The person who taught me swimming is my mother. I think she is very smart and great, because I just spent one afternoon to learn how to swim, and I did it! For this reason, I don’t think swimming is a very difficult thing for me, so I want share my experience about how to learn it.
First, you should do some worm exercise before you go into the swimming pool. Then, you should learn how to stop breathing when you under the water. Later, when you adapt yourself to circumstances, you can learn how to mock the actions of swimming. After that, I think another important skill is how to deal with the emergency condition. For example, if you are beginner, I suggest that you should stay in the shallow pool. Finally, try to swim without the help of other people or life buoy. Pluck up your courage.
Most beginners are afraid of submerging in the water. I think if you can understand the essentials of swimming, and dare to try. You can do it very quickly.