How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?

 

How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?

 

Answer – 

The instructor worked hard to ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas. He recognised Douglas’s deathly fear of water and practiced with him five days a week for an hour each day. He devised a novel method of teaching him to swim. He fastened a rope to Douglas’ belt, which passed through a pulley that ran over an overhead cable. He made Douglas move back and forth in the pool while holding the end of the rope in his hand, without causing him much fear. Douglas was taught how to exhale underwater and inhale by raising his nose.

This exercise was repeated several times, and they swam across the pool week after week. Douglas was then taught to kick with his legs by the instructor. His legs did not work at first, but he was eventually able to control and command them. Finally, his instructor transformed him into a near-perfect swimmer.

 

Check out more Questions and Answers from Deep Water

 

How did Douglas develop an aversion to water?

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Describe the efforts made by Douglas to save himself from drowning in the YMCA swimming pool.

‘This handicap stayed with me as the years rolled by.’ Which handicap is being referred to and what are the events that made Douglas handicapped?

The childhood experience of terror of Douglas made him stronger and more determined. Elucidate the above statement supporting it with evidence from the text.

How does Douglas overcome his fear of water?