Swimming is a Con Game

June 23, 2013

steps

flippers

stylin gear

play on steps

small group

lots of floatation

shade

deep end inspiration

watch and learn

options

facing mom

Confidence and floatation are close relatives. To swim is to move across the water, and it requires coordination and skill. To make learning both fun and effective for young swimmers they need to feel very good most of the time, and challenged to practice some of the time. I have learned from teaching hundreds of kids (and adults) to swim that the confidence it takes to control the breath is the heart of the swimming game. You honestly can’t teach breath control to tiny kids, and you would be foolish to use words like breath control or face in the water to older kids. You need to first recognize that you have completely different agendas.

Kids want to go off the diving board, do underwater flips and go touch the bottom. Very few kids care if they swim properly or master stroke technique. The ones who are fine technical swimmers usually don’t care about that at all. They just like to have fun at the pool. If a swim teacher wants to have fun at the pool that natural desire must be harnessed, never rushed. Making a drill too harsh or demands too tough can be a turn off for a shy student. It is important to alternate between what is already easy and what is yet to be learned.  My new students are ideal because they already know each other.  This saves much wear and tear since the girls are friends and know what to expect from each other.  The older, taller ,more confident one is ready and able to inspire the younger more timid one without any showing off or ill temper.  Lucky me.  I am also fortunate that our young new swimmer is always in the pool with a parent, so she will not feel stranded in a new situation.

We  also have the major stylin’ gear.  The mermaid kick board, the floating raft, the matching pink goggles and the flippers are all worth trying. Some work better than others, and some are just there to make them feel they are real swimmers with real swimmer items.  I believe in using all the tools and gear that might be helpful, but not allow the stuff to become the major focus, as it can easily with kids. It is natural and easy to switch from  kick board exercises to floating to practicing bubbles while walking across the pool.  One activity or tool does not become stale when you move through the lesson offering enough  variety.  Know that they only want to learn enough to swim away, so provide a safe setting in which they can do that.  Keep it light because, after all, floating is all about trust and ease.