How the Brain Learns to Swim: Why Repetition and Routine Matters More Than Talent
Talent isn’t everything: the brain learns by doing — and in swimming, doing it again and again is what actually works.
Introduction
Every child can become a confident swimmer – not because of raw talent, but because of how their brain grows through practice. It can seem intimidating watching other children that are “born for the water.” But in truth, swimming is a learned skill based in consistent exposure and repetition, not some natural ability. The latest research in motor learning and child development strongly backs this up. A 2025 journal article by Carola Minkels and other researchers provides a clear answer: children learn to swim through structured, repetitive practice in supportive environments, and any average child can become a swimmer with time and training (Minkels, et al.). Backed by neuroscience and recent studies, this article breaks down why repetition and structure builds water confidence and ability. The goal is to reassure parents and struggling swimmers that with patience and consistent practice, every swimmer has the ability to succeed.
Repetition through real experience helps the brain encode new patterns — just like in swimming.
The Brain Learns by Doing
Repetition literally rewires the brain for swimming. Neuroscientists use the term neuroplasticity to describe how the brain physically forms new connections through experience. Liana Spytska who is a Doctor of Psychological Sciences wrote in a 2024 neurobiology review, that learning new skills causes the brain to form fresh neural pathways that strengthen with each repetition (Spytska). In other words, it’s not just practice makes perfect – practice actually changes the brain. These changes are typically referred to as “muscle memory,” and it’s more powerful in children.
Importantly, this isn’t some abstract theory – it’s been actually observed in swimmers. In a 2023 study of young children learning crawl stroke and backstroke, researchers found that acquiring new swim strokes actually reorganizes the brain’s motor cortex, the region that controls movement (Oprean et al.). This reorganization is the brain’s way of efficiently mapping out the movements. In other words, the more a child repeats a stroke, the stronger and faster those neural signals become. As a result, movements that were once incredibly difficult (like coordinating big arms and short, fast kicks all at the same time) become smoother and automatic. One day, a swimmer can be struggling to muster up even a doggy paddle; a few months of consistent practice later, they intuitively glide through the water. That transformation is an example of neuroplasticity in action – the brain literally learning by doing.
Neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to physically reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. This is what is often referred to as “muscle memory.”
The takeaway for parents and swimmers is encouraging: even if it doesn’t seem “natural” to be coordinated in the pool at first, brains are designed to adapt through repetition. The more one practices a swimming skill – whether it’s floating, kicking, or side-breathing – the more those neural pathways strengthen.
Practice Beats “Talent”
Everyone’s heard of “natural-born swimmers” – kids who have such a lack of fear in the water that it’s dangerous. It’s true that some children might be less fearful or have early exposure, but when it comes to mastering the ability to swim, research shows time and again that training a particular skill far outweighs any inborn talent. A 2024 study from the University of Tsukuba put it bluntly:
“Superior motor learning ability in athletes is not an innate talent but a skill that can be developed throughout life” (Sugiyama et al.).
In other words, top swimmers aren’t simply gifted – they’ve learned how to learn, through many hours of consistent practice. What looks like effortless talent is usually the result of seemingly effortless routine, which in reality, is extremely intentional and effortful for the swimmer.
This principle applies to children in swim class just as much as to Washington State champions or even Olympic athletes. Many traits we think of as “talent” – coordination, feel for the water, stamina – are really simply the products of repeated practice and discipline. In fact, decades of expert research supports this. According to a 2021 journal article written by David I. Anderson and colleagues, children who stick with regular lessons and have the opportunity to swim often will almost always surpass those who might have early “talent” but little practice (Anderson et al.). The science of learning a new motor skill emphasizes that intense, focused practice that is repeated over a period of time is the key ingredient for improvement, this is according to another 2024 study done by Taisei Sugiyama and colleagues (Sugiyama et al.). This is no different in swimming, where there’s no shortcuts for achieving mastery.
Additionally, using this mindset can make a huge difference in a swimmer’s motivation. When kids understand that they can improve through effort, it fosters a growth mindset – they see progress as a result of what they do, not who they are. Psychologists have found that children encouraged to focus on effort rather than innate ability tend to persist longer through challenges and achieve more. Celebrate the small improvements that come with each practice, this actually enables the brain to strengthen neural pathways and encourage discipline. Maybe today they floated for 5 seconds longer, or put their face in the water without panicking – those wins are far more meaningful towards learning how to swim than most think. Over time, these small gains accumulate into true mastery.
And swimmers who do achieve their goals faster than others can continue to grow through structured practice just as much as any other. Talent might set the starting line, but training sets the finish line. Emphasizing this fact while focusing on diligent training has a profound impact.
Dedicated, consistent practice with no shortcuts makes an elite swimmer who they are.
Consistency and a Safe Environment Build Confidence
If repetition is the engine of learning to swim, then a structured, supportive environment is the oil that keeps that engine running smoothly. Children especially thrive on routine. When they attend regular swim lessons (for example, every Saturday & Sunday at 12:45 PM), their brain knows what to expect and the swimmer gradually becomes comfortable in the water just by knowing what will happen when they show up. This consistent exposure tamps down fear and builds confidence. Minkels et al. notes that many traditional learn-to-swim programs follow a linear, step-by-step progression – introducing one skill at a time and practicing it repeatedly until it’s mastered (Minkels et al.). Such a method does allow children a stable structure, but it must be followed with individualized feedback, otherwise it’s simply redundant and “kicking by the pool” is called “swimming lessons.” This is all too common at high traffic swimming facilities, where many children and swimmers report they’ve wasted valuable time and money not really learning to swim. Here at LifeLong Aquatics, I emphasize personalized feedback to ensure every swimmer has the best chance at improvement. While structure, consistency and a safe environment is important to build confidence, high quality feedback is just as important.
However, nothing derails the learning process more than fear. If a child is anxious or had a scary incident in water before, they’ll simply be too stressed for their brain to absorb new skills. A 2020 study by Amy E. Peden and Richard C. Franklin analyzed over 14,000 swim lesson records in Australia and found that children who had a negative prior aquatic experience (such as a near-drowning experience or the perception of one) tended to progress significantly slower in learning to swim (Peden and Franklin). These kids achieved a lower average skill level for their age because fear was holding them back. The authors concluded that fear or trauma in water “have a detrimental influence on aquatic skill achievement” (Peden and Franklin). The good news is that with patient, gentle exposure and seemingly “effortless” routine (which was mentioned before to be productive for the swimmer even if it doesn’t look that way), even fearful children can overcome those mental blocks. The study recommended advice that I here at LifeLong Aquatics take to heart: actively work to prevent negative experiences and provide positive reinforcement (Peden and Franklin). For example, if I suspect a child (or an older swimmer) to be afraid of taking the next step, I always reassure them that “I’ll make it as easy as possible, just take the step.”
A crowded open swim at Snohomish Aquatic Center. Image credit: Water Technology Inc., 2025. Used under fair use.
However, there is some complexity to this: Minkels et al. found that children initially learned basic swimming skills faster in shallow water than in deep water, likely because they could focus on the actual motor skills rather than fearing the deep water (Minkels et al.). Shallow water allowed kids to practice kicking and crawl stroke with ease, whereas those in deep water had to worry about sinking to the bottom. However – and this is key – after enough practice, those differences disappeared. The same studies showed that after 12 to 18 months of continued lessons, the children who learned in deep water caught up to those who started in shallow water (Minkels et al.). In the long run, both groups became proficient swimmers. The short-term advantage of the shallow end was real and measurable, but routine practice over a year mattered more than the initial water depth.
This shows a very important point: the best environment for learning can evolve as a swimmer grows in their ability. Early on, a shallow setting may be ideal to speed up the initial skills and confidence learning. But as the swimmer grows, bigger and deeper environments will continue progression even faster. What’s interesting is that the only thing that really mattered in the end is consistent practice. Whether shallow or deep, in a quiet Saturday open swim at Lake Stevens High School Pool or a crowded open swim at Snohomish Aquatic Center, regular exposure is what cements skills. If a swimmer only swims during summer vacation, or when high school swim team comes around, they’re likely to be starting from scratch each year. By contrast, a swimmer who swims year-round – even if just once a week during lap swim at the Everett YMCA – they’re continually reinforcing what they’ve learned and extending it.
Works Cited
Minkels, Carola, et al. “Learning How to Swim in 5- to 12-Year-Old Children: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Motor Learning Methods.” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 7, 2025, 12 Feb. 2025, https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1505301.
Peden, Amy E., and Richard C. Franklin. “Learning to Swim: An Exploration of Negative Prior Aquatic Experiences Among Children.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 10, 2020, p. 3557. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103557..
Sugiyama, Taisei, et al. “Meta-Learning of Human Motor Adaptation via the Dorsal Premotor Cortex.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 121, no. 44, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2417543121.
Spytska, Liana. “The Impact of Physical Activity on Brain Neuroplasticity, Cognitive Functions and Motor Skills.” OBM Neurobiology, vol. 8, no. 2, 25 Apr. 2024, pp. 1–12 (Article 219), https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2402219.
Sato, Hirotaka, et al. “Effect of Swimming Initiation Period and Continuation Frequency on Motor Competence Development in Children Aged up to 3 Years: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study.” BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 16, 2024, Article 192,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-00980-9.
Oprean, Alexandru, et al. “Influences of Psychomotor Behaviors on Learning Swimming Styles in 6–9-YearOld Children.” Children, vol. 10, no. 8, 2023, p. 1339, https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081339.
