How did the swimming instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas?

William Douglas’s aversion to water started when he was three or four years old and his father took him to the beach in California. He hung on to his father but the waves swept over him. He was almost buried in water, his breath was gone, and he was terrified.

He tried to overcome his fear of water by going to the YMCA swimming pool, but even there he was pushed into the pool by a bully and had a near death experience. This left a very strong impact on his psychology. A haunting fear of water took control of his physical strength and emotional balance for many years and when he tried to go near water, his fear would seize him and his legs would become paralyzed and icy terror would grab his heart.

He decided to overcome his fear. He hired an instructor who was very dedicated. He took immense pain and drove fear out of Douglas’ mind by making him practice hard five day a week for an hour a day. He taught him different steps one by one and then asked him to swim. Finally, Douglas was able to overcome his fear and become a good swimmer.