Posted on

How to Leverage Your Greatest Advantage over Paid Swimming Teachers—Part 2

Yesterday we talked about using observation to leverage the advantage of access to your kids when you’re not in the pool. Here’s another way to use time out of the pool to help your kids make progress in the pool.

Practice Moving on Dry Land to Learn to Swim in the Water

You can practice lots of movements on dry land, giving your child the opportunity to focus just on his body and to separate his movement from the need to keep his head above water. He can sit on the edge of a chair to practice kicks and flexing and pointing his toes. He can practice lying on his stomach and rolling side to side to get a sense for the motion of his torso in the water. He can stand up to practice body positions and arm movements.

The feelings will be different than they are in the water, but the benefit of having the completely secure feeling of being on land will let your child experience the feelings in his body thoroughly and without time pressure. He can take the insights he gains this way into the water with him.

Posted on

How to Leverage Your Greatest Advantage over Paid Swimming Teachers—Part 1

You have a major advantage over other swimming teachers when it comes to teaching your own child. You’ve got access to him when you’re not in the pool. Although there’s no way to learn to swim without getting in the water, there are lots of ways that you can enhance the learning process on dry land. Here’s the first way to help your kids learn to swim even when they’re out of the pool.

Let Them Observe

Kids learn by watching a good example. Have your child watch lap swimmers, and point out what’s going on. “See how he turns his head to the side when he takes a breath?”

Kids learn by watching other kids. Kids often learn to use swings by themselves within days after they watch other kids pumping their legs. Have your child watch other kids swim.

Ask a friend to record a video of your child while he swims so that you can watch it together later. The post-game analysis of his lesson lets your child see what’s going right and wrong in a situation when he’s not under pressure to remain afloat. It’s a perfect way to use modern technology the way pro athletes have for a long time.

Have your child practice skills on land in front of the mirror. Your child can use you as a model and correct his body position based on what he sees. You can highlight what’s going on. “See how your head is tilted down now? How does it feel if you look up a bit? That’s it.” Suggest changes. Point out what’s working.

Ask your child for his analysis of what’s going on while he watches. How does a movement work? What parts of the body are involved? How does it feel? Does timing make a difference? Where are the parts of the body in relationship to each other and to the water?

Observation won’t replace getting in the pool and moving, but it will supplement and strengthen what you teach your kids in the pool.

Posted on

How to Make Heading for Safety Second Nature When You’re Teaching Your Kids to Swim

When you and your kids are calm and rested, it’s easy to practice good form and to think clearly. When your child is under pressure, it’s easy to panic and revert back to whatever comes naturally. How do you make heading for safety the automatic response if panic sets in?

When you’re practicing, have your child swim toward the wall or steps. Not only does it give your child something to aim for, but it’s also a good habit to build so that he’ll automatically head in that direction if he panics or needs to get out of the pool.

Posted on

How to Make the Most of Your Time in the Water When You’re Teaching Your Kids to Swim

Once you’re in the water, the clock is ticking. You have a limited amount of time before your child gets tired, hungry, cold, or burned out. How can you make the most of it?

Take It out of the Water

Make the most of your time in the water by doing whatever you can to prepare when you’re out of the water. (More on how to do that later this week.) Don’t spend your valuable time in the water during your swimming lesson doing things you could do just as well on land.

Keep Yourself on Track

One way to keep yourself on track and keep from wasting time when you’re teaching your kids to swim is to write your lesson plan on an index card and put it into a waterproof plastic bag. Read your lesson plan before you get into the water and refer to it if you need to during the lesson. That way, you won’t keep your kids waiting (and shivering and getting bored) while you’re figuring out what comes next.