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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.

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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.

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How You Can Keep a Scary Moment in the Pool from Turning into a Big Deal

If something happens that scares your child—going underwater or breathing in water unexpectedly—how you respond will make the difference between his brushing it off and his carrying that fear with him into the future, possibly for life. How should you respond when something scary happens?

Acknowledge it.

Don’t deny that something scary, unexpected or unplanned happened. Be matter-of-fact about it. Make sure your own body language is confident and supportive. Your kids should know that while it may not have been a part of your swimming lesson plan, you can handle it. In the first few moments after an accident, your child looks to you to help him decide how to react and how to feel about it. How you respond helps your child make that decision.

Empathize.

Be sure to empathize with your child’s feelings. Acknowledge not only that it happened but also that it was scary, if that’s what your child tells you he feels. Address how you’ll keep it from happening again. Then move on.

Treat it like a boo-boo.

It’s a lot like dealing with boo-boos on dry land. “Did you fall? Does your knee hurt? I’m sorry? Do you need a bandage? How about a kiss? Next time, let’s make sure to hold on with at least one hand when you’re climbing. You ready to go again?” If you don’t make a big deal out of it, your child will be less likely to.

Of course, these tips are for minor mishaps. In the case of a real accident or emergency, always call 911 immediately.

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How to Make a New Swimming Skill Automatic

With repetition, practice, and review, your child will turn the new movement you’re teaching into something habitual and ingrained that requires very little thought. In the early stages, though, each moment of what he’s doing takes a lot of focus and attention. How do you help your kids practice new skills to make them old hat when you’re teaching them to swim?

Make it easy

It’s easiest for kids to learn when they’re fresh and their bodies and minds aren’t too tired. Depending on how long you’ve spent on getting into the pool, reviewing, playing, and teaching the new skill, you’ll probably have between one and five minutes to practice. This may not seem like much, but remember that today’s new skill is the skill you’ll be reviewing at length in your next swimming lesson. The important thing is to introduce the skill and give your child a chance to get a small taste of how it feels.

Switch it up

If your child gets frustrated, switch to a different approach to the same skill or to a different skill entirely. Look at what he’s finding difficult and demonstrate it again. Touch his body. Have him touch your body. Feeling his own ankle when it’s flexed and pointed will be helpful, but seeing and feeling your ankle when it’s flexed and pointed will give him a different perspective.

Make it clear

Acknowledge the small subtle things that are happening as your child practices. Point out how balance and buoyancy come into play, highlighting which parts of the body are more likely to sink and which parts are more likely to float. Talk about how his body moves and feels in the water. Keep it brief and to the point, just a touch and a “feel your knee?” while he’s swimming is the most attention he can spare while he’s also trying to practice moving. Save the details for later when you’re on dry land.

Keep it simple

Remember to progress from easy to difficult and from simple to complex:

  • When you’re working on floating, start with providing lots of physical support and progress to providing little or none.
  • When you’re working on a distance, start with short and work up to the width or length of the pool.
  • When you start a skill, speed doesn’t matter. Work up to being able to do it fast or at different speeds.
  • When you start a skill, refine it slowly. At first, just doing it is enough. As you practice, work on refining body position, then movement, and then timing.

Keep it up

When you’re teaching your kids to swim, today’s new skill is tomorrow’s review. Don’t expect all the learning to happen at once. It’s during review and practice that those new skills will sink in and become automatic for your kids.