Learn to swim – Whether in Germany, Italy or Spain, bathing and swimming are popular leisure activities for families, couples or even alone.
Swimming is a particularly popular activity when camping.
If you are also traveling with a roof tent or tent trailer, you have more space for swimming gear and can head to the next swimming spot flexibly.
Here you will find tips on how to learn to swim or how to teach others and how to improve your existing technique.
This will allow you to build up more stamina for your vacation and enjoy the blue water for longer.
Camping Ratgeber:
Tips for beginners: advantages for children & adults
Swimming is one of the most effective sports for building muscle.
This is because the water supports the skeleton.
This protects bones and joints because there are no vibrations, as is the case with running, for example.
In addition, the water resistance provides a certain amount of force, so that the muscles are trained.
Coordination skills and agility are also promoted, especially in children.
And most importantly: swimming can prevent drowning.
Founders for learning to swim, at a glance:
- Relieves stress on bones and joints
- Muscle training through water resistance
- Promotes coordination & mobility
- Protects against drowning
Many adults and children don’t even know how to swim properly, which can quickly become a safety risk.
That’s why you’ll find tips here for taking your first steps and swimming strokes in the water.
Age: When should you start learning to swim?
In principle, it is worth starting swimming in a course.
There, incorrect technique is corrected directly by a swimming instructor.
It is often children who start swimming, but it is also worthwhile for adults.
You are never too old to start this sport.
There is also no lower limit; many parents already get their babies used to the water.
As a rule, children are physically ready to learn to swim properly at the age of four or five.
The right swimming age at a glance:
- Proper swimming from 4-5 years
- Before: Carefully get children used to the water
- Even adults can still learn
- Recommended: start in swimming lessons
Breaststroke for beginners
It is recommended to start with breaststroke.
It is one of the safest and easiest swimming styles to learn.
Breaststroke: Start, first without water wings
It makes sense, especially for children at the beginning, to get support from floatable foam pieces.
After the first steps into the water, the body is usually held on the surface.
With children in particular, however, it is important to ensure that they keep their heads above the water properly and do not disrupt the sequence of movements.
The swim start at a glance:
- Recommended: Breaststroke
- Support with foam pieces
- Caution: Head must remain above water & foam must not interfere with movement
Technique: This is how breaststroke works!
To make the correct movements, first stretch your arms forwards.
The palms are turned outwards and moved to the side in an arc.
This displaces water and moves the body forward.
As soon as the hands are at shoulder height, the elbows should be bent and the hands brought back together in front of the chest.
The head should be lifted and inhaled.
The hands should then be brought forward again.
This is followed by the leg kick.
While your arms are stretched out, bend your legs.
You can then push off with your legs and glide in the water for a short time.
Exhale with your head underwater.
Breaststroke in individual steps:
- First arms, then legs
- Move your arms forward & to the side
- Turn palms outwards & displace water
- Put your hands at shoulder height, bend your elbows and bring them together in front of your chest
- Raise your head & breathe in over water
- Arms forward again and head under water
- While arms outstretched bend legs
- Push off strongly & stretch your legs
- Glide in the water
- Exhale underwater
Learn with video: Breaststroke step by step
In these videos you will find tips for learning the breaststroke and improving your swimming technique.
5 steps to breaststroke, even for children
Here you will find lots of tips for learning the breaststroke.
You will be shown the swimming strokes once again in detail.
You will also be introduced to aids, such as a swimming board, which can help you not to sink during your first attempts at swimming.
The whole thing is broken down into five simple steps so that you always have a new exercise to copy, but also get to your goal quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x7Zgpidnj0
Breaststroke: Improve your technique
This video gives you tips on how to improve your swimming technique.
It focuses in particular on the position of your feet and hands during the individual swimming strokes.
The sequence of the individual swimming strokes is also shown in detail.
This is because a common mistake is, for example, trying to do everything at the same time, which doesn’t help you make progress with as little effort as possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2h_xpftixg
Crawl: swimming with speed
Once breaststroke has been mastered, many people also learn to crawl.
This is a particularly effective way of building up speed.
Legs, arms & hands: how to crawl!
First, one arm is immersed in the water as far as possible and brought at a right angle to the thigh.
Once this has reached the level of the thigh, it is then pulled out of the water with the elbow bent.
You should then plunge your arm forwards into the water again.
Then it’s the other arm’s turn, as the arms perform the movements alternately when crawling.
This means that one arm dives into the water when the other is bent under the surface.
The legs are stretched out long towards the back and are alternately moved up and down.
When crawling, you should always look at the bottom of the water and turn your head outwards to inhale.
It is always in the direction in which the arm is bent.
It is also not necessary to inhale after every stroke; depending on the length of your arm and your stamina, inhaling once every two strokes is completely sufficient.
Crawl explained in individual steps:
- Basic position: Stretched out body on the water surface & looking downwards
- Dip one arm outstretched in the water
- Move your arm at a right angle to your thigh
- Once there, bring the arm bent over the surface
- Turn your head sideways & inhale
- Dip your arm forwards into the water again
- When the arm is under water, raise the other arm
- Move your legs up and down, stretched out
- Exhale downwards
Crawling in 4 steps: learning with video
Using various preliminary exercises, such as an explanation of the leg stroke and arm stroke, you will be shown how to swim the crawl.
First with the help of a swimming board, then free in the water.
At the end, you will receive tips on how to increase your speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg5kkJH1EvA
Backstroke: And now the other way around!
As the name suggests, you lie stretched out on your back in the water when swimming backstroke.
As with the crawl, your arms are moved alternately through the water.
When stretched out, they should be raised above the hips and submerged again next to the head.
Then you can bend them slightly and use the flat of your hand to push the water forwards.
Then continue in the same way.
The legs kick up and down from the hips just below the surface of the water.
The backstroke technique at a glance:
- Basic position: Stretched out on your back in the water
- Alternate arms through the water
- First arm outstretched from the hats upwards
- Dive in again next to the head
- Slightly bent under water and brought back to the hips
- Flat hand displaces water forwards
- Legs kick out from the hips just below the surface of the water
Swimming course by video: Backstroke in pictures
Here you can watch the backstroke in video form.
Using a swimming noodle, you start by learning how to lie on your back in the water.
You will then be shown how to guide your arms.
After sufficient practice, you can do without the swimming noodle.
At the end, you will learn how to avoid common mistakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpx6zlPo4kM
Swimming training: planning, accessories & procedure
If you already know how to swim, here are a few tips to improve your training.
Planning: training start, plan & overexertion
Before swimming, it is worth warming up your muscles and joints.
You can do this by swimming a few relaxed laps.
It is also possible to warm up with simple fitness exercises out of the water.
After completing your training, you should swim a few calmer laps and possibly incorporate a session of stretching exercises on dry land.
When planning your training, it makes sense to draw up a continuous and regular plan.
However, attention should be paid to possible overexertion.
More than three times a week is not recommended for beginners.
Like many sports, a slow start to training is recommended.
When it comes to technique, smaller and deliberate movements pay off before large and hectic ones.
This saves more energy for longer training sessions.
Here you can find the training plan at a glance:
- Continuous, but do not overexert yourself
- Start slowly and relaxed
- Not too large movements
- Don’t forget to warm up
- Cool down: Swim out & stretch
Accessories: Swimming goggles & nose clip
Swimming goggles are recommended for swimming alongside your swimsuit so that chlorine and any dirt in the water do not irritate the eyes excessively.
In addition, vision is often clearer.
A nose clip is only recommended for allergies.
Otherwise, it should be avoided, as consciously exhaling through the nose can generally improve progress.
- Swimming goggles
- Nose clip only for allergies
Top destinations: North Sea, Baltic Sea & Lake Constance
Here you will find some popular destinations for swimming.
Whether sea or lake, here you can really let off steam in the water with your family.
[sv slug=”reiseziel”]
More water sports & experiences for your vacation
Here you can find more activities on wheels and other activities for your vacation.
Water sports on vacation: canoeing, surfing, water skiing & co.
Whether on a canoe, motorboat, surfboard or water ski, water sports are a popular pastime on vacation.
A trip on or into the water is particularly popular when camping.
Whether it’s fishing, canoeing, swimming, sailing, surfing, diving, scuba diving, water skiing or wakeboarding, you’ll find lots of tips for beginners here.
Vacation activities: Water sports, winter sports & Co.
Are you planning a vacation but still looking for activities for you, your family, your partner or just for yourself outside the campsite?
Here you’ll find lots of great ideas for experiences that will enrich your vacation.
With lots of tips for beginners!
So you can start from the very beginning and find out what to do first.
