How many people do not know how to swim?

[Blackout]

im teach my girls kid to swim right now. hes 4 and getting better the swiming lessions he took didnt do shit. i took him to the pool once and toom him in the deep end with me and said ok swim to the wall or your going to end up having a bad day. i let him go and he struggled his way to the wall so i grabbed him took him back and did it again and agian an agian and now the little shit is better than i was at his age. he still needs some help at times but i think if he were to fall in to a pool he could get his self out now.

[kingjason]

Yeah my brother drowned my ass when I was a kid (we were fighting over who got to play with the millennium falcon) and my dad had to spin my ass around like a top to get the water out of my lungs. I understand the whole fear of drowning. It seems like you know how to swim, you just got screwed one time.

My dad and uncle use to think it was funny to hold you under water until you were flapping around about to pass out. I learned how to swim by being thrown into the pool at the deep end. Went on to be on the swim team in high scool. I think I just like to know I can swim really good because I know what it is like to almost drown and would not want to go out like that. Plus in case of a shark attack I can out swim the nearest tourist. LOL

[CJ]

im teach my girls kid to swim right now. hes 4 and getting better the swiming lessions he took didnt do shit. i took him to the pool once and toom him in the deep end with me and said ok swim to the wall or your going to end up having a bad day. i let him go and he struggled his way to the wall so i grabbed him took him back and did it again and agian an agian and now the little shit is better than i was at his age. he still needs some help at times but i think if he were to fall in to a pool he could get his self out now.

Well that's good he's learning. I just find it pretty fascinating that people have to even learn how to swim, it's a natural thing for most all of nature. I think people can naturally swim, they just think they cant. Or, via a mental block they panic and die.

[MutherjuggZ]

As with everything in life, we only learn what we need to survive and aside from that, we only take in what interests us. My mom insisted on my sister and me learning how to swim from before we were a year old. I've never not known how to swim, and even in my worst physical shape I would still be able to swim or at least float to conserve energy.

I tried the same with my children, and they all know how to float and swim well enough to stay above water. I really need to get them into a fulltime swimming class so brush up on what I've started them off with.

[Chili]

I can swim but would not consider myself a strong swimmer by any means. If i was dumped out of a boat a mile off shore I would likely drown within 3-5 minutes.

I suck at treading water!

[SlowLX]

I can "swim" if I have too. However I was never around pools enough as a kid to develop any comfort in the water, so a complete distaste for swimming has kept me from learning much more than how to save my own life in the water.

[CJ]

As with everything in life, we only learn what we need to survive and aside from that, we only take in what interests us. My mom insisted on my sister and me learning how to swim from before we were a year old. I've never not known how to swim, and even in my worst physical shape I would still be able to swim or at least float to conserve energy.

I tried the same with my children, and they all know how to float and swim well enough to stay above water. I really need to get them into a fulltime swimming class so brush up on what I've started them off with.

Well what I'm saying is it's a natural thing for almost all living things - instinct. Seems very odd this is something your average human would not possess. Trying to understand it.

[CJ]

I can "swim" if I have too. However I was never around pools enough as a kid to develop any comfort in the water, so a complete distaste for swimming has kept me from learning much more than how to save my own life in the water.

That's what I'm saying. You can save your life if you have to - that's the ability to swim. Apparently I'm led to believe there are people that when they hit water they sink and die - even though people float.

[Blackout]

That's what I'm saying. You can save your life if you have to - that's the ability to swim. Apparently I'm led to believe there are people that when they hit water they sink and die - even though people float.

i float like a stone. idk why im a great swimmer i was in swimming in high school and was one of the best in my class but as for floating i have to keep my arms moving to keep me above water.

[Cooter]

Well that's good he's learning. I just find it pretty fascinating that people have to even learn how to swim, it's a natural thing for most all of nature. I think people can naturally swim, they just think they cant. Or, via a mental block they panic and die.

it's definitely fear, etc.

do a google search on teaching babies to swim. pretty cool

[SlowLX]

That's what I'm saying. You can save your life if you have to - that's the ability to swim. Apparently I'm led to believe there are people that when they hit water they sink and die - even though people float.

I know some friends from the Marines that A) Can't tread water for shit and B) have horrible natural buoyancy it seems. I mean I can't really swim for shit but I can damn sure hang out floating in the dead man pos for however long it took to pass swim qual. There were guys who would just sink a few feet below, then get all freaked out and either struggle or sink further.

[MutherjuggZ]

Well what I'm saying is it's a natural thing for almost all living things - instinct. Seems very odd this is something your average human would not possess. Trying to understand it.

I know what you're getting at, and it is definitely interesting as to why swimming doesn't come more natural to us.

Here's one possibility....

When an animal is tossed into the water, it may have fur but no clothing/shoes, etc to disable its ability to tread water. When a human falls in unexpectedly they have several factors against them. Clothing becomes terribly heavy, wet clothing limits mobility, shoes prevent the foot from kicking properly, etc. Shit is stacked against humans in this regard.

[Blackout]

I know what you're getting at, and it is definitely interesting as to why swimming doesn't come more natural to us.

Here's one possibility....

When an animal is tossed into the water, it may have fur but no clothing/shoes, etc to disable its ability to tread water. When a human falls in unexpectedly they have several factors against them. Clothing becomes terribly heavy, wet clothing limits mobility, shoes prevent the foot from kicking properly, etc. Shit is stacked against humans in this regard.

this is very true. in school we had a day they had us fully clothed in the 18' end of the pool. it was a fight to stay a float for 5min.

[SlowLX]

As much as we (humans) learn by observation as kids it makes sense to me that if you've never seen a real pool or large body of water you'd have no idea wtf to do.

[CJ]

I know what you're getting at, and it is definitely interesting as to why swimming doesn't come more natural to us.

Here's one possibility....

When an animal is tossed into the water, it may have fur but no clothing/shoes, etc to disable its ability to tread water. When a human falls in unexpectedly they have several factors against them. Clothing becomes terribly heavy, wet clothing limits mobility, shoes prevent the foot from kicking properly, etc. Shit is stacked against humans in this regard.

It's possible a poor swimmer might struggle. It's difficult for me to relate because I've been in and around water my whole life, and clothing - even boots and winter clothing, wouldn't impede my ability by much in a situation I'm trying to save my life.