The Developing Swimmer

Transcription

1 The Developing Swimmer Before swimmers can learn to swim or participate in aquatic sports and activities, they must master basic flotation and movement skills in the water. Developing the learn-to-swim skills described in this chapter will help prepare your swimmers for safe activities in, on, and around the water. Teaching the nonswimmer is a special challenge. You need to create a friendly, nonthreatening environment where learners can play and experiment in their new, unfamiliar surroundings. Understanding the learn-to-swim progressions will help you guide each swimmer through activities designed to develop swimming skills in a logical and effective manner. In this chapter you will learn the developing swimmer progressions. Although the detailed performance criteria for the skills are covered in the Water Safety Instructor Course, in this chapter we ll focus on how each step is a building block for the developing swimmer. THE LEARN-TO-SWIM ENVIRONMENT A safe environment is always your first priority, no matter what you teach. But with the nonswimmer, it is important to remember the following additional tips: 1. Be in the water during every lesson to give your learners confidence and support. 2. Hold your class in waist- to chest-deep water, based on the average height of your learners. 3. Create an environment where learners experience early success. Break the skills into little learning blocks for learners who are having difficulty performing the whole skill. 4. Don t hold learners back if they can perform certain skills on their first try. Challenge them with more advanced skills. 5. Never force learners to do something they are not ready to do and then make them feel inadequate when they can t perform the task. It s up to the learners, not you, to decide when they are ready to try a new skill. Suggest, provide encouragement, prod but never force a learner. 6. Remember to recognize small accomplishments as well as successful completion of the skill, water safety knowledge item, or stroke. 7. For some swimmers (e.g., those with an autism spectrum disorder), feeling comfortable in a new environment can take a long time. Be patient, proceed slowly, and ask parents or caregivers for suggestions to help ease the swimmers transition into the aquatic environment. RED CROSS SWIM PRESCHOOL BODY POSITIONS AND HOLDS Caregivers may not arrive with a natural sense of how to move in the water or how to hold their child correctly. They may need to learn the special techniques for working with their child in the water. You will need to explain the physical principles of water (e.g., buoyancy) in terms of the skills you re introducing. Demonstrate and reinforce appropriate body positions and holds for each skill. Emphasize the importance of consistent cues that introduce an activity (e.g., One, two, three, go or Ready, swim ). Also, make sure caregivers maintain eye contact with their child at all times. Basic Caregiver Support Position Caregivers should be low in the water (shoulders underwater) for all positions so they can maintain good eye-to-eye contact with the child on front skills, maximize buoyancy for the child on back skills, and keep the child warm (Figure 8.1). Front Positions Basic Front Layout Position The basic front layout position allows the child to experience the transition from a vertical body position 8.1

2 8.2 AWSI Manual The Developing Swimmer Figure 8.1 Front hold, maintain eye contact. to a horizontal body position in the water. Make sure this is a gradual transition (Figures ). 1. Caregiver and child are face to face, low in the water. 2. Caregiver supports the child under the arms at the shoulder. 3. To let the child float in the best horizontal position, caregiver needs to extend his or her arms to hold the child away from the body. Figure 8.2 Front hold, supporting body. Figure 8.4 Front hold, assisted. Side-by-Side Position The side-by-side position is a more advanced position for babies and is more suitable for toddlers. 1. Caregiver is beside the child (both face the same direction). 2. Caregiver supports the child by placing the hands under the child s armpits with the thumbs pointing up, behind the child s shoulder blades, or one hand at the child s armpit and the other at the waist (Figure 8.5). Both of these positions allow the caregiver to tow the child (towboat and barge) and gently sweep him or her from side to side so the child can enjoy the water currents passing along his or her body. Moving water is very relaxing for children. You must make sure the child s face is above the surface of the water to prevent him or her from getting a face full of water by surprise. Back Positions Back Cradle Position The back cradle position is as follows: 1. The child can be cradled facing the caregiver and then gently lowered into a back float cradle, or he or she can be cradled in one arm while in a semisitting position with his or her head resting against the caregiver s shoulder and chest (Figure 8.6). Back Layout Position The back layout position is as follows: Figure 8.3 Front hold, support at armpits. 1. Caregiver stands behind the child and supports him or her by placing the hands under the child s armpits or thighs.

3 The Developing Swimmer AWSI Manual 8.3 Figure 8.5 Side-by-side support hold. Figure 8.6 Back cradle position. Figure 8.7 Back layout position. 2. Caregiver should gently lower self into the water to shoulder level and touch the child s cheek to his or her cheek, with the child s head supported on the caregiver s shoulder. 3. Slowly and carefully, the caregiver and child move as one, and the caregiver leans back until the child is in a horizontal supported float with the water level just above or below the child s ears. 4. Caregiver extends his or her arms to move the child from a position resting against the cheek to a back layout position (Figure 8.7). You must make sure the child s face is above the surface of the water to prevent him or her from getting surprised by a face full of water. Back and Head Support Position The back and head support position is as follows: 1. This position starts with the child holding on to the side or sitting on one of the caregiver s knees in the water (the caregiver should be low in the water, shoulders at or near the surface of the water). The child leans back, eventually putting his or her ears under the water, although this is not necessary at first (Figure 8.8). 2. Caregiver continues to support the child with a gentle grasp and slowly stretches his or her arms out in front, easing the child from the knee and then stepping backward. 3. Caregiver encourages the child to look up (holding small toys above the child will help, see Figure 8.9). Figure 8.8 Begin back support position with both caregiver and child at shoulder level in water. Figure 8.9 Use a toy to help the child position the head correctly.

4 8.4 AWSI Manual The Developing Swimmer Babies may be successful at back floating positions until they begin to walk. Once they begin to walk, they will associate movement with facing forward and may go through a stage during which they do not like to be on their back. They may feel as if they re falling backward or be sensitive to water in their ears. If children who could previously perform this skill now fuss or cry and continue to attempt to sit upright, adjust your activities. Include backward movements while the children are in a vertical position and then try the back floating positions again in a later lesson, rather than forcing them to attempt a skill that makes them uncomfortable. Small toys or balls may help calm the child (up to the Sea Turtle level). Submersion Techniques Give caregivers the option of not submerging a child if they are uncomfortable with this skill. Limit submersions (or attempts to submerge) to no more than three per lesson. RELAXED AND READY, OR NOT? How do you know if the caregiver and child are ready for submersion? Check for these cues: Both caregiver and child are relaxed and enjoy the water. Caregiver and child are comfortable getting their faces wet. Caregiver has been taught the proper submersion hold/position. Caregiver can successfully demonstrate selfsubmersion and is comfortable with underwater activities. Face to Face The face-to-face position is as follows (Figure 8.10): 1. Child is held in the basic front layout position facing the caregiver. 2. Caregiver gives a verbal cue ( One, two, three, go ). 3. Caregiver bends at the knees and gently lowers their supporting hands until the child is submerged. Caregiver and child must move as a unit. Figure 8.10 Face-to-face submersion, caregiver and child submerge together. 4. Caregiver submerges the child just under the surface of the water; the child s forehead and bridge of the nose should be angled toward the bottom of the pool. The submersion should last from one to three seconds. 5. Caregiver gently raises the child to the surface and ends the technique with lots of praise and a hug. Tell caregivers that the key to gentle submersions is to let their supporting hands melt like chocolate so that the body weight of the child takes him or her under the surface of the water. This avoids the unpleasant feeling of being pulled, pushed, or dragged underwater. This gentle method also teaches the caregiver to help the child go underwater, rather than leading or pushing the child to submerge. Side by Side The side-by-side position is as follows (Figures 8.11 and 8.12): 1. Caregiver stands beside the child (both face the same direction) and supports the child under the armpits from back to front (thumbs point up and are at the back of the child s shoulders). The child should be in a horizontal body position along the surface of the water. 2. Using a verbal cue, the caregiver gently lifts the child slightly and presses on the child s shoulders to angle the forehead and nose toward the bottom. 3. The technique finishes with the caregiver holding the child again and helping him or her to the surface for lots of praise and hugs.

5 The Developing Swimmer AWSI Manual 8.5 Figure 8.11 Side-by-side submersion for toddler. Figure 8.13 Provide support at the shoulders. Figure 8.14 Assisted back float provides support under the shoulders. Figure 8.12 Child works toward independent submersion. Figure 8.15 Move support to back of head. A more advanced progression has the caregiver moving backwards slowly as the child submerges. RED CROSS SWIM KIDS HOLDING POSITIONS When you re teaching beginner swimmers, you will be faced with interesting and challenging tasks. These swimmers may have little to no previous swimming experience, and if they have previous experience, their memories may not be pleasant. Some of your swimmers will be apprehensive and require assistance in the form of equipment or physical contact. You can give your swimmers confidence and support by being in the water with them, either giving them hands-on assistance or just standing nearby (Figures ). Figure 8.16 Using equipment to assist swimmer. Figure 8.17 Provide support under the shoulder.