SKILL BUILDING FOR UNDER 4 YEAR OLD’S BY LAURIE LAWRENCE WORLDWIDESWIMSCHOOL.COM
Swimming is a building block process. It’s important that instructors and coaches progress slowly with skills. Once each skill is learned and mastered, then it’s time to move on to new activities. It is imperative that skills are conquered before moving on - if any steps are rushed, or missed in the learn to swim process, then the eventual stroke and swimming techniques may suffer. Many instructors come across swimmers in the upper levels of their program that are stiff and awkward in their swimming strokes. These swimmers may have missed one of the most important parts of the learn to swim process – floating. If instructors move on from floating too soon and try to teach propulsion and movement through the water, then swimmers may not relax and learn the freeing sensation of floating in the water. There are many steps from the initial stages of learn to swim that run all the way through until the squad swimmers in any program. This article will break down skills in the learn to swim process. It is important not to skip these steps in order to produce excellent swimmers with good quality skills and strokes. The skill building process as discussed in this article can be broken down into six stages. Swim schools may have different stages within their program. The most important thing is that instructors take their time in each of the phases of learn to swim to ensure confident swimmers ready to progress and continuously improve within the program. Continued on next page... USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 45
