How did you learn how to swim…?

Puppers · Tuesday at 11:11 AM

o_Hot Rock said:
There was a movie with John Wayne throwing a kid in that claimed he couldn't swim that did get a lot of play. Men worshipped them some John Wayne.

I have seen it done to kids and they would come up and they did tread water enough to make it to the edge of pool as they would not be thrown way out there. Some needed a little help to make it but usually just a pole or hand out was enough. I can't say they learned to swim but they did learn how to not die and it was the beginning of them learning to swim.

Hell, My Uncle would do it to every kid near the pool whether they were his or not and whether they could swim or not. He never killed a kid, but dang there were times I thought I was drowning and I knew how to swim but he would hold you down if you fought him and I did fight... well I struggled.

My oldest daughter took a swimming class when she was 3 or 4 with this older lady who was very intense. She yelled at screamed at these kids all week. After a week my daughter was fearless in the water and could swim the whole pool no problem. She is still a great swimmer and very comfortable in water.

A couple of years later my second daughter took the same class. She had been in pools with floats her whole life. After a week being screamed at and pushed in the pool she became petrified of water even the bathtub. It took me a year to get her back in the pool and she still isn't very comfortable on the lake 5 years later.

GloryDawg · Tuesday at 11:13 AM

Watched others swim. Hopped in shallow end of the pool and taught myself. It's not hard to learn. I was probably eight years old.

patdog · Tuesday at 12:13 PM

GloryDawg said:
Watched others swim. Hopped in shallow end of the pool and taught myself. It's not hard to learn. I was probably eight years old.

It’s not hard to swim. But it helps to take some lessons at some point to learn better technique.

Ranchdawg · Tuesday at 12:37 PM

I was visiting my grandparents in Amory and my Uncle had a layover with Frisco (he was a brakeman at the time). He took me to the city pool and held me up by my belly and told me to paddle with my feet and arms. He corrected my motions until I got the hang of it then he let me go and off I went.

NWADawg · Tuesday at 12:41 PM

We lived on or near water during my early years. Apparently my folks took me in the water at 2-3 weeks old and started floating me around. By the time I was 3, I could dive off the homemade diving board we built at the creek and swim turtle style ( under water bobbing up for air when needed). I can't remember not knowing how to swim.
I did take lessons one summer in 3rd grade or so to learn to swim more correctly.

GloryDawg · Tuesday at 12:43 PM

patdog said:
It’s not hard to swim. But it helps to take some lessons at some point to learn better technique.

The Marine Corps gave me lesson later in life.

Crucifictorious · Tuesday at 12:54 PM

champdawg.sixpack said:
1. Lessons
2. Old man thru you in pool
3 grandpaw chunked you into pond
4. Rope swing on the river

Grew up down in Destin so was just always in the water. Don't remember how or when. I just always was in the water.

lazlow · Tuesday at 1:09 PM

definitely got thrown in a creek (think it was Grandbay, Al.....franklin creek?) like some of the others. Want to say one of the mothers in our hood taught a bunch of us to swim one summer. Took it to the next level at Camp Tiak.

Yeti · Tuesday at 1:11 PM

Red Cross lesson at the city pool in New Albany. Water so cold your teeth chattered till noon

85Bears · Tuesday at 1:47 PM

Intertube around my neck and arm in first grade. After a while of swimming freestyle lIke that, didn’t need the intertube. I still like to swim.

Lowdog · Tuesday at 2:10 PM

One and two. Took swimming lessons at the old YMCA downtown Jackson. Got two patches the minnow and next summer flying fish.

The next summer my dad in his fiberglass run-about boat in Mallinni bayou in Pass Christian grabbed me by the seat of my short pants and tossed me overboard. Freaked me out because my dad had never done anything like that before.

pmack3641 · Tuesday at 3:13 PM

champdawg.sixpack said:
1. Lessons
2. Old man thru you in pool
3 grandpaw chunked you into pond
4. Rope swing on the river

Lessons, became a life guard at our beach, saved 3 people. Also use to love root beer floats from Mr. Softy at the beach

Called3rdstrikedawg · Tuesday at 3:36 PM

Fell into a river full of alligators. It was either swim or fight. And those gators wanted no part of me so I just dog paddled over to the Mississippi Queen and stepped on the first paddle and it just spun me right back out on the back deck!

Mjoelner · Tuesday at 4:16 PM

I don't know. I just kind of did it. I guess it was a while before I actually learned to 'swim' on the surface but as far back as I can remember I could hold my breath and swim two lengths of the pool underwater and I could always tread water so I never panicked.

Mjoelner · Tuesday at 4:18 PM

lazlow said:
definitely got thrown in a creek (think it was Grandbay, Al.....franklin creek?) like some of the others. Want to say one of the mothers in our hood taught a bunch of us to swim one summer. Took it to the next level at Camp Tiak.

Yep.

BulldogBlitz · Tuesday at 4:31 PM

patdog said:
It’s not hard to swim. But it helps to take some lessons at some point to learn better technique.

As someone who had to be self-taught at 13 because none of what I believe most in here are saying "its simple" is how I swim. I cannot do the American crawl to save my life at all. It never made sense. I take on water on the second breath and im done. If the stroke is symmetrical, I do like a fish and can really haul *** in the water. Breast stroke, back, even butterfly. Im significantly older now and still try from time to time, but that ridiculous American crawl ain't happening.

dog99walker · Tuesday at 4:36 PM

My dad taught me at the city pool when I was four. He was a lifeguard in college and in the occupation of Japan.

MaxwellSmart · Tuesday at 10:06 PM

Mom took me to the local pool as early as I can remember. In kindergarten she sent me for lessons cause she didn't like my dog paddling. She was horrified that I went off the diving board on my first lesson.

DawgsNCowboys87 · 2026-08-19T02:23:31-0500

We own a lot of land because of our large crop-farming business, so obviously we have a lot of lakes and ponds. Well, one day, when I was 3 years old—maybe 4 at most—I was with my Papaw at the lake just across the road where my whole family grew up swimming and fishing in. It’s about 12–14 feet deep at the wooden pier. I was simply 17ing around with an old cane pole and jammed it into the bottom, pulling myself right into the damn lake. My Papaw was talking to a good friend of his and looked away for just a second. Then he heard a splash, and I had disappeared. I swear, I’ve never seen a man move that fast. He jumped straight into the lake, but to his surprise, I was doggy-paddling just fine and literally swam about 4–5 feet to the ladder with him right beside me. I’ll never forget that. Evidently, I was born to swim.

Colonel Angus.sixpack · 2026-08-19T03:18:09-0500

I had an uncle that would chuck me up startlingly high in the air at the lake in Wall Doxey when I was a kid. He was there to pull me out of the water though

skip dog · 2026-08-19T08:05:14-0500

I think it all started with my dad in 2 locations:
1. sand bar at the Rez up river
2. the pools @ the Royal D'Iberville in Biloxi & the Broadwater

those were the ongoing just jump in and I promise I'll stand right here and not move dad trick

I think momma got tired of seeing me nearly drown all the time on vacation, and got me in group swim lessons

OopsICroomedmypants · 2026-08-19T08:20:48-0500

I took all the lessons with Red Cross and ended up becoming a life guard and taught swimming lessons. Looks like some of you might need my help.

mcdawg22 · 2026-08-19T08:24:46-0500

Actually now that I think about it. I was listening to a Tool album and Maynard told me Learn to Swim and I did. Just like that

Called3rdstrikedawg · 2026-08-19T08:45:41-0500

pmack3641 said:
Lessons, became a life guard at our beach, saved 3 people. Also use to love root beer floats from Mr. Softy at the beach.

BluffParkDawg · 2026-08-19T09:34:41-0500

Lessons at the Highland Park swimming pool in Meridian.

RBcoach · 2026-08-19T09:50:41-0500

My uncle threw me in the Pearl River in Louisiana. Said there were gators in there, better figure it out quickly. I might have been the 3rd man to walk on water.

How did you learn how to swim…?

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