Everyone should learn to swim!

Learning to swim is a vital life skill. Unfortunately, lots of us are missing out. Did you know that just over a quarter of the British population cannot swim to a primary school standard? The national curriculum requirement for all primary school children is to be able to swim 25m (the length of most public swimming pools) unaided.

While there are many benefits of learning to swim, we know that learning from passionate and experienced instructors can make a world of difference. With the right instructor and individualized attention, swimming isn’t scary, it’s empowering.

Beyond the importance of water safety though, whether you’re an adult, a child, or simply young at heart – learning to swim isn’t just a life skill, it’s a rite of passage to a new lease on life.

Here are our reasons why we think everyone should learn how to swim!

Good for mental health

The valuable mental benefits of swimming and exercise are often overlooked but extremely important! Swimming, like most exercises releases endorphins and improves mood. It is also a great way to relieve stress and anxiety – it can redirect the mind away from troubling thoughts to make you feel relaxed.

It is fun!

People tend to get bored with repetitive exercise but there are many ways to keep swimming interesting. There are several strokes to master and various bits of equipment to work different areas of your body like kickboards, pull-buoys or foot fins. There are also many classes and competitions to add variety – for example, water aerobics, water polo, racing or diving.

Our lessons follow Swim England’s Learn to Swim Framework, allowing you to build water confidence with a structured programme while having fun!

Great full body work out

Swimming is a full body workout! It engages and tones all your muscles and helps to lose and manage weight – the harder you work, the more calories you burn. There is no need for fancy equipment or weights - a good workout can be done with just your body and the resistance of the water.

It's inclusive

It is suitable for all ages and fitness levels; it allows you to go at your own pace and it's perfect for newcomers. As swimming is a low impact exercise, it's also good for people with injuries or conditions like Arthritis. Water supports the muscles and joints when you want to ease yourself into gentle exercise.

It's life-saving

If for some reason you decide swimming is not right for you as an exercise – then learning to swim for your safety is still important. According to the World Health Organization – every day, about 10 people die from unintentional drowning. It's the 6th leading cause of unintentional death for people of all ages, and the 2^nd cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years.

Throughout a person’s life, everyone has the risk of landing themselves in some dangerous situations they may need to survive. To think that you could have a skill that could even save someone else’s life as well as your own can create a lot of confidence that you can feel and project around a swimming environment.

Creates opportunities

Learning how to swim can open many different doors. It creates opportunities to discover water sports like kayaking, water skiing, surfing, canoeing, sailing or snorkelling for example.

Swimming also opens up employment opportunities. You could become a lifeguard or a swim teacher?

Or maybe something more adventurous like a dolphin trainer, underwater photographer? The world really is your oyster once you learn how to swim!

If you enjoyed this blog then you may enjoy our Benefits to learning a new sport blog too! Who knows what you can achieve? 

*Excludes Inflatable Sessions at all centres, and Fun Sessions at Pavilions In The Park, Romsey Rapids Sports Complex and The Triangle.