Ms. Steffen, why did you start swimming?

Stefanie Sippel

Sports editor.

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I believe out of envy.

At that time, classifiers were still in the first classes.

They looked after big and strong children.

My cousin was chosen, who was next to me in the row.

I asked why I wasn't selected.

The sifters said: You are too small and thin to swim.

It's enough for you if you learn to swim in third grade.

So have you waited?

No, at home I howled my mother's ears at how mean it was.

She said: Well, then you just go with me and ask if you can already make your seahorse.

Because I wanted to learn early.

What does early mean?

At six.

I'm trying it out on my son right now.

He's turned four now.

The proportions are now such that he looks like a human.

Before that, they are so incredibly cute with their big heads.

I was told by a trainer that if the head is still too big and too heavy in contrast to the limbs, it is incredibly difficult to learn to swim.

It is therefore advisable to start learning to swim at the age of four.

Where did you learn to swim?

I grew up in Schwedt.

We had an outdoor pool, which always had a water temperature of over 30 degrees.

That is, as a rattle frame, that was okay.

But when you have such a rattle frame in front of you - my son is pretty skinny.

He's freezing madly in the swimming pool here in Berlin because it's only 27 degrees.

He has now given up.

After the first two times he said: He's having fun, but the water is too cold for him.

He doesn't want to go there anymore.

And now?

Then I said: Okay, let's wait and see.

At that age you shouldn't put too much pressure on, I think.

What was your first step?

I'm going to describe his first training session.

There was a little warming: arm circles, hopping, trying a push-up.

Everyone got their arm puffies or noodles and started kicking the crawl at the edge of the pool.

Move the water.

Then hit the water, splash, have fun.

Then slide in your stomach, hold on to the edge of the pool and practice the crawl kick.

What is most important at the beginning?

The fear.

Some jumped into the pool before the age of four and have already gained experience with swallowing water.

My son is one of them.

In the summer we went to the outdoor pool.

It hung on the edge of the pool.

I just turned to my girlfriend and said: We want to go out, isn't it a bit cooler?

I turn to him again and he just pushes himself off the edge of the pool without saying anything and without protection.

He went under.

I picked it up and asked: can you explain to me what that was?

Well, I thought I'd just try and see if I could swim, he replied.

Unfortunately it wasn't the case yet.

Do you need good technology?

Yes, it has to be practiced very carefully.

If you haven't learned a clean move in advance, then as an older athlete you won't get it.

During my seahorse class, we would lay down on a stool and then our arms would be held.

I thought that was really great.

Does it also help to watch others?

Yes, or with yourself. We did video training at the sports school.

And that helped a lot.

This shows you what what you are actually doing looks like.

Then I thought: Ah, okay, now I know what he means.

What kind of mistakes do you see when you dive into the swimming pool?

When I do the breaststroke, I notice that many people pull their necks back insanely.

Because many have not learned to move with their heads.

They get back pain afterwards.

It is important that you learn: I push myself off, put my head between my arms.

Then I take a chest pull, take a breath, go back down, dive.

Always take your head with you.

Only then does breaststroke make sense.

How do I best learn it?

I would recommend: start with your arms first and then with your legs.

Breaststroke was always my worst sport.

Are you still going in the water today?

Yes, but because of Corona I haven't trained for a long time because I was afraid that I would infect Olympic athletes.

Now I can't move quickly anymore.

But in my head I still remember how fast it feels to swim.

It really takes two or three weeks to get basic motor skills back.

I feel like I'm doing everything in slow motion.

I know that I can do it differently.

But I have to practice again first.

Reassuring.

Do you now have a different relationship with swimming?

Yes.

What I understand more and more: You have your peace in the water.

If you don't want to talk, you just swim.

My yoga trainer said: Swimming is like meditation in water.

The chance to be just for you.

Just dive in.