DD problem

[amyt250190]

My DD who is 13 went out to her friends house for the day and she went swimming with 2 of her friends. She swam 1 length and was severly out of breath and her and her friends were doing challenges like "who can swim the fastest" but she lost all the challenges and was a bit upset ans annoyedby this as she thinks it makes her look 'weak' like she hadnt swallowed any water and wasnt wheezing or coughing (she is not asthmatic) and she is not unfit as she excersizes a lot and does quite a bit of running at school. Has anyone else had a similar problem?

[BackforGood]

Not sure what issue you are asking about....... that she was upset that her friends could 'beat her in challenges' or are you worried about her medically in that she was struggling for breathe from one length's swimming ?

[amyt250190]

Worried about her medically as ive never heard of someone with a problem like this and I feel if i go straight to the gp he will peobably put it down and say that she must be "unfit"

[SuperBeagle]

Does she swim often?

If not, it doesn't matter how fit she is, she will struggle. Being good at hockey, for example, doesn't make you a good swimmer.

[RJnomore1]

Well my pt who is a double world champion kick boxer (current) was telling me the other week how swimming fucks him. It's to do with specific fitnesses. Get hercyobswim more if you want her to find it easier.

[elephantoverthehill]

Was it an outdoor pool? I swam in the sea today and was a little worried as I did the sharp intake of breath thing several times. DD and her mate were fine.

[amyt250190]

She swims pretty much once every week and swims in a leisure center inside

[SeekingSugar]

Can she normally breathe efficiently when swimming?

[amyt250190]

No, the moment she gets in the water, if its covering her chest at all she says she feels a bit restricted with her breathing like she cant take a deep breath

[lljkk]

this was an outside pool? Quite cold?

[HopeClearwater]

Is she anaemic?

[SeekingSugar]

Sounds odd.

Breathing is the key to swimming so if she hasn't mastered that, she won't be swimming properly yet.

I wonder if she feels very anxious about being on water and her breath shortens?

Might be worth checking with a GP

[Oblomov17]

This is not a GP issue. It's just something for her to be aware of and talk to a swimming instructor about.

[TrollMummy]

If she swims once a week, is this for swimming lessons or just a fun session? How competent a swimmer is she? I would imagine that a swimming instructor would have picked up on this if she was having regular lessons.

[60percentbanana]

My husband ran marathon distances but when he started training for a triathlon couldn't manage more than two lengths without stopping, and ached all over the next day. He had the musculature of a runner, quite different to a swimmer and therefore struggled to pull through the water. Conversely my sister and children can happily swim 5k in a single session, 40k a month but couldn't run more than a few hundred metres without training. Fitness in one sport doesn't always mean fitness in another.

If dd swims properly once a week (ie not just a mess about) but struggles with this session could there be a logical reason why - cold/under the weather, recovering from previous heavy exercise, hadn't eaten properly/eaten too much/just one of those days.

Generally if it was a one off I'd say try again and see how it goes. If it's persistent visit the gp.

[Rumtopf]

Does your local pool do a skills session? Ours do them for free one evening a week on a drop in basis so no need to book like a normal lesson. The instructor watches you and gives you advice, it's really helpful.

She may be fit and able to run but swimming is a different kind of fit. I'm a size 20 and can easily swim a mile whereas my marathon running, cycling mad friend would struggle badly to swim 2 lengths.

[amyt250190]

I think if it happens again one or 2 times I may book her a gp appointment to see if theres anything going on as I feel like it needs checkingg out

[chocolateworshipper]

My DH is definitely fitter than me, but he gets out of breath swimming way before I do. I wonder if it is a different kind of fitness as mentioned above, or whether as seeking suggests it is to do with breathing techniques.

[swingofthings]

It sounds more like a case of her pride being touched. Her friends might just be better. She tried to keep up got herself out of breath and frustrated and then ran out of fuel. Going to the gp for this is a waste of an appointment.

[Loopytiles]

I did an improvers' swimming class for two terms a while ago and did 2 or more hour long swims a week, plus lots of walking and the odd fitness classe. I did the proper breathing and things but couldn't do fast swimming without getting out of breath.

[Loopytiles]

The water compresses the body, perhaps she dislikes the sensation?

[Fairylea]

Does this only happen when swimming? I am thinking possibly asthma but it would be very unusual if it was only brought on by swimming (although some asthma is triggered by chlorine).