Lessons from swimming…

I am a self taught swimmer ie not a good one. I don’t know how to doggy paddle or thread water.

On reflection, I realise the skills for swimming [or threading water] are not just psycho-motor ones. I have a mental block when it comes to swimming – I tend to stand instead of relaxing and letting my body float.

I pondered about other psychomotor skills – I would think a large portion of the psychomotor learning is mental too. Replacing wrong thinking, challenging fears, dealing with unknowns and anxieties are also key to learning the actual motor skills. Hence, the term ‘psycho’ and ‘motor’.

So, the next time I get a chance to enter the pool [not a likely event for a long time], I must first address the need to relax and let my the body fats do the job instead of struggling so hard.

Which is harder to recall – cognitive details or psychomotor skills – every time I swim [often years apart]?