u/Desperate-Past1860

I'm on day 6 of learning to swim as an adult. I've made progress with floating and can now free-float from around the middle of the pool to the front.

My problem is getting back up from the front float.

I understand what I'm supposed to do: lift my head, bend/bring my knees underneath me, bring my arms back, get my feet underneath me, and stand up. But I can't seem to coordinate the movements together. I can bring my knees in, but when I try to bring my arms back at the same time, I lose the position or can't find the floor.

My coach has been breaking the free float/recovery into steps because I'm still a little scared of the water. Until recently he couldn't get into the pool because of an ear infection, so most of the instruction was verbal. He's now able to get into the water and help me practise.

The frustrating part is that I understand exactly what I'm supposed to do, but my body isn't doing it yet.

Is this just a normal coordination/motor-learning issue?

I’m a complete beginner and have had only a couple of swimming lessons.

There’s one exercise I’m struggling with. The coach has me stand with my back against the pool wall, both feet firmly on the floor, knees bent, and arms straight out in front of me. Then I’m supposed to put my head underwater and blow bubbles, while simultaneously straightening my knees and bringing my arms back in a straight motion close to my body.

My coach says I’m keeping my arms too wide and my fingers too spread apart. I’m also struggling with keeping both feet firmly on the floor while putting my head underwater.

I tried the exercise without the wall and lost my balance and briefly went underwater, so the coach had to pull me back up by my arms. He currently can’t get into the pool because of an ear infection, so he’s demonstrating/guiding from the side.

I can do the individual components separately (floating, putting my face underwater, blowing bubbles, bending/straightening my knees, and the arm movement), but I can’t seem to coordinate them all together.

Any tips for getting the starting position and movement right? Is this just a normal beginner coordination issue, or is there something I’m misunderstanding about the movement?