Drowning, not waving

Untrained swimmers need 50 per cent more oxygen to achieve the same speed as trained swimmers. Photo / AP

I have a confession to make: I'm a hopeless swimmer. I can float, do a bit of breaststroke and flail about in the shallow end, but ask me to put my head under and swim? Not a chance.

Blame it on a water slide, the class bully and the deep end of the pool, but since I was a teenager, I've pretty much shied away from large bodies of water.

It would seem I'm not alone - for an island nation, we're no great shakes when it comes to swimming. Statistics from Sport & Recreation New Zealand (Sparc) suggest only a million Kiwis can swim, a figure routinely borne out by our shocking drowning total - 29 people in January alone, almost a quarter of last year's entire total.

And nor should you feel smug if you're able to get from one end of the pool to the other.

Belinda Galley from Swimming New Zealand reckons those who can swim may have such inefficient technique, they're at risk of muscle strain, neck and back pain.

"But it's amazing how quickly a fear of the water or bad swimming habits can be overcome with the right instruction," says Galley.

Besides, with swimming costing only a fraction of most gym memberships - and the health benefits of a regular dip in the pool including aerobic fitness and overall muscle toning and strengthening - it makes sense to dust off the togs.

The key, says Galley, is getting the basics right.

"It can be hard with adult swimmers because they're embarrassed and think they can't do it, so they give up. Or, they've been taught bad habits, which can be hard to break."

Galley should know: a former surf lifesaver, she now instructs teachers across the country on the correct swimming technique.

She certainly has her work cut out for her when we meet one Wednesday afternoon.

A series of questions demonstrates just how rubbish a swimmer I am. (Do I like putting my head underwater? No. Can I breathe on both sides? No.)

When Galley asks if I can "scull", I assume she's referring to drinking games but apparently sculling is another term for treading water or being able to keep afloat in deep water. The answer would have to be: pretty badly.

And things don't start well. Demonstrating the importance of being confident in the water, Galley straps on my goggles and asks me to blow bubbles under the water. I take a nose full of water and feel like an idiot.

But the ever-encouraging Galley shows me that by almost "humming" underwater, I'll automatically blow bubbles - which means I don't have to hold my breath for as long as I'd previously tried to.

After checking how my body floats (not too bad, apparently),

Galley suggests that I submerge my face even deeper in the water and push, chest down, to increase my buoyancy.

The key to swimming is maintaining A "long" neck and body, with the feet and hands at the surface. Galley gets me to push off from the side of the pool and we work at perfecting my posture.

And then the moment of reckoning arrives: she asks me to demonstrate my freestyle technique.

One side is judged to be okay but the other Galley describes as "looking like a chicken wing".

Apparently I'm incorrectly trying to "cup" my palms, which isn't doing me any favours trying to relax, plus I'm pulling my arm out of the water before it's had a chance to do a full stroke.

I also commit the cardinal sin of many recreational swimmers: going too fast, expending too much energy and ending up gasping for breath.

Galley tells me that one study found that it took untrained freestyle swimmers 50 per cent more oxygen to achieve the same speed as trained swimmers.

And I'm far too tense (fear of drowning will do that to a girl) which further prompts me to panic and thrash about.

I'm amazed at how much easier it becomes when I consciously relax and slow down.

"Taking long, fluid strokes is essential to being an efficient swimmer," says Galley.

"Good swimmers don't cover distance with faster strokes, they simply travel further with each stroke.

"The more distance you travel per stroke, the fewer strokes you'll take per length, so conserving energy. The secret is to relax, slow down and think about technique."

For me, that means keeping my body in a long, streamlined position, ensuring my arms follow through 360-degree turns and remembering to keep my feet at the water's surface instead of letting them drop.

"If you look at a swimmer from side to side, the body should be flat and parallel with the water's surface," says Galley.

"If your legs are too low and your head is too high, it will affect the body's position in the water and your ability to move effectively through it."

The fact that I'm unable to breathe properly while swimming is also an issue, but Galley suggests I work on perfecting the basics before I go all Michael Phelps on her.

Bottom line? My hour-long session is a revelation and I leave feeling more confident around water than I ever have.

Galley may make a good swimmer out of me yet.

For learn-to-swim or stroke correction lessons near you, check out Swimming New Zealand's website