Guest Post: The 3-Day Makeover–From 100 Meters to a Mile

This guest post was contributed by Sampath P.B. from Hyderabad India who first emailed me in early December. I saw remarkable similarities between Sampath’s story and Amir Khan’s guest post From Swimming Nightmare to Swimming Dream which I’d published just days before.

Both are ‘pioneers’ in places where TI is little known. Both were absolute beginners who dreamed of swimming in open water. Both had stalled at ‘Terminal Mediocrity’ in lessons with a traditional coach. Both transformed themselves practically overnight with TI self-coaching tools. Both then taught TI to their sons.

But Sampath did something even more remarkable: In his first three days of TI practice, he progressed from 100 meters to a mile. Naturally, I invited him to share his story with you. Enjoy!

Happy Laps, Terry

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Sampath’s Story

I began going to the pool regularly in Nov. 2014. I was 40 years old and an absolute beginner at swimming–and at sports. I signed up with a coach and eagerly began instruction. I set a goal of swimming 500 meters after four months and a full kilometer within a year.

My coach was well-meaning, teaching what he knew. He had me pull with buoys and kick with boards. And of course swim lap after lap.  But after five months, even my intermediate goal of 500 meters was still hopelessly beyond my grasp.

Despite 100% attendance at his classes, I could swim no farther than 100 meters. The last 25 meters I felt almost desperate to reach the wall. I asked the coach how I could swim farther. He said I was doing reasonably well for my age–but I must work harder.

I began to search for answers on-line. Most of what I found was about how to pull and kick. Then I came across an 8-part series called Work Less Swim Better in which Terry Laughlin explained how to swim better for long distances and in open water. This was my dream.

Terry’s advice was very different from what I’d been hearing. I wanted to try the arm recovery and entry he demonstrated in Part 7.  But it was the opposite of what my coach wanted me to do, and I feared upsetting my ongoing training.  

Soon after, my coach was transferred to another pool. The new coach showed no interest in training newbies.  At this time, I came across a fellow swimmer who seemed to have ‘cracked the code.’ Though he is physically challenged, he’d swum 6K in open water after only six months of practice. How had he progressed so far?

I asked his secret. He said “Total Immersion.”  This became my impetus to apply what I’d seen on TI videos. The next day–after focusing on streamline, and the Mail Slot entry–I felt completely fresh after my first 100 meters.

After a moment’s surprise, I pushed off again and swam another 100 meters. I still felt fresh. So I carried on and swam 800 meters nonstop—eight times farther than I’d been able to swim just a day earlier.

The next day, I swam 1200 Meters straight.  The third day, I swam 1600 meters—60 percent beyond what had seemed an impossible goal only a few days before. The only reason I stopped at 1600 meters was because my time was up. When I got home from the pool, I ordered the TI Self-Coaching Toolkit.

I’ve studied and practiced each mini-skill on the videos many times. I’ve made much progress but know I can improve much more. As a Kaizen swimmer. I’ll continue working toward the dream of perfection in my daily practice of 1.5 to 2Km. For instance, Mat Hudson’s analysis of the 2-Beat Kick helped greatly in improving my 2BK. Thank you Mat!!!

I’ve also started to teach TI to my 10-year old son, Ramanan. He used to find swimming exhausting and tedious; when it was time to go to the pool for classes, he always had an excuse not to go. He became converted in only one session learning TI. Now he’s progressing quickly and is excited about swimming.

My peak experience so far occurred on Nov 28, when I completed a 5K sea swim in the “Swimathon,” at Colvai Beach, Goa, India.   My goal was just to enjoy every stroke and feel fresh the whole way.

I swam as if repeating a mantra: BALANCE . . . BALANCE . . . BALANCE.  I achieved this by focusing on releasing my head to the water and entering my hand through the Mail Slot.  Each time my form didn’t feel right, I rechecked those and immediately felt form and ease return.

Maintaining this focus also helped me feel perfectly comfortable throughout two loops around a 2.5K triangle in the sea. Completing this goal showed me the truth of one of the famous sayings of Swami Vivekananda: “ All power is within you . . . you can do anything and everything . . . Faith, Faith, Faith in oneself is the secret to success.”

I’ve also seen that TI learning and practice principles can be applied universally.  Not just other sports, but to one’s profession and even to human relationships. I look forward to writing another post about how I apply TI in other areas.

About Sampath: I’m an Engineering Manager in the Indian division of a US Integrated Circuit company.  My interests include study of philosophical works (Bhagavad Gita, Complete works of Swami Vivekananda).  I learnt yoga from a master a long time ago, but only began regular practice recently. I practice yoga for 30 minutes in the morning, before my swim. My other interest is painting. Like swimming, I began painting as an absolute beginner and am improving with practice.

 Swim Better Than You Ever Imagined Possible.

Do you have a swimming dream?  Would you love to swim better, easier . . . faster? Would you love to swim  a tireless mile? Or 5K (half marathon) or 10K (full marathon) or more in open water? Or maybe help family or friends swim with ease and enjoyment?

Swim better than you ever imagined possible, and become your  Own Best Coach.

Download our Complete Self-Coaching Toolkit today and start your transformation tomorrow.