Backstroke swimming week 4

Backstroke swimming week 4

I was only going to write the first of my swimming lesson posts, but then I decided that this would be good for me to look back on over the weeks ahead.  So here we are with backstroke swimming week 4!  Friday nights come round so quickly.  I never seem to be prepared, but perhaps it’s good that I don’t have time to dwell on the torture fun ahead, each week!

Backstroke swimming week 4Friday night saw us reunited with our original teacher.  Bless her, she’s preggers and she’d had a bit of a scare.  Thankfully baby is all ok and she was back to check up on us.  What have you all been doing?  I thought we’d spend the evening doing backstroke, swimming week 4.  What a joy! Not!

There s something totally hideous (to me anyway) of being the wrong way up in the water and then not being able to see where you are going!  Anyway, I’d gone on my back with help for the first time in my life a couple of weeks ago.  I’m not as totally panic-stricken as I was then, but still not happy to go it alone.

So I started Backstroke swimming week 4.  This time, no woggles, we’ll try it with floats.  The others started with one float, I started with two.  Hug the floats, lean back, I will guide you, don’t worry.  Tilt your head well back and push your stomach up.  I ended up with my ears well and truly in the water.  A very strange feeling, not one I can say I liked!  But my breathing (or should I say panicking) was much better, I did feel much calmer.  We’d made it to halfway down the pool.  Ok stand up, you did really well.  Apparently I have a good kick, think that’s been mentioned before.  Not only do you have a good kick, but you stand up well in the water now!!  What she really means is that I no longer have arms and legs all over the place as I frantically try not to drown.  I am calming down, I am doing something without really thinking about it.  Progress.

So we repeated the same thing going back to the beginning.  Then with one float.  That was ok.  Not going to lie, can’t see me ever liking the ears in the water thing, but you can’t have everything.

Ok, now no float, hands by your sides and I will support your head.  If I think you are doing ok, I will let go.  But I will always be there with you, ok?  Really, yes, you can do this. I did!  I flipping well did!

I have to say, that when I signed up for these lessons, I’d only expected to sort out one stroke.  It never entered my head that we’d do two strokes, let alone backstroke.  I did have some lessons 20 years ago, so I’m not starting from scratch with breaststroke, as I’ve mentioned before.  But until 2 weeks ago I had never ever been on my back, let alone tried to swim.  Actually, typing this, I don’t think I realised quite how huge that was on Friday night.  Yes I came home and treated myself to a large glass of red wine.  But blimey, Backstroke swimming week 4, I actually did it.  She let go, I kept going.  I did it and I stopped!  I went half way on the pool, I needed her to get me started going back too, but wow, I did it

Of course, there are highs and lows each week.  My brain is still in charge, unfortunately! I like breaststroke, I’ve got the gist of it, my legs and arms do the right thing. I need to build up my stamina, to get halfway without putting my feet down.  I want to get further, but that means getting out of my depth.  Panic sets in.  I’m thinking Titanic, Poseidon Adventure, I’m thinking – drowning.  We all agreed that maybe it would actually help to start at the deep end and swim back.

I’d felt that last week, did it sound daft?  Well I was glad the others agreed.  Ok, we’ll get out, walk to the deep end.  I’ll have a woggle in case anyone struggles.  Lets see how you get on.  Perhaps I should have gone first.  One of the guys did brilliantly, he did it, not all the way in one go, but he got there, no woggle.  Of course, I’d had time to realise that I could not touch the bottom, the bottom was a foot taller than me.  Then I was thinking, how do I actually start?  I’ve got one hand holding the edge behind me and the other holding the edge at right angles.  How do I let go? I’m going to hit the ladder with my right arm as I try to do breaststroke.  By the time the instructor came back to us, my brain had taken over.  I can’t get going without the woggle. So I was defeated, but I swam further without stopping, so that’s a positive.  I’m wondering if the instructor can pull the woggle away from me once I’ve actually set off?  I might ask her next this week.

So who would have thought I’d have done Backstroke swimming week 4?

8 thoughts on “Backstroke swimming week 4

  1. Well done!! I always found backstroke easier to do because your face isn’t in the water but when I watch Miss C doing backstroke I can see what you mean about wondering if you are going to hit something. Her instructor says you won’t hit anything because your arms will be behind you to feel where you are going. Keep going, sounds like you are doing fab!

  2. I am honestly so in awe of how amazingly you are doing. I can’t believe that you’re on to your second stroke and actually getting the hang of it. Actually swimming!! Go you! Yay!! x

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