The Fascination That Swimming Brings - Essay Example

Full The Fascination Swimming Brings Swimming has always seemed an easy task for me because as a child, I have been trained to swim, and swimming I went by with my early years. It has always seemed like a play for me which I enjoyed and I could say, not braggingly but in a naïve way, I am a good swimmer. I enjoyed the undertaking so much that I always look up to the next Saturday I will have a free time to spare for my hobby. It has become a part of me, the water, the strokes. Swimming with friends makes me proud of myself because I am not one who just sits while the others are enjoying rather I am with them having all the fun there is in the water. Growing up, I never thought there would be so much for me to learn. I thought I was pretty skilled in swimming and was actually quite satisfied with myself. You could I always patted myself on the back whenever I consider my swimming abilities and capabilities. However, as every growing man would soon find out, there is much I still do not know. I have become fascinated with new strokes I watch people perform, then I realized I like to learn more. The learning may not be for me to become a professional swimmer but for the sake of learning and seeing what I can do with my skills. Thus, I started my journey to learning more, thanks to technology. “It does not take the reflex of a Grand Prix driver, the muscles of Hercules or the mind of Einstein, but what it does take, is commitment.”, these are the words of the Navy Seals’ swimming instructor (U.S. Navy SEAL & SWCC Page). Swimming is indeed a difficult task to do, though it usually appears to be an easy one especially when you are watching an expert swimmer. However, when one tries the endeavor, he would soon find out that it takes a lot of work, which I believe is the very reason to the words of the instructor. Being an active person, I indulge myself in many sports and swimming is one of those which I have come to love. Though I consider myself a pretty good swimmer as I have been swimming since I was a child, watching the Navy Seals video and reading articles on the internet about the sport enthralls me on the various strokes that I could learn from professional swimmers. This has then caught my interest to read more and find videos I could watch, for me to increase my knowledge about the activity and practice so that I could perfect the sport in due time. I take this learning experience as a vital part in my being so that I verify reliable sources like the Navy Seals and I do appreciate the wit and skill of the instructor in the video which is the very source of this discussion. It is interesting to note that there are three fundamentals of swimming which includes balance, length and rotation (U.S. Navy SEAL & SWCC Page). Balance, as the instructor discussed shows the swimmer flat in the water or is in parallel with the water. That is, he should not be in an inclined position with the head going up towards the top of the water and the feet towards the floor. Instead, the head should be in line with the shoulder blades as well as the feet. To successfully do this, the swimmer has to be very conscious about his head and his lungs which affect the swimming, otherwise, the swimmer will feel uncomfortable which could cause an imbalance. The head is supposed to be held in parallel to the shoulders which is probably difficult to do as the activity requires much air for the swimmer. Although the instructor discussed rotating to get some air, I figure that would still be difficult as sometimes, getting that much needed air brings imbalance to the swimmer. It is required that the head should not be lifting, cocking or ducking to maintain the balance on the swimmer and the lungs should be pressed. I think what the trainer is saying, are the lungs being filled with air so as to keep the swimmer afloat. To understand this, let us imagine a balloon without air. If the balloon is placed in water, it sinks. On the other hand, when air is blown in to the balloon, it floats on water. This would be a situation similar to the lungs which helps the swimmer stay in balance in water without any discomforts. The other fundamental of swimming discussed is length wherein the theory given is that, the taller the swimmer is, the longer his span of swimming will be, thus the faster his swimming will be. Imagining the condition, it is most probable that the theory is correct, being similar to a car. The larger the wheels of a car are, the bigger will be the rotation, and thus, the longer the distance will be taken in a certain amount of time. Thirdly, rotation is given as the final fundamental of swimming which is true as well in many sports. It was mentioned earlier that in breathing while one is swimming, he has to use some rotation to get that much needed air. This makes the activity more comfortable but not so much for beginners as it indeed takes much discipline to train oneself to keep one’s body stick to the rules. In other sports, rotation is also needed though not in the breathing process, but in the success and comfort of a sports endeavor. The speaker likened the action to a softball player who rotates his hips as he bats the ball to give the full force needed for a strong bat. The same is true in swimming. Rotation is essential for a successful move of the swimmer. Examples of strokes were presented in the video to enhance the explanations given, and it was indeed very helpful to see the strokes as the instructor explained them. Reading on the other hand lets me understand even more especially the words that I miss to listen well not unless I find all the time to review the video time and again. Stew Smith, a former Navy SEAL discussed in his article the Combat Swimmer Stroke (CSS) which has equally interested me as the video. He discussed this stroke in detail, taking its components in consideration as the discussion progressed. According to Smith, the CSS is a combination of basic strokes such as sidestroke, freestyle and breaststroke (Military.com). The CSS to Smith is his answer to the question on what is the best swimming technique on swimming with fins, and describes it as starting with two freestyle strokes, a breaststroke and one sidestroke which is to be repeated in such sequence (Military.com). The first stroke as the name implies could give the swimmer the choice of taking the easiest stroke he could have and that usually would be the crawling position which is not just easy to do but is a commonly employed even by non professional swimmers. From the author’s descriptions of the first stroke, I deduce that this is used to accelerate oneself with the use of the arm pulls followed by the taking in of air, after the top arm pulls to ready the swimmer’s self for the more difficult breast stroke. To complete the technique, the swimmer uses the sidestroke with the scissor kick for speeding up. Using one stroke in the water is totally tiring so I take this technique would really be a great challenge for a swimmer as it involve three strokes which require great strength and endurance. Being in the water alone can be draining especially when one is in the sea because of the current that a person has to go against in order to keep himself safe. What more strength would be needed when one is really swimming and exerting effort, not only against the current but in swimming as well. This is probably one of the reasons why swimming is considered one of the best exercises there is. It requires the work of almost all the muscles so that generally, every inch of the swimmer’s body moves. This takes me to thinking about the last words of the trainer in the video saying, “There is no trick, no easy way but hard work. Swimming is truly a tiring task which may seem simple and easy when you are watching another performing the stance but when it comes to performing it yourself, one would find out how challenging it could become. I agree that in this enterprise, one needs commitment. Commitment to finish the task no matter how difficult it may be for as the old adage says, “No pain, no gain”. Along with commitment, I would add that discipline also is equally needed to successfully train in such a sport. Body pains should be expected in this exhausting activity so that one who decides to take part of it should be well ready to face the consequences which are imminent. These effects should not become the hindrance to a swimmer but must become the driving force that keeps an undertaker to be committed and persistent in the task, challenging him all the more with the thought that when he is used to the pain, it will soon go away and would someday seem to be just another nightmare. Swimming is a challenging task that requires a lot of hard work. Despite this fact, I would still pursue to learn more about this endeavor as I know it will not just instill disciplines in my physical being but will have advantageous impacts as well with my emotional and psychological discipline. Smith, Stew. n.d. The Combat Swim. Military.com: Fitness Center. Web. December 10, 2010. < http://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/combat-swimmer-stroke>. U.S. Navy SEAL & SWCC Page. 2010. Combat Side Stroke. Web. December 10, 2010. < http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1025331879770>. Read More