Whenever I start a new swimming clinic I introduce Stern’s distorted view of learning. Adults bring in an assortment of baggage which gets in the way of learning. Bit by bit I tear into it and create an atmosphere where learning can occur.
“How many of you are slow swimmers?” I ask. Hands go up. I tell them that I do not work with slow swimmers and that being fast or slow is a point of view not a time. If you are the only person living in your household you are the fastest swimmer there. If you act and think like a slow swimmer you will never improve because you will prove to the world that you are slow. Henry Ford once said, “whether you think you can or whether you think you cannot you are probably right.” We set up our successes and failures before we start.
Everyone in my clinic knows how to swim. I do not try to break old habits. I teach new skills. It takes forever to break “bad” habits. It is much easier to learn new things.
The best learners in the world are little children. They have very small egos and huge curiosities. They are constantly absorbing information through observation. I ask my students to use their senses. “What did you see; what did you feel; WHAT DID YOU NOTICE!” The answer is never, “I think I might have.” Look again! “Did you see your hand?” “Did you feel water under your arm?” The answer is always yes or no, never maybe.
Many of my students have taken other swim classes with different philosophies. They have invested money and time in learning a particular way of swimming. I ask them to suspend belief for the next six weeks (length of clinic). This is not as easy as it sounds. We butt heads. They want to show me how the other stroke works. I ask them if the other one worked why are they here? “Can you see your hand if you are looking straight at the bottom of the pool?” “What did you see when you took your breath?” “Were you looking behind at your feet?” "Notice! Notice! Notice! what you are doing.
I want my sudents to be conscious. As adults were love our habits and rote work. Thinking is uncomfortable. Be uncomfortable and conscious. You will learn.
We can be learning machines or stuck with useless old habits.
I did my first triathon at age forty and did not start skiing until fifty. There is always new stuff to learn and I will continue until I am done.
Learning is a wonderful journey. Come along for the ride.
DougStern
