Ways I can improve on my swimming for the Marines.

[stevieslaughter]

I'm trying to improve on my ways to become a better swimmer so when i hit the waters in training, it will be much easier for me than if i didn't prepare myself. I know swimming is one of the key things to being an excellent Marine and I am somewhat of an moderately good swimmer, so I thought: what better ways to improve than to ask a Marine myself?

I was wondering on what kind of drills or exercises you do in the water to become a better swimmer. I've heard that you have to do things such as tread water for over 30 minutes and i've went to my community center to try that out and i started sculling with my hands and flutter kicking calmly and only managed to tread in that way for only 5 minutes! lol i'm such a noob! this made me so mad. I'm wondering on how i can improve on that as well as having a greater lung capacity to deal with long breathholds and such.
I would love to also get some great tips on how to swim underwater for 30 yards without breaking the surface. I know practice makes perfect so i'm going to take all advice with an open mind and practice as often as possible.
and it would also be great if any Marine that had to undergo BUD's training could tell me what it's like and what they had to do mentally and physically to get through it all. Thank you all in advance and for serving the country

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[Tennessee Top]

Just continue what you're doing for now and get as comfortable in the water as you can. They will teach you the techniques used to tread water. As long as you are not afraid in the pool you'll do fine; the problem comes when people panic and have to be pulled out (then they have to start all over again with more attention paid to them for safety reasons). BUDS training is for Navy SEALS but RECON Marines undergo very similar training.

FYI, the word Marine is ALWAYS capitalized (consult your dictionary).

[detroitfusion77]

I just completed a school that was focused on swimming. What they taught every Marine who was not a strong swimmer was to simply relax. Keep up what you are doing now and you'll have no problem. The more comfortable you are in the water, the easier everything is. And for swimming underwater, what I found to help a lot was too keep my chin against my chest. Since you naturally swim "up" towards the surface (especially with lungs full of air) keeping your head down will fight that tendency.