If you have anxiety about swimming, you are also likely to pass on your fears to your student no matter how well-meaning you are. You may not remember how you learned to swim. Typically swimming is taught to young children, so you may not remember how exactly you were taught years ago. Or you may not remember certain parts.
“Sink or Swim”/ “Viking swim lesson”, in other words, having a person forcibly put (such as tossed by an adult) into deep water. The driving idea behind this lesson is that the person will struggle and be afraid, but will overcome this fear and learn quickly that it is possible to get to the side. Typically, this just re-enforces a person’s reluctance to get in the water, and builds distrust in you as an instructor; he or she will be unlikely to swim for pleasure and thus not become a good swimmer. At worst, the person can drown. Using the term “Drown-Proofing”. Being able to swim does not mean a person cannot drown. Many water-related deaths were by people who could swim competently. This is an outdated and misleading term. Demand a perfect float or dive. Some swimming programs demanded students pass skills such as floating or diving. While both of these skills compliment swimming and teach good skills, one can be a great swimmer while not mastering them. If the goal is to teach swimming, keep the focus on swimming. A very skinny and/or muscular person may not be able to float well, but swim just fine. Many Olympic-level swimmers do not float well. Diving demands a certain form, and a few people have real trouble with elements such as keeping the legs together. But for everyday swimming, or in an emergency, this really is unlikely to matter.
Do not rush the person into being more comfortable in the water. You will not be able to teach anything about propulsion, floating, breath control, or any other aspect of swimming unless the person feels confident enough to relax and explore. Take small steps. For someone very afraid of the water, just getting three steps into the pool may be a huge achievement. Do what he or she is comfortable with, then take it just one bit further at a time. You may want to hold your student’s hand (as long as it is a small individual) to make them feel less anxious. Very young students wearing flotation devices are fine to have swim in deeper water as long as you are comfortable in this area. Since a toddler cannot touch the bottom in the shallow end, it is just as “dangerous” as the deep end. In fact, this approach avoids making “the deep end” a forbidden, hazardous place for a student–which can be an anxiety about swimming for novice students. Let your student hold onto you until he/she is ready. Instead of you deciding when to let go, let your student decide. This can help build trust in you.
Provide colorful floating toys for children to reach for in the water. This helps children learn to stretch out the arms (rather than contract defensively) and feel water is a fun environment for exploration and play. An adult may be anxious standing in the water away from the pool wall. However, tossing a beach ball back and forth acts as a focus–away from feeling anxiety at being away from the safety of the wall and building a feeling of relaxation, fun, and safety.
Do not use “arm floaties”. These devices easily come off, and restrict arm movements. Swimming requires a lot of arm movement, so these inflatables are highly discouraged. They also give children a false understanding of the physics of being in water. Kickboards are very useful in teaching swimming. They allow for just enough flotation to the arms to isolate the kick. And although they float, students cannot use them entirely as a support. “Bubbles” are often useful. They help the student float a bit more, and encourages a horizontal position in the water. As the swimmer becomes more confident, the amount of flotation can be reduced until no longer needed.
Do not bring students in the deep end un-supported until he or she can swim about a pool length without stopping to touch the bottom. Physically being able to swim without stopping is a requirement for the deep end. Some students will routinely stop and put a foot down to assure that they are in shallow water, even if they can physically swim the distance. Either way, the student must be confident and strong enough to handle not simply being able to stop. Your student can simply hold on to the side of the pool and pull themselves along. It may take a few goes to get to the other end of the pool. Lead the way, showing that it is safe, and go a little bit further each time. [10] X Research source Try visiting with a lifejacket or other flotation devices. Cruising through the deep end wearing flotation devices will help build confidence. Doing things like jumping into the area with a life jacket will help the learner feel that this isn’t such a forbidden zone, but more like just another part of the pool.
It’s important to save jumping in until the learner is comfortable with the deep end, because it can be dangerous to jump in at the shallow end, where he/she could hit the bottom and hurt themselves.
