I finally decided to learn how to swim at 34, and I’ve been taking lessons for about a month now. While I’m getting more comfortable in the water, I find the front crawl (freestyle) particularly challenging—coordinating my breathing, kicking, and arm movements feels overwhelming at times.
For those of you who learned to swim in your thirties or later, how long did it take you to feel confident with the front crawl? Did you hit any roadblocks along the way? Any tips that helped you improve your technique and endurance?
It took me about 8 to 12 months to feel technically good at freestyle. I could barely swim before this.
I attended group lessons and had an additional 2 to 3 solo sessions each week.
Now, 18 months later, I can swim long distances. I still have areas to improve, but I’m technically skilled. I’ve even received compliments on my stroke.
That said, I wouldn’t suggest putting a strict time limit on it. Everyone is different. I came into this with good cardio from other sports, which probably helped my fitness a bit.
I’m 47 and taught myself last summer. I use a snorkel since I swim for myself and don’t plan on getting lost at sea. Today, I swam 5025 yards at a pace of 1:47 per 100 yards. I learned techniques through YouTube videos and do dry land exercises 2 to 3 times a week. If this seems like a lot, I had a strong motivation to relearn balance. It started as rehab for my stroke and turned into a new love for swimming. Hope this helps!
I was 28 and starting from scratch. It took me from May to December to successfully do front crawl. To feel comfortable with good breathing, technique, and some speed, I’d say it took about a year from when I first began swimming.
I learned breaststroke above water first and then underwater. That took about four months before I even started practicing front crawl, as I thought it was more challenging for me.
I began learning front crawl this spring, but I can only visit the pool twice a month. Unfortunately, I struggle a lot with breathing. I get very tired after just one 25-meter length. That’s my main issue, and the struggle to catch my breath affects my form – I panic and find it hard to concentrate on proper technique.
@Tobin
Consider using a swim snorkel. They’re about $40 on Amazon and can be a big help.
If you plan to participate in triathlons, you’ll need to learn proper breathing eventually. However, the snorkel allows you to focus on form during some laps, and if you’re just swimming for yourself, you can use it all the time. I do, and I notice others who do too.
@Tobin
I can relate. I just started swimming again after a long break, and it’s surprising how hard it is to get my face back in the water for front crawl. I also get worn out quickly but remember that even the person swimming continuously in the next lane wasn’t always that good. We’re learning one swim at a time together.
I did six private sessions with a swim coach back in October, which helped me gain some confidence to swim alone. However, I still need to take breaks every 50 meters in a 25-meter pool. I warm up with a kickboard and swim a few laps with a pull buoy. I took swimming lessons as a kid but didn’t really swim again until now (I’m 35). I’m still working on my confidence, but I can make it from one end of the pool to the other with decent form now. I’d say it took me about 3 to 4 months to solidify my beginner skills in front crawl.
I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it, but I started about 16 months ago, now I’m 34. My first attempt at an Ironman swim took me about 1 hour and 20 minutes, with a time of about 37 seconds for 50 meters and 7:05 for 400 meters. I’m improving, but I still feel like I’m just pushing my way through the water, especially for distances under 200 meters.
I knew how to swim, having taken lessons as a kid and enjoyed pools and beaches, but I started learning properly about 6 months ago. I swim laps with a snorkel while following this forum and watching YouTube videos. I plan on taking some lessons eventually, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.
Currently, my usual pace, when swimming comfortably, is about 2:30 to 2:40 per 100 meters (with poor open turns). When I do sprints with paddles and flippers, I manage 1:20. My main challenge right now is coordinating my stroke and kick. I plan to watch a couple of videos before today’s swim.
I took a group of 6 lessons in the fall but couldn’t master it. I’m currently 3 lessons into another 8 group lessons and I’m still struggling. I practice 2 to 3 times a week, but when I turn my face to breathe, my legs sink. I really feel like I’m never going to get the hang of this.
I’m in my 40s and started last summer. I’m competent enough to take part in Ironman 70.3 events, so that took about 6 months of dedicated practice, around 3 to 4 times per week, along with some coaching sessions.
I took three private lessons at the YMCA and then joined a swim group that met 5 times a week in July, where we swam for an hour each morning with a coach teaching us.
I could swim but hadn’t actually swum laps until I was about 35. Eventually, the breathing technique clicked, and it didn’t take too long. Then it was just about building up endurance to swim more than a couple of laps without needing a break. Speed was never my strong suit.
I’m 65 and had never swum with any technique—mostly just some open water ‘muscle through’ style to body surf. I’m about four months into learning freestyle and can swim a 25-meter lane reasonably well. I’m still trying to piece everything together smoothly, particularly with breathing. I often swallow water instead of air during some laps. I’d recommend using a snorkel to focus on stroke mechanics first, then work on integrating your breathing.
I wanted to learn front crawl at 40. I loved swimming but could previously only do breaststroke. It took me nearly a year to master front crawl, with lessons every Sunday and self-training 1 to 2 times a week.
I didn’t have a natural sense of rhythm and struggled with coordinating breathing, arms, and legs. Now, people say I have a good technique, but I’ll probably never be fast, stuck at 2:20 for 100 meters.
It depends on what you mean by learning to swim. I started in September and couldn’t finish a 25-meter lap then. Now, I can swim as long as I want without stopping, but I still have a beginner’s pace (2 minutes per 100 meters). I consider that knowing how to swim, but compared to others who can do 100 meters in about 50 seconds, I feel like I still have more to learn in front crawl.