Swimming lessons are an important rite of passage for any young person. In some cases, family members taught us to swim, while the rest of us probably received lessons at school, summer camp, or community swimming pools. The curriculum usually involved two steps. In an initial orientation held in the shallow end of the pool, we were taught how to kick and paddle (and to breathe too!), followed by practice times (for example, short swims to the sidewall; then all the way across the