你学会游泳了吗?

Mr. Riggio had to unlearn all of his poor habits and commit proper technique to muscle memory. Now, he can do the arms, legs and breathing motions separately but has trouble syncing it all up. When he tries, often he just ends up splashing.
要学会游泳，里焦必须改掉所有坏毛病，将正确的游泳姿势化为下意识的动作。现在，单独做手部、腿部动作或者呼吸换气他都没有问题，但要配合起来还很难。一旦要手脚配合起来游，他常常就只能在原地扑腾了。

'Yes, it's embarrassing, but I'm going to be more embarrassed if I'm not a good swimmer but my children are,' Mr. Riggio says.
里焦说，“这可真尴尬，但如果我游得连孩子们也不如，那会更口。”

The process of learning to swim can be slow and frustrating for adults who, unlike children, are 'very results focused,' says John Fitzpatrick, owner and head coach of a swim facility, Chicago Blue Dolphins.
芝加哥蓝海豚游泳馆(Chicago Blue Dolphins)的老板兼首席教练约翰•菲茨帕特里克(John Fitzpatrick)表示，与小孩不同的是，成年人学游泳的过程可能很慢，有时会令人很是沮丧，因为成年人非常“看重结果”。

Mr. Fitzpatrick first teaches adults how to float and glide by kicking off the side of the pool. 'These activities -- while fundamental and critical to them being successful -- do not seem to them like they're swimming,' he says. As a result, the adults tend to get frustrated with their seemingly slow progress.
菲茨帕特里克一般先教成年人如何漂浮和蹬边滑行。他说，“这些动作是学好游泳的基本功，很关键，但成年学员认为这根本不算游泳。”结果，他们很容易对自己貌似缓慢的学习进度感到沮丧。

In Manhattan, Ms. Pailet says one client wanted to skip the breathing and buoyancy basics and just 'get it over with.' At one point, she says, he became so frustrated, he began smacking the water with a foam noodle.
曼哈顿的帕里特表示，有个学员想跳过基本的呼吸换气和漂浮练习，迫不及待地想一口气学完了事。结果，他一度泄气得不行，拿个浮水条不停地击打水面。

While learning the techniques are important, Ms. Davis, the Boulder instructor, also teaches adults how to play. 'Children don't need to be taught how to play, but adults are different creatures,' she says. 'They don't know how to respond to the water. It's this strange murky thing.'
虽然学会游泳技巧很重要，但博尔德的戴维斯也很注意教导成年学员如何享受玩水的乐趣。她说，“孩子们不用教就会玩，但成年人不同，他们不知道该如何面对水这种神秘莫测的东西。”

In a game called 'bottom to bottom,' students jump up in the water, then let themselves fall bottom-first to the floor of the pool. Sometimes in group lessons she will have adults compete in relays or swim in pairs, with one person doing the arm stroke while the other grips his partner's ankles and kicks. Ms. Davis calls her methods 'functional play.'
在一个名叫“底对底”(bottom to bottom)的游戏中，戴维斯让学员在水中跳起，然后以臀部下坐的姿势落向池底。有时候，在有多人参加的成人培训班上，戴维斯还会让学员分组竞技或者结对训练，例如，一个人在练习手臂划水动作时，同伴抓住其脚踝并踢腿。戴维斯把她的这种训练方法称为“功能游戏”(functional play)。

'Adults work all day. I don't want them to view swimming in the same light,' she says.
她说，“成年人整天都要工作，我不希望他们到这里来游泳也像工作一样累。”

Frank Papania, who lives in Bellmore, N.Y., signed up one week after his co-worker, Mr. Pace. Now the two, who have been friends for 17 years, take lessons together.
家住纽约州贝尔摩(Bellmore)的弗兰克•帕帕尼亚(Frank Papania)和佩斯是同事，更是相识了17年的老朋友。帕帕尼亚比佩斯晚一周也在AquaSkills报了名，现在，两人一起上游泳课。

'We encourage each other more than anything else, but we will give helpful hints when we can,' says Mr. Papania, 40. 'We'll say things like, 'Hey, straighten your legs.' '
现年40岁的帕帕尼亚说，“我们一直相互鼓劲，有时候还能给对方一点有用的提示，比如会告诉对方‘把腿伸直’。”

The goal is to achieve 'water competency,' defined by the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council as being able to enter and exit the water, turn 360 degrees afloat, tread or float for one minute and move through the water for at least 25 yards.
游泳训练的目的是要提高“水性”。根据美国红十字会科学顾问委员会(American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council)的定义，良好的水性是指能够自由出入水中、在水中360度转向、踩水或在水面持续漂浮一分钟，以及能够在水中游动至少25码的距离。

Jess White, who grew up landlocked in Kansas and now lives in Boulder, says she never felt confident in the water. In 2010, she signed up for lessons with Ms. Davis to become more comfortable and ultimately compete in triathlons.
杰西•怀特(Jess White)在堪萨斯州内陆地区长大，现在住在博尔德市。她说她以前下水总是战战兢兢的。2010年，她报名参加了戴维斯的培训课程，慢慢变得自信起来，甚至还参加了铁人三项全能比赛。

Learning to swim took longer than she thought, about five months. She didn't tell many people at first, hesitant to admit 'learning what seems like a childlike skill as an adult.' But her efforts show. Last summer, she swam 500 meters in a triathlon and plans to swim 1,500 meters in one this month. Ms. White, 27, is still taking lessons to refine her stroke.
怀特学了大约五个月，原来她根本没想到自己学游泳要用那么长时间。一开始她没有到处张扬，因为不愿承认自己在学一个“小孩子都会的技能”。但她的努力得到了回报。去年夏天，她参加了一个铁人三项赛，完成了500米距离的游泳。这个月她还准备参加一项1500米距离的游泳比赛。27岁的怀特至今仍在继续接受培训，以进一步提高自己的游泳技能。

'Pretty much everybody knows now,' she says. 'It became a point of pride for me when I could say, 'Look at me, I can swim.' '
怀特说，“现在大家基本都知道我会游泳了。能够充满信心地展示自己的水性，已经成为让我很自豪的一件事。”