From the shallow end to your first 25 metres: an eight-week plan for nervous swimmers

Eight weeks in the pool at your own pace. If water frightens you, you end able to put your face in, float with support and swim your first unbroken width or length with a teacher. If you already swim, you end with a continuous mile and a stroke you used to avoid.

Why this works

Sola Alegbe was afraid of water for more than 30 years after a teacher pushed her into the deep end at school. At 48 she booked an adult lesson. Her first step, she told the Swimming Teachers’ Association, was holding the rail and learning to blow bubbles. She now teaches swimming across London, and her approach is the one this plan follows: never rush, break it down, and count every small win.

Swim England’s Adult Swimming Framework is built the same way. Its first stage, Be Water Confident, is for nervous swimmers and newcomers, and a teacher helps each learner set their own targets. Its Adult Distance Awards start at 5 metres.

Before you start

Find a pool with adult lessons. Ask your local leisure centre or council pool. In England, ask whether it uses Swim England’s Adult Swimming Framework. In the US, ask at your local Y or city pool.
Tell them how you feel about water when you book, and again on the day. A teacher who knows can plan for it.
Kit. A swimming costume or trunks, goggles that fit (try them on in the shallow end), and a towel. A swimming cap if your hair needs it.
Check with a GP (family doctor) first if you have a heart condition, have had fits or blackouts, or have been told to avoid exertion.
Stay where you can stand, with a teacher or lifeguard present, until you can swim.

The plan

Week	Do this	How often	Notes
1 (nervous or new)	First lesson. Walk down the steps, walk across the shallow end, hold the rail.	1 lesson	Going in is the whole goal this week.
1 (already swimming)	Swim your longest continuous distance, any stroke, and log it.	2 sessions	This is your starting point.
2 (nervous or new)	Face in the water: blow bubbles for 5 seconds, then 10.	1 lesson + 1 practice visit of 10 to 15 minutes	Goggles help; open your eyes underwater.
2 (already swimming)	Book six weekly lessons on the stroke you avoid.	1 lesson + 2 swims	Add 200m to your continuous best each week.
3 to 4 (nervous or new)	Float on your front and back with a woggle or the teacher’s support; push off the wall and glide.	1 lesson + 1 practice a week	Floating is what makes swimming feel safe.
3 to 4 (already swimming)	Continue lessons; swim 3 x your best distance with a rest at each end.	1 lesson + 2 swims a week	Breathe out underwater, every stroke.
5 to 6 (nervous or new)	Kick across the width with a float, then glide and kick without one.	1 lesson + 1 practice a week	Aim for Swim England’s first distance award: 5 metres.
5 to 6 (already swimming)	One long swim at a steady pace; one session of 8 x 50m with 30 seconds rest.	3 swims a week	Long swim should reach 1,000 to 1,200m.
7 (nervous or new)	Swim a width with arms and legs, with the teacher beside you.	1 lesson + 1 practice	Stop and stand whenever you need to.
7 (already swimming)	Swim 200m of your new stroke without stopping.	Once, plus 2 swims	Then a long swim of 1,400m.
8 (both)	New: swim a width (or a length) with your teacher watching. Already swimming: swim a continuous mile, about 1,600m or 64 lengths of a 25m pool.	Once	Then see “What next”.

If it goes wrong

Panic. Stand up. In the shallow end you always can. Breathe out slowly, hold the rail and start again with bubbles.
Water up your nose. Hum or breathe out gently through your nose when your face is in.
A bad lesson. Go back to the step you were comfortable with last week. Alegbe’s advice is to go at your own pace and never be embarrassed about being a beginner.
Goggles leak. Try another pair; they are not all the same shape.
Already swimming but stuck on distance. Slow down. Most people who cannot swim further are swimming too fast.

Track it

New swimmers: write one line after each visit: what you did for the first time. Already swimming: date, distance, longest continuous swim, and the 200m of your new stroke.

What next

New swimmers: keep going with lessons through the next stages of the framework, and pick a distance award to aim for. Already swimming: try a mile once a month, or ask your pool whether it needs teachers or helpers; Alegbe took the STA Level 2 Award in Teaching Swimming. Our guide to swimming and cycling has more ways to build fitness in the pool.

General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.