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Teaching
Myself...Teaching Others
By MICHAEL KHALILI, MD
About a year ago, I decided to pick up triathlon
as my new hobby. The only problem was that,
although I'd been swimming my entire life,
I'd never learned to swim freestyle. Nothing
says you have to swim freestyle in a triathlon;
breaststroke, sidestroke – even elementary
backstroke – are options many new triathletes
employ to safely return to shore, but swimming
anything besides freestyle will put you in
a deep hole before you’ve hardly begun.
I figured I'd ask a lifeguard at my pool for
lessons and be freestyling in no time. Though
I'm a patient person, I quickly realized the
lifeguard, though well-meaning and a good swimmer,
had no idea how to help me. I figured I couldn’t
do worse, trying to teach myself, so I ordered
every swimming DVD available. Fortunately,
Freestyle
Made Easy arrived first, and I went
to work the first weekend after it arrived.
I brought my notebook computer and headphones
to the pool, played the DVD on it and popped
in and out of the pool, following the lessons
one by one.
I devoted a full weekend to each lesson (six
total hours of practice on Saturday and Sunday),
and within a month, the pieces came together
and I understood what it meant to "swim
like a fish." I'd always swum flat, kicked
furiously, and had no idea how it might feel
to glide. Before TI, I'd always considered
the stroke too complicated to learn "later" in
life – let alone without “professional” help.
But after working through and imprinting the
lessons, I didn’t even have to think
about the different components of the stroke;
they just wove together naturally. I was stunned
that a layman could teach himself to swim efficiently
within a month of starting from scratch.
 I had shoulder surgery a few years ago, and
was worried that
my shoulder might keep me
from swimming well, no matter how efficient
my stroke became. When shoulder pain persisted
after
several months, I called Joe
Petrush,
a
TI coach in my area (Long Island, NY) who
I found on the TI web site. Joe teaches in
an endless pool in his home. Long story short,
I worked with Joe for three 2-hour lessons,
and quickly saw
the difference a trained TI
Coach makes. By the end of our collaboration
I was swimming pain-free.
Every time I practice TI drills, or
swim with
those exotic Fistgloves,
I’m approached
by curious swimmers inquiring what I’m
up to or complimenting on my stroke. Unable
to contain my enthusiasm, I usually offer to
teach them a few
basics. I’ve been delighted
to see that my brief experience practicing
TI has already equipped me to teach a few fundamentals
and see significant improvement almost immediately.
Besides being a physician, I tutor college
and
high school students for standardized exams.
I take an examined approach to
my
teaching, looking at small details in
my students'
work
and adjusting their
test-taking technique.
Sometimes my insistence on focusing on technique
frustrates impatient students, but those who
trust me and focus on process rather
than grinding through answers, always produce
outstanding
results.
This is why I related so quickly to Total Immersion.
After watching almost every swimming DVD on
the market, I can see how unique the TI process
is. The others just throw swimming at you.
TI breaks it down into manageable steps that
ANYONE can masters, and teaches you how to
learn not just swim. The understanding that
brings is infectious.
I got into this hoping to complete an Olympic
distance triathlon next season, and in subsequent
seasons, a half-Ironman and Ironman. I now
know I’ll achieve that goal. Even more
though, I'm looking forward to sharing my passion
for TI and swimming with poolmates, friends,
and family for years to come.
 Michael Khalili, M.D. is an intern in Internal
Medicine at North Shore Hospital in Long Island,
NY, and soon to be radiology resident at Mount
Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida.
When he's not filling out endless forms and
swimming through hospital red tape, he enjoys
swimming (in water), biking, running, and strength-training,
and also works part-time as a standardized
exam tutor. You can reach Michael at michael.khalili@gmail.com or
516 884 3285.
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