In at the shallow end

So here’s the thing.

When I was around 9 years old we went swimming with the school. I can’t remember how long we did this, but the simple truth of the matter is that I never got it. I never figured out how you stayed afloat. All I seem to remember was that we’d all line up across the pool and the teacher would say swim to the 5-foot line and stop. All I was thinking was “how?” I don’t remember anyone being in the water teaching us even the most basic of skills.

Well, after 40 years as a non-swimmer I’m proud to announce that I finally managed to achieve that something that eluded me when I was 9. With the help of a great teacher, in the course of 6 one-hour lessons, I’ve gone from being apprehensive and uncomfortable in water to feeling comfortable and able to be in control.

What has amazed me, apart from going from non-swimmer to front crawl in 6 hours, is that when I shared some of the things I was learning with Anne, my wife, she’d never been taught them either.

The first thing my teacher Frank taught me, happened before I even arrived at his Gloucester school. He taught me a simple technique for taking a breath, holding it, and controlling its release. On my first lesson in the pool, I was floating face down in water, and all because I’d already learnt “the breath”. After that it wasn’t easy and things didn’t come quickly or naturally, but with Frank’s encouragement and help in my 5th lesson he taught me the arm action for front crawl and encouraged me to push off the wall and swim. I did. I was amazed. I’m still amazed.

There were lots of other little steps and a few setbacks, but what I learnt most of all was that I could be in control in the water. So it’s hopefully, head down, kick with the feet and turn those arms into a new aquatic future. There’s still a lot to learn and I don’t imagine I will ever be a great swimmer, but I am a swimmer.

And if you’re in the non-swimmer quarter of the adult population, take heart, if I can do it, I think anyone with enough motivation can. If you want to see where I went, then visit Frank’s website and read the stories. If you don’t think they can possibly be true, take it from me, it’s more than possible.