When Covid hit we couldn’t come within 6 feet of students, so were unable to hold classes. When we teach floating, we keep people at the wall so they won’t float away. If they’re afraid they might float away, they are no longer in control. I had to think of a way to keep them at the wall.
The tether was born.
But what would the tether attach to? The Float Bar was born.
Together these comprise the Aquatic Learning Station which received a patent.
With these two gizmos, our adult students could feel safe, independently practice feeling the water hold them up, and let go within arm’s reach of the float bar, able to rest whenever they wanted. A teacher or spotter wasn’t necessary. Yes, we were there. But now every student had his/her own learning station and no one had to wait for a spotter.
Why didn’t someone think of this before? Surely people have tied themselves to something and experimented in the water. But maybe they wouldn’t do it in public!
Now it’s a thing. You can buy a sensible attractively designed tether that adjusts as you need it to, that allows you to feel safe that you won’t drift away or sink. You can always reach the wall, ladder or Float Bar. And when you come to believe and realize that 1) you float and 2) you can be in control, you want to extend your tether to be longer and longer and show yourself you can be yourself even if you’re far from the wall.
When the patent was granted on May 17, 2022, a new possibility came onto the scene: learning to swim without an instructor (follow the instructions in the book, Conquer Your Fear of Water, A Revolutionary Way to Learn to Swim Without Ever Feeling Afraid so you will be safe).