!["The girls are having a lot of problems [underwater] as they are kicking each other," the Hungarian synchronized swimming team's head coach Natalia Tarasova<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/12/sport/hungary-synchronized-swimming-fina-world-aquatics-championships/index.html"> told CNN Sport.</a>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/170727073151-07-world-aquatics-championship-0727.jpg?q=w_3169,h_1782,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_618)
Editor’s Note: Mark Foster is one of the most successful British swimmers of all time and a six-time world champion. Now retired, he’s writing for CNN during the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.
Story highlights
Mark Foster likens swimming to meditation
His first tip is to go back to lessons at your local club
Foster divulges starter drills to help get you up to speed
There’s often a fear factor for people returning to swimming.
It’s a bit like going to the gym for the first time; you think everyone is going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But in my experience of the pool, there’s a genuine respect for people willing to give it a go.
And for that reason, the best piece of advice I could give someone about improving their technique is to join a club program.
Most of us had lessons in the past – as kids growing up – but it’s worth having lessons if you’re starting back.
It’s a bit like golf; you might be practicing bad habits and not getting better in the pool.
Have a lesson to iron those things out. You don’t need to have them every day but the pointers will help.
