5 Pre-Swimming Skills Parents Can Help With
Here are 5 basic things that are great for parents to work on with their child that are considered "pre-swimming" skills. The first four are necessary for freestyle swimming; the fifth is floating on their back. Even if a child isn't ready to put their face in the water, it can make a big difference for these four skills to be developed well first. Then once they put their face in the water they can progress quickly. (If they put their eyes under for 2 seconds, that is usually the turning point where they realize it's okay) I've had parents who had one or two parent-child lessons the previous year and brought back their child with well established skills the parents had worked with them on. Then when the child was ready to put their face in the water, their progress took off!
These are techniques to get a student started swimming. If a swimmer gets serious about swimming such as on swim team some of these things will change such as exactly where your arm goes. Simple gets it working fastest and best.
A lot of these things are much easier when seen and experienced, but this list can serve as a reminder.
1. Horizontal in the water
1. Getting used to being horizontal in the water (as close as they can with head out of the water on their front). Being fully horizontal in the water we can float, with head up and being vertical in the water we sink. Children especially need their face in the water to float (there are rare exceptions with a child who kicks really hard to be able to keep his head above water).
I carry them under their arms doing a "floating ride" with legs being still to feel how easily part of their legs and part of their body can float.
2. Kicking
· Small, fastkicking. In the necessary exaggeration for kids, I often say, "as tiny as you can" (and it's still too big)
· Knees not bent too much.We often say "kick with straight legs" which can get the right results for a 3-year-old but actual straight legs isn't good either. So, just a small bend in the knees is good. Kick should be close to the surface of the water. Ideally with just heals coming out of the water and not with feet coming high above the water. Not with legs going too far below the water. Small kicking, at the surface is much easier and faster than large kicking (and easier said than done for young children!). With later, fine-tuned freestyle, for long distance, it's ideal to
· Pointed toes help! It changes the way we actually kick. Also, the surface area of pointed feet provides a much great push than feet that are not pointed.
3. Arms
Reaching out as far Out as they can
Reaching as far Down as they can (This would change later if they get serious about swimming. Later, keeping the elbow high through the pull is sought after but it would be confusing and counter productive at the beginning stages).
Arms scooping as far Back as they can
The water should be directed backwards to make them go forwards. So the surface of the hand should be vertical most of the time in the water to go forward in the water
Fingers together works better than fingers apart. (Serious swimmers have a few millimeter gap between fingers but wide open fingers lets too much water through. When beginning, it usually works best to tell them, "fingers together"
Arms going so far back that the arm, the elbow actually, comes out of the water and reaches forward. Keep the elbow raised high as the arm reaches forward. If that doesn't happen, it's often not worth dwelling on to get swimming happening.
4. Face in the water.
This is critical step for actual swimming but one that can be scary for kids. Personally, I don't force them to put their face in the water but I do provide incentives like Hot Wheels cars, glow sticks and stickers. It's worth it for that juncture.
Blowing bubbles in the water is a skill leading up to putting eyes in the water - if air is blown out, water will not be breathed in the nose or mouth! Also, later, when swimming, it's helpful to blow air out under water because when you come up for air you can breath air in right away; you don't have to expell air first and then take a breath (I used to swim that way in youth swim team. It was not comfortable.) It can also work for kids to start out just holding their breath. Later they should blow out when they are swimming.
I'll have children put their eyes very briefly in the water.
Then a bit longer, with the 2 second mark often being a turning point of realizing, underwater is really cool.
Sometimes using a mask can be a helpful intermediate stage to get through fear of eyes in the water. If a child has breathed in water through their nose, it can be very uncomfortable, enough to cause them not to want to put their eyes in the water at all! Probably most often they don't explain what their fear is, they just wWuth. Masks can be helpful for working on back float and back stroke if the child has trouble with keeping their nose above the water.
5. Floating on their back.
Learning to float on their back can keep them safe in the water, even if they venture out to swim and get scared or tired. ISR (Infant swim rescue start with teaching young children to float on their back. (Most younger children resist going on their backs. I go with what will get them to safety the soonest - but I most often work with kids 2 or 3 years and up. With infants up to early two years old, teaching them to float on their back is a survival tactic. If you had a pool in your back yard and a 1 or 2 year old, ISR, Infant Swim Rescue classes would be a very wise investment.
· Head Way back (they can go too far!)
· Stomach Way up.
For a little bit larger children:
Chest way up. Thinking arched back. Usually stomach up also.
It's usually more of an arched back than what they feel is natural to do. It can be a tricky balance.
For adults and larger kids, we are closer to laying out flat, while younger children have proportionately larger heads to their bodies and need to have their head tilted farther back.
The more we relax, the easier it is to float!
· For young children, it's most often a gradual process. Most don't want to lay back in the water at all. There is a usually a point of diminishing returns when you're working on it very long. So a little bit farther every time is a good plan.
Putting some things together.
Once they are used to kicking (even if it's not perfect), try for blowing bubbles and kicking. Blowing bubbles gets them blowing air out underwater which is eventually what is needed for swimming. Also it gets them more horizontal in the water (so they can float) and closer to eyes under the water. If they can put eyes in the water, then go for eyes in the water and kicking for a short distance (usually the shallow part of the pool and going to the side).
If the child is closer or better with arm paddling than kicking, you can go with that first.
Many young children will get kicking or arms and and bubbles or face under water but not both to start with. That's fine.
Breathing
Once they get used to swimming with eyes under the water and kicking and/or paddling, the next step is to get them breathing! With young kids we start with "pop-up breathing" as opposed to breathing from the side with a true freestyle because it's much easier to learn. I consider safety first. Most swim schools teach this way as well. Being able to swim some with face down will get a child to the side of the pool if they are "in over their head." The next step is being able to breathe while swimming by popping up for a breath and then going back to a horizontal position usually by their eyes looking down in the water.
After they can swim and do pop up breathing, next is being able to flip on their back to rest and be floating safely on their back. A young swimmer can make it all the way across the short length (25 meters) with flipping over and taking breaks then going back to swimming.
Jumping in and swimming to the side
A great skill for safely for younger children to learn is to jump into the pool from the side, turn themselves around in the water and then swimming to the side. They have fun with it once they get it but this is important for safety if they fall in or jump in the pool without a parent there. Broken down into parts of steps at a time, it can often be learned in one lesson.
Progressions: Jump in with help not sinking, jump in with less help, jump in by themselves. Then work on turning around in the water - they can have fun with that! Then have them jump in and turn around a few times will. Then turn around and swim to the side a few times. Then start to put it together.
About that time, Back stroke can be taught.
Learning to swim uses basic skills first learned separately, then put together 2 things at a time, then more things at a time. It's a methodical, logical, fun process that can yield very exciting results! Swimming skills last for a lifetime - for safety, fun, and great exercise!
These are techniques to get a student started swimming. If a swimmer gets serious about swimming such as on swim team some of these things will change such as exactly where your arm goes. Simple gets it working fastest and best.
A lot of these things are much easier when seen and experienced, but this list can serve as a reminder.
1. Horizontal in the water
1. Getting used to being horizontal in the water (as close as they can with head out of the water on their front). Being fully horizontal in the water we can float, with head up and being vertical in the water we sink. Children especially need their face in the water to float (there are rare exceptions with a child who kicks really hard to be able to keep his head above water).
I carry them under their arms doing a "floating ride" with legs being still to feel how easily part of their legs and part of their body can float.
2. Kicking
· Small, fastkicking. In the necessary exaggeration for kids, I often say, "as tiny as you can" (and it's still too big)
· Knees not bent too much.We often say "kick with straight legs" which can get the right results for a 3-year-old but actual straight legs isn't good either. So, just a small bend in the knees is good. Kick should be close to the surface of the water. Ideally with just heals coming out of the water and not with feet coming high above the water. Not with legs going too far below the water. Small kicking, at the surface is much easier and faster than large kicking (and easier said than done for young children!). With later, fine-tuned freestyle, for long distance, it's ideal to
· Pointed toes help! It changes the way we actually kick. Also, the surface area of pointed feet provides a much great push than feet that are not pointed.
3. Arms
Reaching out as far Out as they can
Reaching as far Down as they can (This would change later if they get serious about swimming. Later, keeping the elbow high through the pull is sought after but it would be confusing and counter productive at the beginning stages).
Arms scooping as far Back as they can
The water should be directed backwards to make them go forwards. So the surface of the hand should be vertical most of the time in the water to go forward in the water
Fingers together works better than fingers apart. (Serious swimmers have a few millimeter gap between fingers but wide open fingers lets too much water through. When beginning, it usually works best to tell them, "fingers together"
Arms going so far back that the arm, the elbow actually, comes out of the water and reaches forward. Keep the elbow raised high as the arm reaches forward. If that doesn't happen, it's often not worth dwelling on to get swimming happening.
4. Face in the water.
This is critical step for actual swimming but one that can be scary for kids. Personally, I don't force them to put their face in the water but I do provide incentives like Hot Wheels cars, glow sticks and stickers. It's worth it for that juncture.
Blowing bubbles in the water is a skill leading up to putting eyes in the water - if air is blown out, water will not be breathed in the nose or mouth! Also, later, when swimming, it's helpful to blow air out under water because when you come up for air you can breath air in right away; you don't have to expell air first and then take a breath (I used to swim that way in youth swim team. It was not comfortable.) It can also work for kids to start out just holding their breath. Later they should blow out when they are swimming.
I'll have children put their eyes very briefly in the water.
Then a bit longer, with the 2 second mark often being a turning point of realizing, underwater is really cool.
Sometimes using a mask can be a helpful intermediate stage to get through fear of eyes in the water. If a child has breathed in water through their nose, it can be very uncomfortable, enough to cause them not to want to put their eyes in the water at all! Probably most often they don't explain what their fear is, they just wWuth. Masks can be helpful for working on back float and back stroke if the child has trouble with keeping their nose above the water.
5. Floating on their back.
Learning to float on their back can keep them safe in the water, even if they venture out to swim and get scared or tired. ISR (Infant swim rescue start with teaching young children to float on their back. (Most younger children resist going on their backs. I go with what will get them to safety the soonest - but I most often work with kids 2 or 3 years and up. With infants up to early two years old, teaching them to float on their back is a survival tactic. If you had a pool in your back yard and a 1 or 2 year old, ISR, Infant Swim Rescue classes would be a very wise investment.
· Head Way back (they can go too far!)
· Stomach Way up.
For a little bit larger children:
Chest way up. Thinking arched back. Usually stomach up also.
It's usually more of an arched back than what they feel is natural to do. It can be a tricky balance.
For adults and larger kids, we are closer to laying out flat, while younger children have proportionately larger heads to their bodies and need to have their head tilted farther back.
The more we relax, the easier it is to float!
· For young children, it's most often a gradual process. Most don't want to lay back in the water at all. There is a usually a point of diminishing returns when you're working on it very long. So a little bit farther every time is a good plan.
Putting some things together.
Once they are used to kicking (even if it's not perfect), try for blowing bubbles and kicking. Blowing bubbles gets them blowing air out underwater which is eventually what is needed for swimming. Also it gets them more horizontal in the water (so they can float) and closer to eyes under the water. If they can put eyes in the water, then go for eyes in the water and kicking for a short distance (usually the shallow part of the pool and going to the side).
If the child is closer or better with arm paddling than kicking, you can go with that first.
Many young children will get kicking or arms and and bubbles or face under water but not both to start with. That's fine.
Breathing
Once they get used to swimming with eyes under the water and kicking and/or paddling, the next step is to get them breathing! With young kids we start with "pop-up breathing" as opposed to breathing from the side with a true freestyle because it's much easier to learn. I consider safety first. Most swim schools teach this way as well. Being able to swim some with face down will get a child to the side of the pool if they are "in over their head." The next step is being able to breathe while swimming by popping up for a breath and then going back to a horizontal position usually by their eyes looking down in the water.
After they can swim and do pop up breathing, next is being able to flip on their back to rest and be floating safely on their back. A young swimmer can make it all the way across the short length (25 meters) with flipping over and taking breaks then going back to swimming.
Jumping in and swimming to the side
A great skill for safely for younger children to learn is to jump into the pool from the side, turn themselves around in the water and then swimming to the side. They have fun with it once they get it but this is important for safety if they fall in or jump in the pool without a parent there. Broken down into parts of steps at a time, it can often be learned in one lesson.
Progressions: Jump in with help not sinking, jump in with less help, jump in by themselves. Then work on turning around in the water - they can have fun with that! Then have them jump in and turn around a few times will. Then turn around and swim to the side a few times. Then start to put it together.
About that time, Back stroke can be taught.
Learning to swim uses basic skills first learned separately, then put together 2 things at a time, then more things at a time. It's a methodical, logical, fun process that can yield very exciting results! Swimming skills last for a lifetime - for safety, fun, and great exercise!