Part of the process of learning is a feedback loop. You try something, watch how it’s going, and adjust your approach accordingly. If you don’t watch how what you’re practicing is going, you risk making a habit of bad form. How can you hone your skills of observation to help your kids practice swimming skills the right way?
First, don’t expect very young kids to learn strokes very well or to move quickly in the water. Think of how difficult other activities requiring coordination, such as throwing or kicking a ball, are for them. They’re not going to look as polished as adults when they’re little, no matter how much they practice. They’re just not developmentally ready.
Your observations and feedback, though, can help your child to get the best feel for what he’s doing and the best approximation of good form that he’s ready to achieve.
While you’re teaching your kids to swim:
- Watch them from the front, back, side, and underneath.
- Start by watching the whole body.
- Look for blips in the overall rhythm and unevenness in the sides of the body.
- Look to see if the major movements are flowing.
- Next look at the smaller body parts involved in the movement, to see if they’re supporting or working against the overall movement.
- Finally, watch parts of the body that aren’t specifically involved in the practice.
Even when they’re just blowing bubbles, you can look for tension in their arms and legs, so that you can help them relax. When they’re practicing kicking, you can watch not only the overall movement, the feet, the hips, and the knees, but also the position of their heads and the expressions on their faces. Use your peripheral vision to watch the quality of movement of the whole body when you’re focusing on one body part. Even if you don’t act on what you notice right away, the information you get from careful observation will be useful as your lessons progress.