Drown proofing tips

             

Drown proofing

I stared down at the pool, feeling the nervousness similar to that of giving a speech in front of the class in school.  I'd only the practiced this thing called drown proofing a few times, but I didn't actually have anything tied around my ankles or feet.

It was time to see if I could perform the first, and easiest, task of drown proofing known as bobbing.  It seemed easy enough, but the straps around wrists and ankles made it feel different.  I felt almost panic at the thought of not having any way to help me in the water.

" Go!" I hear the loud scream from the other side of the pool. 

 I hesitate for a moment, then hop into the deep end, feet first.  I slowly let out some of my breath, releasing bubbles in front of me, and trying to calm myself down.  Why am I freaking out so much? I ask myself.  

 There is a feeling of being trapped that I wasn't used to.  The growing feeling of panic increases, as I begin to wonder when I'll reach the bottom of the pool.  Although I had no previous issues sinking to the bottom of a pool ( I was a rock in the water ) , I felt the bottom was too far down.  Then the thoughts appeared in my head.  What if I can't get down the bottom?  What if I run out of air and I'm all tied up?  

I look around, without a mask of course, I see the blurry figures all around me, doing the same thing.  Then I spot that one guy.  The guy freaking out worse than I am.  His straps are floating around in the water and he's waving his arms and licking with his legs to the surface.  I swear I can hear him screaming.  That all it takes for me to break out of the straps and bolt the surface and face the harassment from the pool deck that awaits me.

Don't let this scenario be you.  Don't let the first time you try drown proofing be under the watchful eye of instructors.  Don't let drown proofing intimidate you by it's name or the straps, which you can easily remove, that are tied around your wrists and ankles.

Drown proofing can sound daunting and seem like an impossible task, but it's something all special warfare candidates must accomplish during their time in the pipeline.  The good news is that once this task is practiced, it can be one of the easiest and most relaxing events in the pool. 

I always heard this advice given to me, but I always thought it was not the case for me, mostly because I was intimidated of the whole premise involved with this particular event.  You can make this event something you never have to worry about.  We all know there is plenty of other things to be concerned about in training.

Simple steps to make drown proofing easier

 Whether you are someone who tends to sink, or you are someone who floats and has a hard time getting to the bottom of the pool, drown proofing to tends to expose those flaws and make you deal with them. You just need to learn a few techniques.  The first thing you can practice, in 10 to 12 feet of water, is bobbing.  Bobbing takes up the most time in this event.  If you get comfortable with this, it can give you a chance to relax. 

Here are the events of drown proofing in order, as well as some tips to make it through them.

1.   The bobs : This isn't a meeting with those two guys at your office job about your TPS reports.  It's the first event of drown proofing.  Get comfortable bobbing in at least 10 feet of water, 12 feet if you can,  simulating your hands and feet being tied up.  You'll start the event completing 10 bobs, slowly sinking to the bottom of the pool and pushing yourself up to get your head above the water for a breath. It becomes like a swim stroke over time, where you relax and find a rhythm.  When you find it, this event almost becomes too relaxing.

If you are someone that sinks easily to the bottom of the pool, then focus on staying as relaxed as possible and know that the bottom is there.  Relax and wait for it.  Crouch down on the bottom of the pool and shoot yourself up to get as high as you can out of the water.  If you miss a breathe and gulp water, it can screw up the entire event.

If you don't sink well, you gotta still get down there, but it is very possible to do it well provided you include blowing the air completely out of your lungs to get you down to the bottom as fast as possible.

It may take a little more time o get comfortable as a " floater" , but everyone can get to the bottom of the pool.  Keep in mind that it is even more important in this situation to get a good push off the bottom ( envision getting your shoulders out of the water) and get a good breath of air.  If you don't, then it will be a while before you get another chance.

2.  Traveling - After you complete 10 or so bobs, then the next thing you have to accomplish is traveling 100 meters with your hands and feet tied together. This can sound impossible, but I assure you it isn't bad once you try it a few times and think about a few things.

I saw videos of guys going through the water like a porpoise, or some kind of snake, when I was looking for tips about drown proofing.  If you can get that technique down, you are probably a good swimmer and can travel the 100 meter distance in a short amount of time.  For the rest of us, there is a way that I found was easy to do and did not require a lot of energy.  Keep in mind that this way may take a while, but there is no time limit or harassment from the pool deck during drown proofing.

You can simply go face down in the water, like you're gonna freestyle without your arms, while bending your legs back at the knees and gently kicking forward. Use a few strokes to propel you forward and lift your head ( slightly up) to take breathes. Like with freestyle, lifting your head too high will cause your body to sink back creating drag.  Stay relaxed and do not rush, at all!  Take some time to try ways to travel that is comfortable before putting restraints.

3. Floating- The next thing will be having to float in an area about 4 feet by 4 feet for around 5 minutes.  All the rocks out there seem to hate this one, including me.    What's important to understand,  which I didn't at first, is as long as you stay in the small area and don't touch the bottom of the pool, then you pass floating.

I thought you had to actually float while being perfectly still.  Like the awesome traveling videos I watched, I saw people who could float well and be perfectly still.  That wasn't the case for me, but that was okay.

For me, I struggled a bit until I learned that I could make small, relaxed adjustments, like lightly kicking my feet to get my body back horizontal with my face down in the water.  I also filled my lungs with air, only lifting my head slightly to exhale and then put my face back in the water. Sometimes I began to drift vertically with my feet toward the bottom of the pool and sank below the surface.  With practice, I remained calm and adjusted back to the original position with small, subtle movements.

4.  Front and back flips- After the floating portion, you remain in the deep end of the pool for more bobs ( around 10) and this is a chance to get back in a good rhythm with your breathing and pacing and prepare for the the flips.

You'll be instructed ( when your head pops out of the water, of course), to do a front flip on your next trip down the bottom of the pool.  You'll be anticipating this, so the key is to get a really good breath and sink to the bottom of the pool.  Once at the bottom, you'll want to crouch down and push of the bottom, bring your head down in front of you, and do a front flip.  Note: the front and back flips must be perfectly straight.  No crooked side flips are allowed.  Remember to blow air out of your nose because having highly chlorinated water go up your nose can mess with your mental state.

You probably will not make it all the way around, but you can slightly kick your legs from the knees a few times ( not too hard because it's easy to get crooked ) Know you'll need some assistance from your legs because it's tough to get a hard enough push off the bottom to get all the way around.

The same goes for the back flip.  Once you do the front flip, you'll push off the bottom and get the command for the back flip once you return to the surface from your bob.  Lean back and focus on doing a straight back flip.  It will be the same as the front flip, just going backwards.  Note:  Make sure that you practice both of these in deep water without a mask on.  It doesn't take long to get the flips down.

5. Mask Bobbing- The last thing to do in the sequence of drown proofing is to retrieve your mask from the bottom of the pool ( with your teeth) and perform approximately 5 bobs ( if I remember correctly) with the dive mask in your teeth.

This will involve the command you'll be expecting as your head comes out of the water from the back flip.  Your mask will either be thrown in while you are completing the flips, or already be down on the bottom of the pool.

There is really only one way to do this.  As you go back down to the bottom of the pool, you'll see the blurry dive mask somewhere on the bottom.  Try to land on the bottom in a position where you can lay down on your side and clench the mask in your teeth.  If you land too close, you'll waste time repositioning yourself to get your face to the mask, and too far away, you'll be taking time to get to the mask with your hand and feet bound.

When you grab the mask, grab it in a way that will be good for you to breathe when your head comes out of the water on each bob. For example, you don't want it blocking your mouth or falling out of your mouth, and you don't want the mask to be acting like a bowl, holding a ton of water that you suck in when you need a valuable breath.

This seems easy, but it is an odd feeling and further restricts you ability to remain calm and breathe, so practice this many times in deep water until you get the feel of where to grab your mask in a way that allows you to continue to perform the bobs in the most comfortable way possible.

Final thoughts on drown proofing

Performing the tasks required for drown proofing aren't that difficult once you realize the events are like anything else in the pool.  You must practice specific techniques until you are comfortable.  If you are completely new to this, try each event by itself ( pretending you hand and feet are bound, unless someone watches you closely) and then progress to doing the entire sequence.  Practice in any pool that is preferably 12 feet in the deep end, but 10 feet or less is better than nothing.  After some practice, this should be one of the most relaxing events in the pool.

Kevin