In conversation with Mr Sanubhai Poudel, the swim instructor at ‘Hardik Fitness Club’, we learn about swimming, its lessons, and the facilities at the club. We get to know about rules, safety tips, and many more.

The swimming instructor, Mr Sanubhai Poudel at the Hardik Fitness Club, is an International/ national coach and Referee. For the past thirty years, he has been swimming. He has been a part of the Hardik Fitness Club for seventeen years. During the 2022 Asia Triathlon Cup and South Asian Championships Pokhara, he was the Coach. It has been a long journey for him, and it is an honour for us to have him share his knowledge with us.

 

  1. What is the most important thing we should prepare before a swim?
  • The most important thing is to be mentally prepared. It is also about a mental game. Later comes the physical preparation. Make sure that you are not learning to swim just because somebody is compelling you. Sometimes, parents force their children, and as a result, their learning pace slows down. You have to have a swimming suit, swim goggles, and swim cap. We provide you Buoy, kickboard, and other essential kits.

 

  1. Are there any around the pool?
  • Yes, we have to follow the rules. The first thing is to take a shower. There is a logic for this as well. You can dive into the swimming pool after your body is familiar with the water. A quick shower will do. The second thing is to wear lotion. We recommend you to put it on 20 minutes before and right before the swim. It protects your skin for a particular time from skin darkening. Around the swimming pool, you are not to run around, pass your time, and listen to your instructor.
     
  1. What are tips for a beginner?
  • Take one step at a time. Start by learning to walk in the swimming pool. It is not easy to walk balance in the water. After that, you can learn to hold your breath for a while under the water (around 10-15 seconds). When one is comfortable with water, now they are ready to learn to swim. You have to consider swimming in the safe depth of 3 feet in the shallow end and then gradually get into 6 feet in the deep end. That way, the learner will not panic. 
     
  1. How many instructors do you have in the Hardik fitness club? Is there provision of only group classes or personal classes too?
  • For now, Subin Lama and (myself) Sanubhai Paudel are two instructors here in the Hardik fitness club. We do individual as well as group classes. In a personal lesson, we get familiar with that person’s comfort level in the water. Afterwards, we suggest they join the group class. There will be a feeling of competition to do better and learn more from others. 
    ​

       5. What is the age group of your students?

  • Actually, there is a variation from below two years to 65 years until now. For below two years, we make them comfortable with water, and when they grow up, they will swim steadily. For older people, the main goal is to make them learn to float in the water. For any age group, the main idea is to keep them from drowning. Old-aged people come here for health purposes. 
     
  1. How long does it take for one to learn?
  • Honestly, it is a never-ending process. Even after 30 years, I am still learning to swim. Every year, I learn to swim for a month because there are new tricks, techniques, and rules. However, basic training, being able to float in the water, depends upon the individual. Some of them learn in a day while some take a week. 
     
  1. How many hours of swimming lessons is it per day? Could you let us know?
  • It is an hour class. However, we let people practice for another hour. The minimum time is an hour. They can swim for 2 hours maximum under our supervision as they cannot practice at home. 
     
  1. Could you tell us about the swimming classes here?
  • Okay, so we have one week and two-week courses. We teach freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke in the one week course. In a two-weeks lesson, we take the other week for the practice under our supervision. The course fee for children per two weeks is Rs. 8000 and for adults Rs. 10,000. 
     
  1. What is the importance of swimming?
  • I think swimming is a part of life. You must know how to swim. If you are not doing physically well, like having a hand broken, you can still swim. If you have health issues or muscle problems, swimming is a great way out. If you try other games, you might not excel, but you will do fine. But, it is not the same case for this sport. If you do not know to swim, you will die drowning. So, it is an essential part of life.
     

     10. Do you have any suggestions for people planning on learning to swim?

  • I highly suggest you learn to swim. We welcome you here to the Hardik Fitness Club. Anyone who has been a part of our team has appreciated our work. It will be worth your time and money. Just two weeks for yourself and learn a skill for life.