Overcoming a fear of water
with Adult Swimming Lessons
A fear of water can develop in many ways, with the most common cause being from a negative experience from an individual’s past. If you have a fear of water, you are not alone; over 12 million adults in the UK will not go into a swimming pool due to fear, according to an RLSS survey.
Signing up to adult swimming lessons can take a huge amount of courage for a lot of people, and often, the biggest step you will take is walking into the centre for the first time! At Places Leisure, we are proud to offer swimming lessons for all ages and abilities, including for adults wanting to overcome a fear of water. Our qualified teachers are trained to work with you to ensure you feel safe and comfortable on your unique journey to becoming confident in and around the water.
The benefits of swimming extend beyond the pool
- Swimming is most well known for being a full body workout that will increase your fitness levels whilst being gentle on your joints. You’ll be amazed at how your fitness levels improve with swimming lessons.
- Facing and overcoming a fear will give a great sense of achievement, boosting your self-confidence. If you can do this, is there anything you can’t do?
- Regular swimming is a great way to reduce stress levels, by combining the increase of ‘feel good’ chemicals in our bodies, like endorphins, with the soothing feel of the water, and rhythmic breathwork needed for swimming.
- Swimming can be a very social hobby to take up, enabling you to swim with family, make friends at lessons or classes like aquafit in our centres, and gain a new sense of community.
- You’ll be amazed at how many doors learning to swim opens for you, for example, spending time creating memories with family and going on holiday where you can enjoy being in the pool instead of being the one to look after everyone else’s kit!
Meet Kay and Rachel
Kay has journeyed from disliking everything about swimming, specifically swimming pools, to describing swimming as a relaxing experience, after she completed swimming lessons with Places Leisure, at Waendel Leisure Centre.
With the support of her teacher, Rachel, Kay has not only overcome her fear of water but has done this whilst facing the challenge of her hearing impairment.
Watch the video to hear more from Kay and Rachel about the journey.
*free swimming for adults on swimming lesson available at selected centres. Contact your nearest centre to find out more.
How we can help you
At Places Leisure, our teachers, like Rachel, are qualified and experienced in helping people of all ages overcome a fear of water.
Our teachers will always tailor their lessons to suit our swimmers individual needs to help them feel at ease when learning to swim. Below are some ways we can do this for you:
1. You set the pace. There’s no ideal timeline for overcoming a fear. You set the pace with your teacher, talk to them about your concerns, and they’ll work with you to take steps in a speed that you’re comfortable with.
2. Tailored to you. We recognise that everyone is unique and might have different needs when it comes to learning to swim. This could include a physical disability, health condition, or neurodivergence. Rest assured we have members of staff trained for every situation.
3. Keeping it social. If you’re taking group swimming lessons, we’ll sometimes encourage you to swap phone numbers with others in your group or assign you a more experienced buddy within your lesson, to help you build friendships and create that sense of moral support that will keep you going towards your goal!
4. Facing your fears. If there’s something specific that you don’t like about the water, we’ll address it with you and find the best a way to overcome it. For example, if you don’t like putting your face in the water, we might suggest goggles or a nose clip, and show you how to blow bubbles in the safe and controlled environment, to stop water from entering your mouth.
5. Helping you to feel relaxed! Our teachers are a great aid to help you feel at ease in and around the water. It might be as simple as having a chat with you, to help you to breathe regularly.
Feeling inspired?
Start your journey today by booking online or speaking to a member of the team.