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Teaching children to swim

DirtyFeetPete

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My son has been taking weekly swim lessons for about three months and I try to follow his drills at home. He is not swimming as well as I thought he'd be at this point and has only really been progressing because of the extra time I've spent with him. He's unable to float and just started kicking his feet. The school he goes to is run by an Olympic medalist, I pay good money for him to go to this school but the program isn't as effective as I'd like.

A video was in my recommendations and I saw that the baby was only 15 months.



Now I was nervous about all of the rolling around and gasping this little baby is doing but she seems to be fearless and confident. My baby is pretty confident in water but he's not as nearly skilled.

So I was lead to this ISR program where the children are taught how to save themselves, breathe and open their eyes underwater, roll over face up and call for help. It's a six week program.



I don't agree with some of their practices, one of the companies straps down the kid's arm and has them struggling in the water. Water safety and teaching the children how to help themselves is important but not if they're going to be panicking.

Anyways! should I just put him in private lessons? Are there any at home programs? I'll keep him in his class if there's a program we can do at home. But I'm not paying for private lessons and the class. He enjoys his lessons but I feel it's going much too slow. Now that I think about it, I'm wondering if it is because some of the little ones are not on the same skill level and aren't ready to try advanced drills. One of the little boys is two years old, doesn't kick and doesn't get his face into the water, another does the same but he always gets disruptive and fights his mother in the pool. My son and another two kids are the only ones that come to every class and are cooperative.
 

XUserX

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ISR is really so for babies so that they can instinctively save themseleves if they they fall into water, and it gives them repeated practice on not getting into a pool unless an adult brings them in. These are not skills that you can tell or show a child under 4 occasionally and hope it will stick. That's why ISR works --it's repeated, traumatic and becomes instinctual. I have my issues with it, but it is effective. Most young children don't have the hand eye leg breath coordination needed to swim strokes and laps so ISR-- safety swimming is all you are training them for. IF he's young keep the regular lessons and maybe get in the pool with him 2-4x more per week -- yes it's a lot but it will increase his progress dramatically. Maybe you can block off a 2-4 week period where you guys can go to the pool daily and you'll see how much more progress you'll make than if you'd spread that out over a year.


If your child is older you want them to be a strong swimmer so that they have the strength to make it across whatever bodyof water they are in while keeping their faces in the water while kicking and using their arms. -- when they are tired they should be able to float on their backs and rest.
Many children of color have denser muscle and bone making floating more difficult so they have to work harder to do it.

And YES his progress is because of you! It's a rare child that maked consistent progress only during lessons -- what other time during the day do they practice those skills unless they are in the water? it's not like football where they can go outside and sprint or throw whenever the mood strikes them -- practice with a aloved one counts for double as practice elsewhere.

I think consistent long term practice is the key -- if you can get him in year round lessons or a non competitive swim team that might be good since he'll get that long term consistency.

Also @DirtyFeetPete lots of people think they can swim but all they can really do is avoid drowning if conditions are in their favor -- meaning they can "swim" with their head out of the calm water, in water not much deeper than their own height and in water where they can quickly get to the edge or a rope. That's not swimming and it takes repeated practice to get to the point that you can swim without those qualifiers -- and then to be strong and graceful at it is a whole nother process. And then to be strong enough to save yourself or someone you love takes even more. I say all this to say stick with it! It's the only sport that can save your life or that of someone you love so just make it your family activity for as long as need be.
 
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Ty1994

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Sounds like a waste of money. I learned to swim after school at the Boys and Girls club and membership was only like 15 bucks
 

Arleedee01

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@Peg

Very true - when I first took lessons as an adult, I was only good enough to keep myself from drowning. When my children were born, I took lessons again but to train me how to watch them in the water and how to rescue them.
 

Livia Drusilla

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Almost all kids here learn to swim and every single parent says it takes too long to get their A,B and C level diploma. It took us almost 3 years of weekly lessons for a hour to get there. It sounds like from your post the teacher has little control of the class and maybe a smaller group is better. Are the parents in the pool area during lessons? They sometimes tend to interfere with a childs lesson if they are around so as a group things progress slower.

After 6-8 months of weekly lessons lasting between 60-90 minutes children are normally able to do this
zwemdiploma a - YouTube
 

GQ2006

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Private lessons were beneficial to my youngest who struggled learning to swim. The eldest had no problem. Try the Y or an athletic center with a focus on aquatics. Speak to the director, ask for a trial class and see the instructors technique. You'll be able to make an informed decision based on what you see. Good luck @DirtyFeetPete
 

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