Lessons Learned From My Swimming

In an earlier post I’ve omitted several important things associated with this water sport. Foremost in every enduring physical activity, one must carefully assess one’s reserve energy, stamina, and physical fitness. This careful assessment comes with only experience. Suddenly one cannot stop swimming in the middle of a fast flowing stream and flip over to the edge; one has to control and properly steer the body away from physical danger. Even in tranquil pool waters one can get stuck with severe cramp in the thigh, calf, or hand. Then we have to gently learn to float for a while and some how cross towards the nearest edge, ladder, or bank. This maneuvering must occur while keeping normal breathing without letting the body drown due to sheer exhaustion. History is replete with terrible tragedies in swimming. The famous English Channel swimmer Captain Matthew Webb could not handle the dangerous whirlpool-whipping currents of Niagara River.

Here is a portrait of the famous Indian swimmer Mihir Sen with Prime Minister Nehru. It ought to inspire young students and athletes in any age. (Photo is from the Internet; Copyright probably belongs to his daughter.) 

Some of the hostel students used to do stretching exercises before the dip. I did not do any stretching, per se during my daily swimming. I took those trips to the pool as a fun outing. Perhaps I should have done a little stretching before the diving. At least twice or thrice in the season I got severe muscle cramping while doing the long laps, i.e., along the length. In hindsight now I consider the cramping due to excessive (over) exercise, lack of fluids, or electrolytic imbalance. During running or bicycle riding one can move to the shoulder and rest till the spasm of cramping pain eases a bit. But while swimming we’ve to be extremely careful. I did not know these complications initially; did not talk with my friends about such issues. Slowly I learned to handle the cramping on my own. One of my legs would become suddenly stiff refusing to move at all. Then I would gently move my hands and turn over to the backstroke style (floating) and drag my body to the nearest ledge. Oh, damn, that used to be a very long tiring strenuous swim for that twenty or thirty feet distance.  

With a bit of experience under my belt, such painful episodes stopped bothering me. I developed confidence and I could gauge my physical strength correctly. Then suddenly one weekend I got into a very dangerous situation. My troublesome teenager nephew (S.Y.) dragged me into an almost fatal situation. In the village I used to carry the same nephew (then a toddler) around the garden and coconut orchard to soothe him from stomach aches. So our bonding goes back many years – both in the ancestral village and in the mega city we used to play tricks and tease each other. That eventful summer he was idling at home and getting bored with nothing to do. One weekend he accompanied me to the hostel and pestered me about swimming. When I asked repeatedly, “Do you really know swimming?” he’d just bluff in the affirmative. I had my doubts and I yielded to the repeated beseeching. So we went to the pool for a few laps, no just for one lap across the width. To be on the safe side we should have started the swim from the shallow side. But we took to the plunge from the middle and just after few strokes my nephew started sinking; he was gasping for breath. 

Instinctively he grabbed on to my body for help. I was actually a little ahead, totally unaware of his precarious situation. In such conditions the best course would be like this: the drowning person should keep the nose above water and hold on the waist (lower part) and help the rescuer to gently reach the nearest bank. Ideally the drowning person should not put his entire weight on the rescuer. But here we both were on the verge of sinking together. Luckily I pulled all my reserve strength and slowly dragged him to the edge. He was at least ten or fifteen pounds heavier than me. Then and there I took an instant oath - never to get into such dangerous situations. This a warning to all average swimmers! 

My diving antics were more joyful. Jumping off from the lower diving boards (10 – 15’) was no big deal and I used try the straight vertical drop like a bamboo pole or the sitting posture to make a big splash. But on half a dozen times I did venture the jumps from the top most diving board. It was not that easy. I would climb all the way to the top and linger for many minutes – a bit apprehensive about the steep fall into the deep waters. Then suddenly out of nowhere a slender high school lad would appear right behind me. He would goad me gently, “Uncle, jump. No big deal.” Or, sometimes the teasing teenager would suddenly push me over the edge to clinch the issue – “to be or not to be”. 

Then rapidly I would free fall for a while before hitting the green waters. With stretched hands and streamlined body I would try to reach the bottom as rapidly as possible. Then touch the floor and quickly turn around and start towards the shining light from the surface above. Maybe it was exhilarating a minute or two; I had to hold my breath and reach the fresh air in the open. Oh, what a relief! To feel that fresh air normal breathing out in the open. Mostly I did one dive per day but even that did affect my hearing. I should have used thick cotton swab (from the lab) or earplugs (rubber stoppers) for my own protection. But I did not notice the long-term effect till the season’s end. Then suddenly I would feel water in the inner ear and some sort of blockage (muffled hearing). 

Who has time for going to the dispensary for the swimmer’s ear? I was too busy in the grad school with lab, some dabbling in poetry, and vacantly looking at the owls. Probably I tried a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or some ear-drops. Now I recall why some swimmers used to jump up and down with tilted head – to drain the water from ear canal. Finally after six months somehow I got rid of the ear blockage. Luckily my hearing stayed perfect through all these years. Now I do wear earplugs or tight woolen cap while working with noisy lawn mower or snow blower. 

Copyright 2022 by the author

Unconventional Swimming Lessons

Unconventional Swimming Lessons

Despite living close to large fresh water bodies (river, canal, tanks, and yes even sea), I did not learn swimming for many years. My village friends and some classmates used to spend hours in the wide canal waters, at times with a fly rod. Once my classmate got almost smacked in the eye while diving from a tree branch into the large tank near our street corner. Mother could have used her good offices to arrange swimming lessons for me from any of her village friends. Perhaps she was too busy with other things and I never learned the water sport in my native village. Thus though clean water was close by I could not avail the fun of aquatic sports.  Rarely I did any serious swimming in my school days except a few half-hearted strokes or paddling with my tiny hands. This is what they mean by the age-old adage: “The temple is near but the Lord is far away.” 

In the graduate school we had to endure very hot summers; still makes me dehydrate just by thinking even now! And there was a functioning Olympic size pool with clean green tinted (bleach) waters. One day at the breakfast table my friends and I were idly talking about while munching on toast and fruit. Two other friends were in their swimming trunks for the morning lap. Casually I asked my Tamil friend (M.S.) to teach me swimming. “No problem, first get yourself a nice swimming shorts (trunk).” I waited anxiously the whole day to get out of the lab sooner and rushed to the strip mall in the evening. For about ten or fifteen rupees I bought a simple grey trunk; but it was too late for my first lesson that evening.

Next morning after brushing I dashed directly to my friend’s hostel room on the ground floor. We quickly grabbed the breakfast and proceeded towards the pool. He was telling me stories about how he used to swim in Tamil Nadu in a large well with rope tied around his waist. Sweet innocent high school outdoor activities in clean water surroundings – days of the bygone era. After a quick shower we went down to the pool. It is a big pool with diving boards going all the way up to thirty feet high. 

My teacher friend was very brave and physically fit. He took me directly to the deep end near the high diving board. There he proceeded with stern instructions: “Look dear, if you want to learn really you’ve to follow my advice. You can stay like all those idle guys in the shallow waters for several seasons without ever learning anything about water. They stand there like the cranes, just walking on the floor in the shallow water.”

“No, I want to learn fast. I want to enjoy swimming and deep water diving.”

“Ok, I’ll teach you in two days. You just have to follow my rules. And fully trust me.”

That’s it. He really taught me everything in two or three days. There were no ropes, floating devices, goggles, and not even earplugs. No long pole to rescue me from drowning. My instructor continued thus: “First you get rid of water phobia. I ask you to jump into the sixteen feet deep water. You just jump. And then follow your (body) instincts to stay afloat, just enough to keep your nose above water. Be utterly calm and continue steady gentle breathing.”

That was it - a small adventurous beginning. I was standing next to the diving board in wet swimming costume. And without any thought, I just jumped straight into the pool. With a bit of paddling and pushing with hands (Newton’s Third Law) I could keep my head above the water and gently I crawled towards the cement hand railing on the edge. My instructor was happy to see me afloat breathing normally. We continued talking with further helpful instructions, he standing over the edge and me vertically floating in the pool.  

  

After two weeks my teacher had let me swim on my own without any supervision. I did not pay for his lessons in any way. But I used to accompany him to the Sunday group meetings (picnic) with packed lunches from the mess. Eventually we all graduated and dispersed from the city. Later he tracked me down in Tamil Nadu on one afternoon and we went for a nice high tea outside the college campus. 

That summer when I visited my native place in Andhra I had a marvelous vacation time (a blast!) in the village. We were living very close to the big agricultural feeder canal and every morning I would take a dip in the water. I did several laps covering the width and tried my screw rotations (freestyle and backstroke combination) on the slightly muddy waters. All the fear of water was gone forever. 

As I look back fondly at those youthful days I’ve only few complaints: I did not fully learn the diving technique. With more patience and perseverance I could have developed a smooth diving, the angle of attack, and perhaps one or two flips in midair. Also I should have perfected the forward (breast) stroke keeping the head a little lower into the water with the upper body more parallel (horizontal) to the floor. But then there were other distractions like looking at other swimmers, the canteen dosas, and enjoying the Amaltas flower bunches on the way. I also learned other subjects like adult education from my hostel mate. That summer fully engrossed in the water sport was a memorable phase in my life. I made new friends and the swimming season ended with a “swimmer’s ear”. We almost watched with a sigh of despair at the closing of swimming pool for the season; it was getting terribly cold and we couldn’t continue any further with dirty mossy water. I got introduced to authors like Herman Hesse and Joyce through my humanities hostel mates. My lab friends got envious at my carefree attitude to life (studies). I think they got jealous because I learnt swimming so quickly, so easily, so effortlessly. 

Despite spending two or three hours in the pool I still managed with my lab work pretty well – way ahead of my group. I think every youngster should master bicycle and swimming. They teach bodily balance and floating ability. Every summer when I read about the recurring drowning of young college students I really feel sorry for such water accidents, tragedies that are really preventable.  To be Continued. Copyright 2022 by the author. Pool Photo adapted from the Internet (Copyright holder unknown)