Mandatory swim instruction . . . effective, fair?

I think requiring beginners to jump in the pool and swim fully clothed is a fantastic idea. It is in fact required by John Lennon in his weekend SOAP workshops for fearful adults. After learning basic relaxation techniques, etc., it is necessary to find out what it is like to be in the water clothed--it is harder to swim and might induce panic more readily than when wearing only a swim suit. I mean, how likely is it to find yourself unexpectedly in water over your head while clad only in a swimsuit? Think about capsizing boats, falling off piers, driving into rivers, and the like. The aim should be to make everybody water-safe. Besides, it does seem like a darn lot of fun to me. As for the idea that an adult doesn't need to know how to swim, Melon Dash disposes of that in her book. You may never intend to go near the water, but how can you be sure that in the future you could find yourself in a situation where swimming skills would be critical? At any rate, you could argue both ways whether mandatory swim tests/lessons are a good thing. Still, it seems certain that many adults do not have enough water confidence for safety, especially while engagaing in aquatic activities. What a wonderful way to introduce sedentary adults to a fun new fitness-promoting activity! We do need to promote swim instruction more to black people, whose whole cultural experience seems to promote a disinclination to be in the water. I do not believe in the ridiculous idea held by some that black people are less genetically capable than others of learning to swim. There is no evidence for this belief. The human nervous system and general anatomy are no different regarding swimming in people of African ancestry than in any other group of humans, so far as I can see. But efforts should still be made to get all people, regardless of race, to be safer in the water. Perhaps the key here is to realize that, revolutionary as it may seem, virtually all human beings (except maybe the seriously disabled) can learn to swim comfortably in deep water. Melon Dash strongly maintains that. I mean, it could be purely a matter of culture. You hear of whole tribes in the South Pacific all of whose members can swim like a fish. It is extremely hard, though, for some people to learn basic swimming skills. I am not sure of all of the reasons for that. For a few individuals, jumping into deep water and swimming four lengths without stopping, using various strokes, as required at MIT, would be a monumental achievement. I myself could not do that after ten years of taking lessons. Too often, it seems we think that making people go through a course in swimming will, by itself, make someone water-safe for life. It may, or it may not. Maybe it depends on whether the person learns to like swimming, and will continue to practice it in his after-high school or college life. You can't just assume that going through such a course will make a person always and forever into some kind of water rat or Mark Spitz-type or something. Or that he'll always not to have to worry about drowning, etc. , even though he'll likely never, or seldom, get in the water again. Maybe we should make swimming instruction voluntary, at least for older teenagers or adults--that way those who choose it would at least be strongly motivated. But, then, if not compelled ,some people would undoubtedly not learn to swim and then never be safe around water. Swiiming should certainly be taught more effectively, I think, and in accord with the principles I mentioned in my earlier posting. On this most fascinating topic I would welcome more comment.

I think requiring beginners to jump in the pool and swim fully clothed is a fantastic idea. It is in fact required by John Lennon in his weekend SOAP workshops for fearful adults. After learning basic relaxation techniques, etc., it is necessary to find out what it is like to be in the water clothed--it is harder to swim and might induce panic more readily than when wearing only a swim suit. I mean, how likely is it to find yourself unexpectedly in water over your head while clad only in a swimsuit? Think about capsizing boats, falling off piers, driving into rivers, and the like. The aim should be to make everybody water-safe. Besides, it does seem like a darn lot of fun to me. As for the idea that an adult doesn't need to know how to swim, Melon Dash disposes of that in her book. You may never intend to go near the water, but how can you be sure that in the future you could find yourself in a situation where swimming skills would be critical? At any rate, you could argue both ways whether mandatory swim tests/lessons are a good thing. Still, it seems certain that many adults do not have enough water confidence for safety, especially while engagaing in aquatic activities. What a wonderful way to introduce sedentary adults to a fun new fitness-promoting activity! We do need to promote swim instruction more to black people, whose whole cultural experience seems to promote a disinclination to be in the water. I do not believe in the ridiculous idea held by some that black people are less genetically capable than others of learning to swim. There is no evidence for this belief. The human nervous system and general anatomy are no different regarding swimming in people of African ancestry than in any other group of humans, so far as I can see. But efforts should still be made to get all people, regardless of race, to be safer in the water. Perhaps the key here is to realize that, revolutionary as it may seem, virtually all human beings (except maybe the seriously disabled) can learn to swim comfortably in deep water. Melon Dash strongly maintains that. I mean, it could be purely a matter of culture. You hear of whole tribes in the South Pacific all of whose members can swim like a fish. It is extremely hard, though, for some people to learn basic swimming skills. I am not sure of all of the reasons for that. For a few individuals, jumping into deep water and swimming four lengths without stopping, using various strokes, as required at MIT, would be a monumental achievement. I myself could not do that after ten years of taking lessons. Too often, it seems we think that making people go through a course in swimming will, by itself, make someone water-safe for life. It may, or it may not. Maybe it depends on whether the person learns to like swimming, and will continue to practice it in his after-high school or college life. You can't just assume that going through such a course will make a person always and forever into some kind of water rat or Mark Spitz-type or something. Or that he'll always not to have to worry about drowning, etc. , even though he'll likely never, or seldom, get in the water again. Maybe we should make swimming instruction voluntary, at least for older teenagers or adults--that way those who choose it would at least be strongly motivated. But, then, if not compelled ,some people would undoubtedly not learn to swim and then never be safe around water. Swiiming should certainly be taught more effectively, I think, and in accord with the principles I mentioned in my earlier posting. On this most fascinating topic I would welcome more comment.