The observation
It has been found that strong swimmers are not immediately out of breath when they get into the water. Logically, this means that it is not due to the water or the context that causes breathlessness, but other factors.
In the previous article on the reptilian brain, we discussed various factors that can cause stress when entering the water. Of course, the reasons mentioned were not exhaustive. The key now is to focus on the corresponding solutions
For example, excellent pool swimmers are often terrified by the idea of swimming in open water. Deprived of their usual habits, mainly visual, and with more uncertainty (are there algae, fish, catfish, jellyfish…), they have to adapt but face an unknown challenge.
This frequently leads to a significant loss of resources, often assimilated to “little panic attacks”. It’s not uncommon to hear “the seaweed is dragging me down”, “the seaweed is clinging to me and making me sink”… all rather irrational and unfounded statements.
Adaptations
The first necessary adaptations will therefore be simple and obvious, and will develop in several stages:
- I go progressive and I do not rush.
- I start by learning how to breathe better on land before improving in the water.
- I cannot move on to the next step without validating the previous one
- I go back to basics if needed
- I don’t prejudge my abilities
- I don’t compare myself to others (an Olympic swimmer might lead us to believe that swimming is easy, but it took him years to reach this level).
- I do not want to rush things
This article is part of a series of articles about breathing and breathlessness. Visit here for other articles.