First, the real definition, because most people carry the wrong one. Swimming means using your arms and legs to move through the water — getting in, moving through, getting back to safety. It does not mean perfect competitive freestyle. That misconception keeps capable adults out of the water for decades.
And the usual way adults are taught — technique thrown at a nervous body — is backwards. Your body tenses near water because of a reflex, not a character flaw. Untrain the reflex first and the swimming follows, faster than you'd believe.


