struggle no end. I was taught that bilatral breathing was what i should be doing for swimming ( I WAS BREATHING VERY 4 STROKES ON ONE SIDE) i,m preparing to hit the pool this comming weekend so any tips on how i can improve would be great ..Gord |
| 2009-08-23 6:01 AM in reply to: #2363161 |
Champion 7163 Verona WI--Ironman Bike Country! | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? You sound like me a year ago (I always went backwards with a kickboard)....it will get easier! My best advice is to buy a couple of private lessons with a swimming coach, preferably one who works with triathletes. A coach can watch you swim, see your issues and provide some basic drills and corrections. In the meantime, my favorite website for swimming drills and demonstration is www.goswim.tv. There are also many articles on BT so search the swimming section. Good luck! |
| 2009-08-23 1:49 PM in reply to: #2364327 |
Expert 1276 Salem | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? GregInAustin... Thanks for those great tips. At the time I hadn't thought about just floating on my back; I did the breast stroke but that didn't help much. I also need to trust more in my wetsuit knowing it does provide bouyancy. |
| 2009-08-23 3:14 PM in reply to: #2363161 |
| 70 | Subject: RE: Swimming: How did you get over your fear of the water? I think a good thing to do is go to one of your OWS with your mates and just get to know the water. Put your goggles on and just float a bit. Feel the water move over you as you take a few strokes. Close your eyes and take a few strokes. Just relax in the water for 20mins or so without thinking about workouts or racing or any of the other fast stuff. Let the wake or waves lift your relaxed body as you focus on your breathing if the water runs over your face. At some point you have one of those 'Ah-ha' moments and you'll be fine. I akin it to getting in your first close quarters group bike ride. Having people 3-4" from all sides as you go down the road at 20 or 30+mph for the first time takes some nerves. Just get comfortable with being IN the water before you try to make any more progress getting THRU the water. During a race just swim your game like you would alone in the lap pool. When you start colliding with people just remember you are trained for the event and so are they. Everyone is trying to get thru it as well. In a few water traffic jams, I have just float upright and let them sort it out while I catch my breath. Then I motor on and either draft off of them or pass them again when things calm down. In your race just take your time. If you feel your nerves start to overcome you, just pull up and tread for a minute or two of positive talk. Tell yourself this is no different than the pool, and probably better. At least there are many lifeguards, boats, and usually professional divers, and not the usual 13 year olds guarding the pool.  Remember you are in it to enjoy the experience. Be confident. |
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