At 7 years old, David couldnt swim. Because a
wave had almost drowned him, fear was imprinted in his mind! He couldnt even get his face under the water. He trusted me,
so I made him a promise.
OK. I can get rid of your fear in the bathroom in just a couple of minutes. After that, Ill teach you to swim in the morning.
If you can accomplish that, Ill take you for an adventure in Hawaii, ok?
Tales of a viewer submarine and glorious multicolored fish got his hesitant agreement.
Blowing bubbles out your nose, will teach you how not to choke on the water, all right? I encouraged. At the sink. Just
standing here, you cant possibly feel afraid, right? His nod took us to the next stage. Now you are going to blow bubbles
in the sink water, ok? He did it.
Next came the bathtub. A larger body of water, with the same agenda. This time, whole head under! he was even more excited!
The pool side in the morning had him standing waist deep in the water. Im going to hold your head while you float like
a board, arms outstretched. brought eager compliance.
Im just going to hold you, so you can see how your body acts in the water. he stiffened a little, out of fright. Im holding
you up, no need to be afraid. Im going to let my grip loosen a little, but my hands are still holding you, had me letting
his body float, but with the hint of my hands still at his head.
At this point, he was actually floating, but needed the reassurance that I was holding his up which I was not.
HE WAS ACTUALLY FLOATING BY HIMSELF,
BUT GENTLE TEACHING IS SELF-CONFIDENCE BUILDING!
I said, Look at your arms now. They are floating. He looked. Im not holding you up now, brought feet down, and arms sank
too.
Did you watch them sink, when you were afraid? Didnt choke on water, did you? You were floating by yourself the whole
time, understand? When you are in over your head, you can FLOAT WITHOUT DROWNING! MAGIC WORDS to non-swimmers! Now he demanded,
YES, YES, TEACH ME MORE!!! he excitedly pleaded!
Ever see a frog swim? Its the most natural, easiest, and strongest type stroke. So the altered frog stroke is great to
teach! (Arms pull rythmically from the front while the legs pull together.) Just by pointing out the type of stroke, explained
what he needed next. Swim under water holding your breath for a stroke, then stroke to the top, and take a quick breath! If
you need to stop, just float!
Two magic words, Just float!
HE TRIED AND WENT FROM NON-SWIMMERS TO STRONG, IN TEN MINUTES!!!
A good feeling of being helped by a friend, the most important thing.
Secret Guidebook to a Great Life! by Gentle Warrior©2005Copy/personal use ok.
