Poll of the Day > How do people not know how to swim?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Im watching a scene on a show where someone is drowning in a river, and I'm just like wtf just swim to safety.

Swimming isn't rocket science, any person can do it.

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It also is a part of the obligatory school curriculum here. Being able to swim is not a luxury, it is a basic skill anyone should be allowed to develop while they are young, if they are physically and mentally capable.

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I've never even touched water, so why would I know how to swim.

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Some people don't have the resources available to them to learn how to swim. Others probably just don't think it's useful because they're so rarely in a situation that rewrites it, similar to riding a bike.

i avoid being in deep water entirely, and I don't have the opportunity to learn how when I was a kid, so I've never learned how to swim (though I can keep my head over water if I struggle hard enough). Doesn't seem like a big deal

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MrMelodramatic posted...

Doesn't seem like a big deal

It might not seem like a big deal when you're drowning.


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thedeerzord posted...

It might not seem like a big deal when you're drowning.

Actually I think it probably would seem like a big deal in that case

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thedeerzord posted...

How do people not know how to swim?

Because they never learned how to swim, obviously.



thedeerzord posted...

Swimming isn't rocket science, any person can do it.

Plenty of people can't, so you're objectively wrong.

For that matter, most humans throughout the entire span of human history couldn't swim, including most of the people who were actual sailors on in navies. The idea that most people should be able to swim is a very new concept.



thedeerzord posted...

It might not seem like a big deal when you're drowning.

Then maybe you should make sure not to do that.



MrMelodramatic posted...

Some people don't have the resources available to them to learn how to swim. Others probably just don't think it's useful because they're so rarely in a situation that requires it.

Both were sort of my case. Never really had access to pools when I was a kid, and most of the natural bodies of water near me were both a) polluted and b) had really strong undertows, so I had nowhere to really learn. Eventually, as I got older, my awareness of not being able to swim made it extremely difficult to even attempt to learn (I basically start suffering panic attacks the moment my head goes under water, and I just can't coordinate kicking my legs and paddling together). So by the time I had the ability to try and learn to swim on my own, I had absolutely no interest in doing so.

I can doggy paddle if I'm wearing something to keep me buoyant (lifevest, inflatable ring, etc), but without support I sink like a stone.

In 40+ years this has never actually been a problem, because I don't go on boats and I don't really wade out far into the ocean or in pools. I'm intelligent enough to not place myself in danger based on my own inability. In exactly the same way I don't eat foods I know I'm allergic to, or actively hang around people who are contagiously sick, or otherwise engage in extremely high-risk activities likely to result in injury, illness, or death.

And honestly, it's never really felt like it negatively impacted my life in any meaningful way - I've never really wanted to do any of the things I'd need to be able to swim for. I've never really had a single moment where I went "Man, I wish I'd learned how to swim. My life would be so much better now."
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Im black and need to perpetuate racist stereotypes, so I didnt learn how to swim But honestly, Im just not good at it. I have tried to learn. Didnt work. While I was in Florida, I did swim a little bit. But it took a ton of energy to move from one side of the pool to the other. And it was slow going. Guess Ill die if I start drowning with no one around
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MrMelodramatic posted...

Some people don't have the resources available to them to learn how to swim.

Which is why it should be a part of school curriculums.

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Nichtcrawler X posted...

Which is why it should be a part of school curriculums.

In some places it is. But if we're going to be honest, there's a LOT of things that should be part of school curriculums that aren't.
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Why are Americans so incapable of raising their children with basic skills?
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Why are Americans so incapable of raising their children with basic skills?

Right?

I'm not that good of a swimmer, and I cant get from one side of a pool to the other in a matter of seconds, but I atleast know how keep myself afloat and am actually capable of swimming, albeot slowly.


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VioletMassacre posted...

It may seem simple,

Its as simple as learning how to drive

VioletMassacre posted...

also for the life of me cant have my face in the water without closing my eyes and holding my nose with one hand

Have you tried doing it in shallow water?

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thedeerzord posted...

Its as simple as learning how to drive

For some people, yes. But not for everyone
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It's not hard, but it is something that does take actual practice to figure out, so without the opportunities or resources to learn (you do need access to either a pool or a reasonably tame body of water), it's understandable that people wouldn't know how. That then gets reinforced as an adult by not wanting to try learning (whether because of fear or embarrassment) and avoiding potential learning opportunities.

It is also just plain harder for some people. It's still doable, speaking as somebody with exercise-induced asthma that grew up with a very low body fat percentile who still manages to swim passably (treading water for extended periods is still out of the question, though), but somebody very much doesn't need a formal handicap to have more trouble swimming than you do.

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VioletMassacre posted...

I also for the life of me cant have my face in the water without closing my eyes and holding my nose with one hand.

I can open my eyes, but I also struggle not to plug my nose. I understand the theory of letting some air out slowly to keep the water from coming in, but I always blow out way too much air and run out too quickly for that to be worthwhile. I generally also mis-judge when I'm going to hit a point where I can't maintain enough pressure to keep the water out, so trying frequently results in getting water up my nose.

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There's many people who've never even been in a large body of water. Why you gonna be swimming if you in a landlocked country/state. Do you plan on jumping in random swimming pools or lakes. There's no need. Now if you live on an island like me there's no excuse. Its shocking most people can't swim here apart from surfers and professionals. I can but not very well.

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Nichtcrawler X posted...

It also is a part of the obligatory school curriculum here.

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I knew someone in highschool who couldn't swim. he did basically nothing during the swimming rotation in pe.
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I live in Michigan and it surprises me how many people dont know how to swim well despite living near multiple lakes/the Great Lakes. If your family never takes you on the water then I guess its pretty unlikely to learn as an adult.

Nichtcrawler X posted...

Which is why it should be a part of school curriculums.

what if the school doesn't have a pool?
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

what if the school doesn't have a pool?

Take the bus to the nearest pool. Not that difficult.

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Nichtcrawler X posted...

Take the bus to the nearest pool. Not that difficult.

more money spent, less time learning other things
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VioletMassacre posted...

..Which I havent either. Although I would guess swimming is harder since you do more with your body.

Then it sounds like you really have a problem then.


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Nichtcrawler X posted...

Take the bus to the nearest pool. Not that difficult.

that cost way more money than teaching kids something else in the building they're already in.

also, are you saying swim class should take up multiple periods? If it takes fifteen minutes to drive to a pool, and fifteen back, that leaves very little time to actually swim unless it's taking up multiple class periods or goes on after regular school time. And in that case, what about kids who have jobs, or kids, or other extra curriculars?

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Nichtcrawler X posted...

Take the bus to the nearest pool. Not that difficult.

Not every school has a close pool. And even if they do, not all classes were long enough. Before we went back to an A-Day, B-Day schedule, we had 45 minutes per class. We would basically have no time to learn So, it could be difficult for some schools

Krazy_Kirby posted...

I knew someone in highschool who couldn't swim. he did basically nothing during the swimming rotation in pe.

For PT here, they did swimming once. I just went to do something else It was for the Air Force, and it school

thedeerzord posted...

Then it sounds like you really have a problem then.

It sounds like they are saying swimming is a more physical activity then driving. And it is. Driving normally uses less of your body than swimming does
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MrMelodramatic posted...

also, are you saying swim class should take up multiple periods? If it takes fifteen minutes to drive to a pool, and fifteen back, that leaves very little time to actually swim unless it's taking up multiple class periods or goes on after regular school time. And in that case, what about kids who have jobs, or kids, or other extra curriculars?

I only had swimming class in primary school, so most of those would not have been an issue.

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Nichtcrawler X posted...

I only had swimming class in primary school, so most of those would not have been an issue.

So, it would depend on the school. Some schools had short classes where it would be an issue (even in elementary school). And some parents probably wouldnt agree with it. Especially if they had medical things. And even then, they might not learn. I know some kids who didnt even like going to pools
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i can doggy paddle and float on back but thats it. I never learned anything where u dip the mouth into the water cos i aint bout that chlorine life.

All I remember it it fell fully within the regular school day and obviously anything "government mandated" can be overcome with the proper medical note.

I vaguely remember kids were required to either have diploma a or maybe even b by the end of the swim class period. No idea if failing that had them go into overtime in anyway, as the school only had to teach upto c and while it was not called that, I effectively had diploma e already.

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Idk. I know a ton of schools that didnt have pools. And the closest ones werent very close. It wouldnt have worked for schools in my area
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I live on an island and I'm not a very good swimmer lol. I can move from one side of a pool to another but I will be incredibly winded afterwards and I can't tread water to save my life

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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Why are Americans so incapable of raising their children with basic skills?

Hardly just an American problem when you consider the numbers globally are something like 50-50. In the UK the number is somewhere around 1-in-3 can't swim.

It's also been suggested that people who grow up with parents who can't swim have about a 90% chance of never learning to swim, and only about a 10% chance of learning.



Nichtcrawler X posted...

Take the bus to the nearest pool. Not that difficult.

And what if there is no "nearest pool" (at least not in anything resembling reasonable distance)? Or there is, but it's private and you're not allowed to use it (or it costs money to do so, and you can't afford it)? Or it requires a time investment, and you can't really justify it?

In the US, it's also complicated by the fact that school budgets a) aren't necessarily universal, and b) are already strained to the breaking point in some cases (which is why you hear about schools abolishing music programs or otherwise doing away with things they consider "superfluous" that other people consider far more important).

In many cases, it's extremely difficult. People who oversimplify the situation are generally being ignorant and just making sweeping generalizations. It's a more complicated issue than some people would like to believe.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

It's also been suggested that people who grow up with parents who can't swim have about a 90% chance of never learning to swim, and only about a 10% chance of learning.

brilliant math
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I firmly believe all people can naturally learn to swim. Problem is if you don't know how to float, you will panic and then sink. So basically it's all in the mind. You gotta calm down and let yourself float and then you can figure out the rest

ParanoidObsessive posted...

In many cases, it's extremely difficult. People who oversimplify the situation are generally being ignorant and just making sweeping generalizations. It's a more complicated issue than some people would like to believe.

Which is why I originally said "should".

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It is mostly a psychological thing for me at least. When I was 4 my parents took me to the pool for the first time, and without even thinking I just jumped in the deepest part. Nearly drown, my mom had to drag me out. After that, never had a desire to learn how to swim. Hell, with the exception of maybe once or twice in my life never even let my head be submerged in water after that. Even as young as 5 I refused baths and would only take showers.

As for school, my middle school had a pool, but we never had mandatory swimming lessons. You could even opt out of pool class if you couldn't swim.

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I grew up by a lake. You would get made fun of if you didn't know how to swim. Plus, I would've missed out on like half the fun times of my childhood if I hadn't learned how.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

including most of the people who were actual sailors on in navies.

In the olden days they didn't want them to know how to swim. Sailors who could swim meant sailors who could escape and might not fight as hard if the ship was under attack.

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OhhhJa posted...

I grew up by a lake. You would get made fun of if you didn't know how to swim. Plus, I would've missed out on like half the fun times of my childhood if I hadn't learned how.

That sucks. Glad I didnt live there. Im from the east coast, so most people knew how to swim. But everyone was pretty chill, even if you didnt know how to swim. And Im still go to lakes and stuff, but stay in the shallower end. Or hang on the shore/beach/etc There was almost always someone else there, as well. Whether they couldnt swim, or didnt want to
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