How to go faster?--Lesson I learned in a swimming pool

Recently I am learning how to swim freestyle by You-Tube. Some swimmers are so effortless and last so long. They are fast and efficient in the water. And some are much slower and expend so much energy without going very far. I wonder why. How do I go faster? As I did some research on the web, I learned that there are two ways to swim faster:

• increase power
• reduce water resistance

Because the power needed to overcome resistance increases with the third power of the velocity, the first option is not really effective. To increase velocity by 10%, one would need to increase the power by more than 30%.

And there are three physical principles to reduce drag in swimming:

1. Keep the body as horizontal as possible.

If the body is not horizontal but even slightly inclined, the area it offers to drag is much higher, leading to higher resistance. An easy way to stay horizontal is to lean forward and position the head straight in the extension of the spine. In this position the eyes are directed straight downward and the head is more immersed (therefore total immersion).

2. Reduce the breadth as much as possible.

At the water surface, resistance is proportional to the breadth of the body. Lying flat on the chest in freestyle exposes the breadth of the body to the water. Rolling on the side reduces the breadth and the resistance. In freestyle, one should roll from one side to the other in the stroke and glide on the side as much as possible. When taking breaths, one should take them as little as possible; for beginners it is good to breathe every three strokes and the more trained you are the more strokes in between each breath.

3. Extended arms.

The longer you can glide with the extended arm the less wave resistance. This is also called quadrant front swimming.

As I practice these principles in the swimming pool, I feel the reduction of the drag and I am less tired and also faster. It suddenly dawns on me that the same principle is probably true in everyday life and in the spiritual world.

To go faster, there are two possible ways:

• increase power and try harder
• reduce resistance and the negative energy

Our natural tendency is to increase the effort and try harder. But just like in swimming, it will take more power to overcome resistance as we go faster (increasing the velocity.)

1. In church ministry, when a team that is not united with lots of negative energy, it will take more power to overcome it as the church grows bigger and goes faster. Thus, the key to go faster is not increasing power, but to reduce the resistance. Get the team on the same page; build deeper relationships and increase trust. Reduce the negative energy among the team. The church will grow faster with relatively little effort. If we don't find ways to reduce the conflicts, it will take much of our energy to take even a step forward.

2. At home and in family relationships, our tendency is to bury or to ignore the hurt and negatives. It is especially true in the Chinese culture. It won't matter how much effort we spend in building strong family relationships, if the negative energy is not reduced. The time and effort will go in waste.

3. Personal growth is the same. In my thirties, I dealt with the issues of identity. What is my center? Who am I? In my forties, I dealt with the issues of relationships at home and at church. In my fifties, I deal with the issues in the ministry. Who are my teammates? What am I called to do in the team? Reducing resistance means honestly dealing with the inner strongholds and sins. It is only when I am healthy and walk in the light that I have the freedom and efficiency to grow.

This is the truth I learn in a swimming pool.