Is possible to learn to swim, just by reading a lot about it?

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If a person reads a lot of theory about how to swim, different types of techniques, other people's written experiences etc., can they swim if thrown in a deep swimming pool? Or, at least, be able to swim enough to reach the steep end and save themselves from drowning?

By "a lot", I mean spending over 6 months to a year, gaining theoretical knowledge. And when we throw them in the pool, they are willing to try it, as in, "I have learnt enough, and I am willing to try it out."

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I think the answer is somewhere in the middle, and depends on your definition of "swimming"

Can a grown adult who can stay calm in stressful situations learn swimming well enough from a book so that he doesn't drown the first time he jumps in a pool. Yes

Can everyone do that, definitely not.

It also depends on the activity, you can probably learn bowling from a book good enough to hit the pins and then get better from there.

You could definitely not learn to fly a helicopter from a book.

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