Swim Lessons 4, 5 and 6!

I have been a bit lazy with my blog recently so I am jamming my last 3 lessons into this one blog. Which is actually okay because I took 2 lessons in one day to make up a day a missed, and then took my last lesson this past Saturday.

Lessons 4 and 5 - From Two Saturdays Ago

This day I took 2 straight hours of swimming to make up classes that I missed because of my Hairspray performances. This was a fun day! Why? one word: FLIPPERS!!!

Whoa! These came in pink! I had blue ones...

So this day, my swim instructor wanted me to work on the Butterfly stroke. And to do that he wanted me to really get this Dolphin kick down. So he had me swim MILLIONS of laps both on my belly and underwater with my arms glued to my sides, and on my back above the water with my arms reaching above my head.

It would have been helpful if we had a Dolphin to help teach me

Let me tell you! I was loving this! First of all - these flippers made me super fast! Second of all - it felt like I was really working my legs and my core muscles (hello bikini season!) and Third of all - I felt like a Mermaid!! Which if anyone knows me, that is what I truly want to be when I grow up!

The Little Mermaid was also on repeat in my house until I was 7

Butterfly Stroke

So the Butterfly is hard! I knew it would be hard, because everyone says it is. And here is what I experienced with it: 

• Once I tried to add my arms with my practically flawless (my words, not my instructors) Mermaid/Dolphin kicks, the kicking turned into spastic flutters
• These spastic flutters were because I couldn't get my head, and more importantly my mouth above water to breathe
• My flawless Mermaid/Dolphin kick wasn't as powerful as I thought
• I have no idea what my arms are actually doing

I probably should have referenced this first

So, it turned out that I need more body undulation in my kick to help get my torso and head above water to breathe. Also, now that I am reflecting back on it, I think I just needed to do everything much faster. Especially the movement of my arms. Stroking through the water seemed to work okay but I was too slow when circling them back around again - hence the frantic kicking and almost drowning. I seriously sucked in and swallowed a BUNCH of water that day. Which I try not too think about too much...cuz you know...germs and stuff... BUT! I am still alive and kicking!

Breast Stroke

The second hour was dedicated to the Breast Stroke. Still trying to get the rhythm of this one down. I was told by my instructor to "Coil and Glide" so basically crunch up in a little frog-like ball and then kick back with the legs and shoot out with the arms and glide. And then when I feel like I am not gliding anymore to coil back up like a frog and start over. But instead I felt like I wasn't going anywhere. But somehow I made it to the end of the pool.

What I looked like...but swimming...and not a cat

This stroke was a little frustrating because I couldn't seem to move my legs and arms together. But maybe I was over thinking it too much. Or maybe I was tired from the Butterfly and all the Mermaid kicks. We ended the day by jumping (diving for me) into the deep end. No belly flops this time! 

Lesson 6 - Last Saturday

I had a great last day of Swim Lessons! I personally did not do well with swimming at all. I don't know why, it was just an off day. 

We started off with swimming in the Freestyle Stroke. He had me swim laps, and had the rest of the girls swim to the middle of the pool and then back. For some reason I could not get my breathing rhythm right, my arms were being slow and lazy, and I was getting fatigued really easily. He noticed that my arms were not doing what they were supposed to do, so he gave me hand flippers and a floaty thingy(technical term) to put between my thighs and told me to do laps with just the arms working.

Boy this was tough! But I liked this extra challenge because, with my legs floating behind me, I just had to worry about the mechanics of my arms and my breathing. I did notice that I never really pull my whole hand out of the water when I bring it back to the front. I could tell this because the hand flippers would catch the water and really slow me down, which would mess up the rhythm. Took me a while to get the hang of it, but I eventually did. These were cool but had more of a Creature from the Black Lagoon-y than a Mermaid-y feel...

Yep, pretty much the same kind of hands. But I didn't attack any damsels. 

There were only 5 of us in class so for the last 30 mins of class my instructor let me hang with the group this time. We did some conditioning and water aerobic-like exercises (treading water) and talked about our class placements for the next session. He said I can sign up for the Intermediate Class in the next session! 

Unfortunately, I am a little busy for the next 2 months. The holidays, my teaching schedule and my Prenatal Yoga Certification Training (starts this Friday!! OMG!!) make it impossible to attend class this next session. Hopefully I can sign up for the Intermediate Class in January and continue to work on this! And maybe some day I can get a Mermaid Tail so I can finally live my dream!!

Basically me, but I wouldn't lie in the sun
cuz I am pale and burn WAY too easily!