Common Frustrations for Beginner Swimmers: Solutions for Fear of Water, Swallowing Water, and Stuck Technique

Introduction

“I’ve tried learning to swim, but I just can’t get it.” This phrase is surprisingly common among Taiwanese adults. In fact, the learning curve for swimming is steeper than many people imagine, and the obstacles beginners face are far more complex than those in running or cycling: you must overcome an instinctive fear of water, learn an entirely new breathing pattern, and coordinate muscle groups you’ve never used before… Each of these challenges can become the final straw that breaks your motivation. But these frustrations all have solutions. This article provides concrete fixes for the three most common obstacles, helping you regain your confidence in learning to swim.

The First Major Frustration: Fear of Water (Aquaphobia)

The Root of the Problem

Fear of water (aquaphobia) is essentially an over-activation of the survival instinct. Humans are not naturally aquatic animals, and feeling uneasy about an uncontrollable aquatic environment is a normal neurological response. This fear can stem from:

• Childhood trauma from near-drowning or choking on water
• No prior swimming experience, making the aquatic environment completely unfamiliar
• Indirect fear from witnessing or hearing about drowning accidents
• Anxiety about “not being able to touch the bottom” for shorter individuals

The Solution: Gradual Desensitization Method

Phase One (Land Adaptation):

• Practice the rhythm of exhaling and inhaling in front of a mirror, getting used to the pattern of “exhale through the mouth, inhale through the mouth or nose”
• Fill a basin with water and practice submerging your face while continuously exhaling (bubble practice)

Phase Two (Shallow Water Adaptation):

• Stand in waist-deep water, holding the pool edge with both hands, and feel the water’s buoyancy
• Try slowly bending your body toward the water, feeling buoyancy rather than gravity taking over
• Practice the “standing float”: lift your feet off the bottom, let your body float up naturally, and immediately feel the water’s support

Phase Three (Horizontal Floating):

• With the assistance of an instructor or friend, attempt a back float (the most relaxed floating position—ears submerged, face toward the sky)
• Once you can float relaxed, the “fear of water” problem usually resolves itself

Important Note: Adults afraid of water should never be pushed or forced into the water; any form of coercion only deepens the fear. All practice should be conducted voluntarily and with a sense of safety.

The Second Major Frustration: Choking on Water / Swallowing Water

The Root of the Problem

Choking on water is one of the most frequent frustrations for beginner swimmers, often leaving people once bitten, twice shy. The main causes of choking:

The Solution: Decomposed Breathing Practice Method

Drill One: Pool-Edge Exhalation Practice
Grip the pool edge with both hands, lower your face into the water, and continuously exhale through the mouth (you should see a steady stream of bubbles in the water), then turn your head out of the water for a quick inhale. The key point is: exhalation happens in the water; inhalation only takes half a second.

Drill Two: Kickboard Breathing Practice
Hold a kickboard forward with both hands and move forward using only your kick, turning your head to breathe once every three kicks. This drill lets you focus purely on breathing timing without worrying about the arm stroke.

Drill Three: Look at the Water Surface When Breathing
When turning your head to breathe, keep one eye above the water while the other remains below (commonly known as “one eye in the water”). This ensures your head doesn’t lift too high, and your mouth naturally clears the water at just the right height.

Key Mental Adjustment: Choking on water is a normal part of the learning process—every swimmer has choked. After choking, calmly stand up, clear the water from your nasal passages, take a deep breath, and continue. Treat choking as a “learning signal” rather than a “failure.”

The Third Major Frustration: Technique Plateaus

Common Technique Plateau Symptoms

• You’ve been practicing freestyle for a long time but still can’t breathe properly
• Your breaststroke kicks are inconsistent, and you keep drifting to one side
• You’re exhausted and out of breath after just one 25-meter lap
• You feel like you’re working hard, but your speed is painfully slow

The Solutions

Plateau One: Can’t Learn Freestyle Breathing

Solution: Go back on land and practice the freestyle body rotation in front of a mirror—simulate the arm stroke while practicing the head-turning breathing motion. Many people are too tense in the water, but on land they can find the feel much faster, then bring it back into the water.

Plateau Two: Out of Breath After One Lap

Solution: “Swimming fast” is not the goal for beginners. If you’re winded after one 25-meter lap, it’s usually because you’re swimming too fast and tensing your muscles excessively, not because of a lack of endurance. Deliberately slow down (to the point where you think, “Is this even swimming?”), maintain a relaxed breathing rhythm, and you’ll find you’re barely out of breath afterward.

Plateau Three: The Root Cause of Slow Speed

Solution: For beginners, slow speed is almost always a technique issue, not a fitness issue. Common technique problems include: a sinking body (core not engaged), not “catching” the water with the palm during the pull (slicing through the water instead of pushing it), and kicking with too large a range (the correct kick is small and fast, not big and wide). It’s recommended to film yourself swimming every three months, compare it with an instructor’s demonstration, and identify the differences.

Choosing the Right Learning Resources

The best investment for a beginner is to find a swimming instructor with CTSI certification and take at least 6–8 individual or small-group technique lessons. Relying purely on self-teaching can easily cement bad habits, which are much harder to correct later.

If your budget is limited, these free resources are highly effective:

• The swimming technique series on the YouTube channel “Global Triathlon Network (GTN)” (with Chinese subtitles)
• Search YouTube for “Swim Smooth” breathing training videos

Practical Advice

1. Set small, specific milestones: “Being able to breathe three times in the water without choking” is easier to track progress on than “learning freestyle”
2. Focus on only one technical point per swim session: Today, focus only on breathing timing; next time, focus only on high-elbow entry. Don’t try to change too many things at once
3. Find a swimming partner to observe each other: An outside observer can spot technique issues more easily than you can yourself
4. Accept that “progress is non-linear”: The swimming learning curve has noticeable plateau periods, and this is normal. Push through the plateau, and you’ll often experience a sudden “click” moment

Conclusion

The beginner’s path in swimming is indeed full of frustrations, but these frustrations are all temporary. Fear of water can be overcome through gradual practice, choking can be reduced through technical adjustments, and technique bottlenecks can be broken through with the right learning methods. Every “adult who finally learned to swim” was once a beginner struggling in the water. Your lane is waiting for you.

Related Reading

• Overcoming Swimming Fear and Water Phobia: Common Psychological Barriers for Endurance Sports Beginners and Gradual Overcoming Methods
• Psychological Barriers for Adults Learning to Swim: A Gradual Approach to Overcoming the Fear of Water
• The Complete Guide for Adults Learning to Swim: Overcoming Aquaphobia and Mastering the Four Strokes with Practical Instruction
• Overcoming Open Water Swimming Fear: A Systematic Approach to Psychological Barriers