The same way people can learn to dance while reading a book.

Based on some real-world knowledge, no.

For example, there's this class that military helicopter pilots take as part of training for surviving water landings. They have the body of a helicopter which can be dropped into a big swimming pool. The pilots strap in, they're dropped into the pool, and they have to unbuckled and exit the helicopter.

So many people fail this, repeatedly. Scuba divers are in the pool just to extract the people who can't make it out. The issue is that when you panic, you tend to stop thinking rationally; it's why swimmer lifesaving is so dangerous - a panicking swimmer will do anything to save themselves, including grabbing the lifesaver and trying to climb on top of them, which can result in both people drowning. In the pilot case, people panic and can't unbuckle themselves, straining against the restraints to get out, until they have to be rescued. Even if they start well, trying to unbuckle, if they fumble at the restraints, they can panic and then they stop trying to unbuckle. Even though the helicopter is only a cockpit and a bay with big van-style doors, people panic and get lost trying to get out; they just can't find the bay doors, and have to be rescued. For these night tests, you can't see which was is up, and people panic and forget to take time to orient, and swim toward the bottom of the pool, and have to be rescued.

All of the theory in the world can't protect you from panic; the only thing that helps is experience. You do it enough that you get used to it and have confidence that keeps the panic at bay.

Studying isn't enough, because the first thing that goes when you panic is your ability to think rationally, and the OMG way to prevent panic is confidence, and that's developed through experience. It's why teaching always includes homework: you have to exercise the knowledge for it to become second nature.

Possibly. But there is a good reason that is not the way swimming is taught and I'd not jump in the deep end based on book knowledge.

That being said read, then practice, then read, then practice loop is a very quick way for me to learn.

I think: no.

With no experience, one will get stressed out and make uncontrolled movements. A save environment is needed for your brain to say "that ain’t half bad"

You couldn’t ride a bicycle by reading due to a lack of motor-skills, I think that swimming is the same, but due to a lack of mental-skills

Just like many physical things, not really.

A huge part of your brain is dedicated to motor skills and hand eye coordination. You aren't going to improve or learn these things until you actually do them. It's neurological, you can't move a muscle you don't have neurological connections for, it's a learned skill. And you cannot learn it without actually doing it and making those connections.

Imagine never letting a baby crawl, and you just teach them about crawling, walking, running....etc once they're old enough to understand. But they have never moved yet in their life.

They would essentially be disabled, none of the neural pathways necessary for the movement they need to do have been developed. These would need to develop from scratch, by struggling and failing.

Everyone here that says yes and then mentions practice is not getting your question.

The spirit of your question would be reading about it and understanding the theory and then dropping yourself in the middle of a lake. And either you learned and you swim to shore or you drown.

I'm sure most of the people here that are mentioning practice would understand that you would just drown and that you would not actually have learned how to swim.

Intelligence is a huge factor. For instance it is possible to would be possible to solve a Rubik’s cube if you have the intelligence and no never solved one in your life. You can draw pictures of each step and execute when ready. You could in theory build the physique and stamina required for swimming in other ways and transfer it to the first time you swim.

I am skinny - if I am not actively swimming in fresh water I am sinking (sea is different but sea comes with waves which is an added complication). If I am tired or nervous then I have to fight with my subconscious to be calm and stay safe. So I would add mental strength to the list for a first time swimmer. And even then I’d say don’t go out of your depth.

No.

When I was a dancer - if one of us was injured, they made us come & watch the practice because apparently your body does gain knowledge just by watching.

But that was with a baseline knowledge already.

I think it would help, learning about swimming before doing it. More so if you are already physically active in some other way though.

You don't learn muscle memory from books. Just go to watrr and try to float.

I'm going to disagree with everyone here. Loads of people throughout history have learned to swim by literally being thrown in. It's not a good way to learn, but people do it. Even babies can do it.

Given a little bit of reading first, you'd do just fine. Yeah, the motions might be a little off cause it's hard to learn a complex movement from a book, but it would be good enough.

Place an item on a table.

It stays on the table. It does not fall through the table. No book will say that.

AI has this problem too.