Kenneth Rippetoe, a swim coach at One With the Water, says he takes things slowly when people are learning to swim but are afraid.
"It becomes almost a therapy session," he says. "You have to acknowledge that the fears exist. We might start by putting your face in the water, realizing you can stand on the bottom. A lot of it is holding their hands — literally — and doing things together. We might blow bubbles, then put their chins in, then lower their mouths and noses in, and then full submersion, sitting on the bottom. You can get them on their backs, hold their heads and let them float.