I'm a swimming teacher

[Starlitestarbright]

Hi feel free to ask me any questions. I teach learn to swim 3 upwards and school swimming.

CollieFIower
Where is your head when your floating. People with higher bone density or muscle mass tend do tend to struggle with floating than someone who is on the bigger side.

I'd be interested to hear your experience of Club swimming. Positives and negatives.

Thank you.

I'm not the OP.but from her mentioning State Galas I assume she is in the USA. Just be aware UK (if that's where you.are) club swimming is quite different from USA club swimming.

@Starlitestarbright that's interesting, I was a school teacher and I did half a course with a local leisure centre chain to become a swimming teacher - I only did half as I was up every night writing tonnes of lesson plans for homework and that was one of the reasons I left school teaching so I thought swimming teaching wasn't for me!

Pommes
Depends on the type of club really you have you amateurs then you have your more serious competitive clubs. My dd is currently swimming in an amateur club but has been invited to what's called talent ID where they train for an hour and half on a Saturday aswell as her two sessions in the week. Children are then selected if good enough to go into the clubs squads which swim for our local borough. Once you go up the higher levels it take full commitment. Dd will be swimming 3 times a week. If she gets chosen for a squad they also train on the morning and evenings. It's intense not for the faint hearted. I don't really involve myself in her club swimming as I'm a teacher not a coach. My own experience I enjoyed it never went to the level that dd will likely go for.

I'm from the UK. Sorry should have said boroughs not state's.

Whatafielddayfortheheat you do your lesson plans as part of your coursework for the level 2 to demonstrate understanding on leading lessons but you never use them in practice.

@purpledalmation my dd was the same, so bored once she reached stage 7 onwards, it just became endless lenghts. I was lucky that her swim school started rookie lifeguards which was much more fun - its all about water safety, basic first aid, throwing ropes at drowning people, etc. Parts of the lesson still include proper swimming but lots of it is basically how to be safe in and around water.

I literally don't float, so my head isn't anywhere when I float because I can't float! If I try and float on my back my head just kind of sinks. I just don't bother trying anymore. I can kind of doggy paddle around after my DC and that takes less effort now I'm a size 14 than it did when I was a size 8! But lying still and floating just doesn't happen when I try it. I just end up under water. Everyone says I just need to relax but relaxing whilst sinking isn't really a thing 😂

@Starlitestarbright are you in London? I only ask because never heard of Borough Galas. Most areas I have experience of in England at least have your club galas and open galas level 4 to 1, Counties then Regionals then Nationals.

@Pommes there is a lot of difference between clubs if you want to get a few different perspectives there is a thread on here frequented by us swim mums. It's called Poolside Chat Parents of Competitive Swimmers or something like that.

Why is it that swimming teachers are obsessed with people being able to swim with their face in the water, and doing absolutely perfect technique? My daughter could swim 25 metres with her face out but when we tried some lessons to get a bit more confidence they put her in with kids who couldn't swim at all and wouldn't move her up unless she put her face in. Surely actually being able to keep your head out of the water, ie not drowning, is fairly important?

My kids have no interest in competitive swimming, I just want them to be able to swim well enough to enjoy the water safely, as I have done my entire teen/adult life, definitely without perfect technique. Selling the idea that all kids must reach level whatever because it's a "lifesaving skill" seems like a money making scheme to me. As far as I am aware in a dangerous water situation it's much safer to float than swim in any case. You don't need perfect front crawl technique to swim for pleasure/exercise.

Do you genuinely think kids need to follow a whole swim programme for endless years or do you teach it just because it's what parents expect/are old is necessary?

I could do a couple of widths until I turned 40 and decided to have swimming lessons. Now I’m a pretty strong swimmer and not bad at front crawl and breast stroke. I’m also v. comfortable in the water now.

Bu, I’m hopeless at backstroke, I don’t feel comfortable on my back at all. Any tips on how to improve? Thx.

adulthumanfemalemum it's easier to swim with your face in the water , your body is more streamline making kicking and arm stroke easier than if your head is out of the water your arms aren't as effective and your legs are sinking then you would become more exhausted it's no longer effective. I believe swimming should be taught correctly I take pride in doing so and correcting body position on these basis. Putting your face isn't going to make your eyes pop out. I believe in teaching a skill properly to get a better outcome.

Hellocatshome
Not London the club is the main club for dd local borough, next town has their own club for their borough. I don't want to give out too many details without being outing. They still participate for the club galas and open galas.

HamBone

Have you tried sculling?

I completely agree, @Starlitestarbright . I found that once I’d got used to putting my face in the water and figured out how to breathe correctly, swimming became SO much easier and my stamina massively increased.

My three year old is due to start swimming lessons later this week. He’s quite a nervous, emotional kid, with some sensory issues. He’s excited about the prospect of swimming lessons, but he’s also still at the stage where he hates having his face wet/hair washed. Am I setting him up to fail at this stage?

I’ve never heard of it, but have just Googled and will watch a video. Thanks!

dateafternoon I'm guessing it's ducklings it will be lot of water confidence blowing bubbles. I'm very clever at getting my kids to put their face in ( to look for the shark see what he's wearing today) but on the whole it's body position getting their chin on the water, blowing bubbles and kicking. I would recommend taking him to that pool with you beforehand so he has an idea of what to expect and have a bit of a play with you.

Any advice for a DC with Dyspraxia. He is Autistic and loves swimming now (used to hate it). He can swim a length and is very happy in the deep end but finds the co-ordination really difficult.
He has school lessons at the moment and private lessons each week. Then I take him 2-3 times a month.
He’s still in the shallow end with the DC who can’t swim in the private lessons. What can I do to help him?

Sadly no, he doesn't even like it when his group have mini 'races'. In the warmer months we'll go as a family and get him to keep the distances going 😊

User837463839 what's he like on his back? Has he done any sculling yet?

THIS

It is only Feb (just) but you win my post of the year

My children initially learnt abroad when the emphasis was on strength and safety over style and stroke. Then moved into Swim England framework.

They were both a bit frustrated about how little swimming there was... and having to wait weeks to demonstrate a final skill before moving up. (Their foreign lessons they were in a group and the whole group just advanced together and they did distance challenges)

My question... do you think that the SE framework is lacking in the endurance and strength bits? Or was thr fact that their Stage 6 lessons was still just 10m widths bad luck?

My son has just turned 6 and has been swimming since he was 12 weeks old ( apart from through covid )

I'd say he can maybe swim 10 metres give or take if pushed.

Do you think he should be able to swim further/better by now?

He did Waterbabies until 4 years. A year at a swim school we weren't happy with so we left.

Now he's currently in the group Swim Stage 1 at a local uni.

Any tips on how I can get my 8 year old to do a width without putting his foot down? He can push off nicely, kick and nice big arms, but when he takes a breath he just sinks!