Hi Bharti, it's so disheartening to hear that you expressed your reservations to an adult swim instructor and he ignored you. I had a similar experience. My first YMCA lesson the instructor swam me into the deep end despite my objections and abject fear of the water. Not being listened to is awful and I'm sorry you experienced that. This community will provide you the support and reassurance you need to become a confident swimmer. Stick with us and you'll make progress!!! Welcome!

@Meredith Barrington Sad, but true! The instructor had me hold onto his left arm and he swam using his right arm freestyle into the deep end and back to shallow, all the while saying things like "You can trust me", "I won't let anything happen to you", "I've been doing this a long time". My personal favorite, "No one has ever drowned." Because the other 4 people in the class all could float, glide and swim, the extent of my "lessons" was him walking backward holding both my hands while I kicked and moved my arms to simulate strokes. He told me that my kicking was "perfect" and if I could "just relax" I would absolutely be able to swim. Thank God I found Caribe Swim!!!!

After my YMCA experience, I thought I "needed" private lessons instead of group classes. I interviewed a swim instructor that taught at the pool in my local LA Fitness. I had been binge watching your videos on You Tube before I joined so I knew the order in which you taught people and how important the fundamental were. When I asked the instructor about wanting to learn to float face down and face up, her answer was, "if you're swimming, you're floating." Right then and there I knew she wasn't a good fit!! Needless to say, now I know I can do this on my own at my own pace. 😁

I would love to see a video on ways to dismount from both a front float and back float. I'm not there yet, but I would love to start watching that now, so I know what comes next. When I'm not in the water I practice creative visualization techniques, so this would be very helpful to see in advance of that stage.

Hello Coach @Jeff Wood, Coach @Meredith Barrington , and Caribe community members! I'll go out on a limb to share my story, which goes back to my early childhood. I am a bona fide HSP or "highly sensitive person." Phrase and book by Elaine Aron. I am highly responsive to everything and everyone around me. It is only after my recent YMCA swim lessons debacle that I finally made the connection with my fear of water. When I was about 5 or 6, I HATED getting a bath. I use this term, but I wasn't allowed a bath. Mom didn't believe in them because how can you get clean sitting in dirty water?!?!? Getting clean was not "fun", it was a completely utilitarian pursuit. Well, being an HSP, I hated water getting in my face, nose, and ears. I can distinctly remember, as if yesterday, crouched down under the bathtub spigot, Mom washing my hair, while I attempted to cover my eyes, ears, and nose with one washcloth, crying, and begging for it to be over. Fast forward to today, I now realize this hyper sensitivity as a child got baked in as fear and being in water was traumatic. Before starting swim lessons as an adult, I invested in a swim cap and goggles which helped ENORMOUSLY with the water sensitivity! With your program and principles, I am slowly getting water acclimated aka "systematic desensitization." Learning to associate water with fun and relaxation. I was making great progress learning to float in the shallow end at the Y, but the 8 week session ended. I transitioned to a local town pool which, thankfully, has two 3'6" lanes, but no shallow section. I am learning to "be calm" and can float on my face and back, but only while hanging onto a wall. I feel like I will always be stuck in this phase, but then I realize how far I've come already and treat myself with grace and compassion. I am committed to this holistic philosophy and will continue to move at a pace that feels good to my mind and body. With frequent practice, and the support of this community, I can honestly say I can finally imagine myself swimming at some point down the road.

@Jeff Wood My husband and I watched this video together this morning. By the end, I think we were both beaming with pride! Words can't express how much this personalized video means to me. After a lifetime of fear, I actually believe that I can be a swimmer. I will make my way through the videos (thanks for the extras!!) and continue to provide updates on my swimming progress. Ever so grateful for you, Coach Meredith, and the Caribe community!