What is a good swimming training schedule?

Swimming Requirements, etc. for the Marines?

• I asked this question a few days ago and got some replies but I'm needing more useful info so please and thanks :) I'm a 27 yo female and I'm thinking of joining the Marines (or the Air Force). I looked into their training schedule and I'm pretty sure I can take both of them on. Yeah I know I sound arrogant but I grew up in a "difficult" neighborhood. It's like South Central, Compton and Harlem in one, minus the guns. People there loved knives and machetes (because they can't afford guns)... so I had to learn how to defend myself before I even went to elementary school... I'm trained in Kali/Eskrima (used by SEALs and Special Forces) which is basically a martial art of killing. xD Anyway! One thing I'm concerned about is the language, I can understand English, but I don't understand slang English, and I can't very well ask the drill instructor to not speak slang...or can I? :D The other thing is: I don't know how to swim. I can learn it before I enlist but will it be hard to pass lvl 4? PS. I honestly think I have that "negative buoyancy" thing, I'm pretty skinny and I just can't float in water for some reason. The longest I was able to push myself to stay in the surface was maybe a minute, and that took all my strength. I've had 2 swimming classes, one from my grandfather who was, ironically, a pearl diver; he said I was a "hopeless case"... the other one was in college which I passed because I only had to reach point A and point B (18 meters) and instead of swimming I scuba dived minus the scuba to reach point B, almost drowned... I walked 3 miles to get to school everyday for 10 years like most kids in my country do and ran/ jogged back home the whole way. I still walk/run for 10 miles every weekend (6 mi Sat/4 mi Sun) and train in the dojo after work for 3 hours everyday so physically I'm in pretty good shape.I just suck at swimming. I weigh 120 lbs, around 5'4-5'5".

• Answer:

  For basic entry to the Marines or Air Force, there is no swimming requirement. There is no swimming training in the basic training, while advanced training may be different. it depends on what job you want. i don't know what "training schedule" you're looking into, but i seriously doubt there is something on paper that adequately prepares somebody for "training". sorry to say, but just because you lived somewhere "difficult" doesn't mean you can handle the training. the air force is way easier than the marines. and i guess there are easier standards for women in the military. as far as language, no you can't just ask somebody to not talk slang. the language barrier is worth taking into consideration. but hey whatever, when i joined the army, we had people from Puerto Rico that barely could speak english and they did okay i suppose.