Swimming: the sport of champions

Yasuhiro Akumatsu developed radiation sickness after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Doctors told him there was no medical cure for his count of dangerously low white-blood cells. Akumatsu began swimming regularly 30 years later in 1975. Six years and 2,000 nautical miles later, he recovered completely. Many swimming champions have been asthmatics. American freestyler Rick Demont is one of them. He won the 400m Olympic gold medal in 1972 at Munich, but was later disqualified for using an asthma preparation held illegal by the Olympic authorities. Demont continued swimming undeterred. He swam an hour daily and represented the USA once again in the 100m freestyle event.

Water by its very nature is ­buoyant. Almost anything or anybody that drops in is held afloat by water. Common sense is often the hallmark of ­survival. So the first thing to tell your frightened self or someone scared is something like, ‘What the hell. It’s just water. I have two glasses before breakfast.’ Incidentally, do both. Drinking to your good health makes a good toast too.

In this context, it is imperative to remember that months before your mother gave you birth, you were swimming in the fluids of her stomach. Swimming is as natural as walking and even precedes it. Having said that, fear is contagious. And you could easily transmit it to your family. Children can be initiated by playing land games in the water. Place your child in a peer group and get her to play catching cook, relay races, etc. Engage a coach for swimming lessons. But it helps a child’s confidence to have one parent watching when he/she is in the water.

The science of swimming

Let’s go back to school and revise basic Physics. Buoyancy is dependent on the downward pull of gravity and the upthrust is created by the water displaced by that body. It is Archimedes’ law all over again. Water density is one gram per cubic centimetre. Hence objects less dense than water float and those denser, sink. A human body is normally and naturally around 0.98 to 0.99gm. So most humans float. And you most probably will.

Proceeding further down the gravitational lane is navel-gazing in a nautical manner. Our buoyancy centre (BC) is about 5cm above the navel. Drawing our limbs in towards our BC increases body balance control in water. Resistance: Though swimming gives you an upward thrust, the familiar Newton’s law of ‘each movement has an equal and opposite force’ — gravity, kicks in. Think of your body as an automobile with a rear engine. The legs starting from your hips are the empowering engine and rear wheels. The arms are both the steering wheel and the front tyres to achieve balance and direction.

Though I’d learnt swimming (thanks to my dad) by age five, I began serious swimming sessions only after ‘early retirement’ from magazine journalism in 1984. The shift to Highland Park, Lokhandwala, with a residential pool was planned with health in our minds. I was pronounced hypertensive by a heart specialist back then (probably caused by my genes, work stress and long hours of commuting daily) before I’d turned 40. The good doctor prescribed regular medicines and I planned a swimming schedule. Over time, I began to swim 45 minutes non-stop daily right up to Covid-19.

­Mistake One: I neglected drinking water. And consequently suffered severe dehydration, once that rendered my body iron-board stiff. Lesson: drink at least three litres of fluid daily.

The Covid pandemic changed human lives world over. In my case, I had to sacrifice swimming. I resumed swimming late last year — four years after the pandemic. I struggled to swim non-stop for even five minutes. Forget the 45-minutes I had led up to in my first swimming innings.

Mistake: I now watched the clock after every round. At first I attributed it to lack of strength and stamina sans swimming. But that is a half-truth. I had continued resistance training and aerobic arm-chair cycling that was aerobically as effective, actually more so — because I’d never reached swimming’s aerobic target of 549 metres in 15 ­minutes. Though five years older, I was stronger and fitter now compared to my first venture. Time flew in the first-time round. I’d look up and then realise I’d reached my 45 minutes’ target. Lesson: Sheer clock watching is a waste of time. Because it is unproductive and subtly undermines patience, perseverance and practice which are hard earned over time and physical effort. Never say enough is enough. Whatever their age or sport, athletes swim to cool down.

Red flag

All water bodies appear safe. Appearances are deceptive. There could be danger lurking under or beyond that seductively beautiful surface. Sharp rocks that wound, undercurrents that drag, the tide that turns… Go beyond the picture-postcard image and check out the scene with a local when you’re on a water vacation. In addition, have a guide/good swimmer accompanying you.

Swimming adds a great plus-factor and water has been used by non-swimmers to develop their own sport. Rocky Marciano, the G.O.A.T. of world heavyweight boxing and the only one to retire undefeated with a 49-0 record and overall 83 knock-outs in the ring, waded into the pool and punched water until he was exhausted. Water being a denser medium than air meant more resistance. This empowered Rocky to develop twin-bombs in his fists. Sylvester Stallone capitalised on Rocky’s success and his film ­series of the same name have been major box-office hits.

Water also encourages adventure tourism with events like kayaking, surfing, etc. Besides, you could try being your own Robinson Crusoe. And Huckleberry Swim (read; Finn).

  The writers are authors of Fitness for Life and Simply Spiritual – You Are Naturally Divine and teachers of the Fitness for Life programme