Precursor to Learning How to Swim, Part 1: The Buoyancy Aspect

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Katrina

The most common question a parent could ever ask a swim teacher is, when will my child learn to swim? It’s a harmless and rightfully direct inquiry. Yet believe it or not, seasoned instructors know this is one of the most complex and controversial questions we could ever try to answer about your child.

Why is that? A better understanding of the complexity behind attempting to gauge when someone can safely start swimming can be explained by by discussing certain aspects – four to be exact. This entry is part of a four-part entry on the precursors of learning how to swim. Today I will discuss the first aspect: The Buoyancy Aspect. 

Part 1: The Buoyancy Aspect. Talking about buoyancy is talking about a body’s ability to be forced upwards to float – as known as hydrodynamics. Human bodies typically experience a 50-80% total body weight loss when submerged in the pool. This means the water has the power to hold us up but not 100% (otherwise we’d be walking on water, right?). The trouble is everyone’s specific gravity – which is the ratio of the weight of your body to the weight of the water it displaces – is different and for the most part, totally uncontrollable. Meaning it’s not up to your child if they are a sinker or a floater. Some issues do help and some hinder. For example, adipose tissue (also known as body fat) has a specific gravity that promotes floating, whereas muscle mass or heavier bone structures have a specific gravity that promotes sinking. Also, our center of mass or the “down force” located near the hips sometimes outweighs your center of gravity or the “up force” located in the chest. Meaning many can only stay horizontal for a few seconds before legs start to sink and fully submerged a body in a vertical position. What’s the point of all this physics gibberish? If your fearful swimmer cannot feel they float well enough, they are going to feel panic instead. Panic causes contraction of the muscles, which further complicates (or weighs down) the issue. Let me throw in just one additional point about the buoyancy aspect: Water properties are 830-times thicker than air with 12-times the resistance coming at you from every angle. If you have limited strength or floating powers, swimming can feel like trying to survive in quicksand. Imagine how be intimidating that can be to a small child!

Next entry: Part 2, or The Memory Aspect!

Posted in Children Learning to Swim, Infant & Baby Swimming, Parenting & Swimming, Swim Instructors, Swim Lessons & Programs | Leave a comment

5 Ways to Help Your Fearful Swimmer

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Katrina

The knowledge swim season is just around the corner can cause many families to have an initial reaction that resembles more of a cringe than one of celebration. This is because not all children fall in love with the water upon first splash. Even if you were a champion fish yourself, your child’s trepidation over swimming is often immune to your liquid-loving DNA or best parenting efforts. In fact, how a water fear develops, whether it is one imagined or actually experienced by the child, can be quite uncontrollable. Water fears develop either from something imagined or an actual negatively experienced swim experience. So something as simple as seeing an older sibling take a swim lesson – or as serious as their falling into a pool – can create a water fear.

A water fear can stick around for a very long time inside a little psyche, making it very hard to get any fearful child through a series of swim lessons or to even enjoy an afternoon swimming at the local public pool. However, the good news is there are many variables within a family’s control that can help a fearful swimmer warm up to the water quicker. If you’re willing to do a little simple pre-season legwork as outlined below, chances are you’ll be able to get your child more accustomed to the notion swimming has the potential to provoke laughter and not just tears this summer. Here’s 5 ways to Help Your Fearful Swimmer:

#1: Acknowledge your child’s fear. It is an adult’s (and often swim teacher’s!) natural reaction to tell a child ‘there is nothing to be afraid of’ when it comes to water. This statement not only disregards their feelings, but in fact we know different: Where there is water, there is risk. Tackle their discomfort by confessing your own – tell your child you were once afraid of the water, too, and that it okay to be scared.

#2: Focus on family water fun. If you feel swimming is important to your family, you have to show it. The best way is through family pool time where the focus is nothing more than having a blast getting wet. This fun helps develop trust between the parent and child – a vital bargaining chip if you’re planning on asking your child to eventually transfer that trust to someone else in the water, like a swim instructor.

#3: Get to know any new swim environments. This is important if you plan on approaching your child’s water fears through swim lessons. You and your little one need to check out what the pool is like – from the depth of the shallow end to disposition of the swim teachers – especially during the pool’s busy hours. Not knowing what to expect beforehand can create confusion, which heightens a child’s anxiety over lessons.

#4: Consider private swim lessons over group ones. You and your child have more of a chance to make a breakthrough if you reduce the student-teacher ratio to one-on-one instruction. A teacher’s undivided attention can divert uncomfortable emotions quicker whereas in a group setting, your child is uncomfortably tasked to wait their turn for their fears to get addressed.

#5: Review rules to ensure their safety and place at the pool. Kids need boundaries and limitations because they need order and to know what’s expected of them. Family swim rules or what’s posted at the local pool helps do this, creating a healthy respect between kids, parents and the water. Not to mention educating kids about pool safety can help save lives.

Although a water fear should be respected, remember, it isn’t enough of an excuse to not learn to swim!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

More News About Adopting Swimming as School Curriculmn

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Katrina

South Carolina could become the first state in the nation to require swim classes for public schoolchildren.

A bill introduced last month by Rep. Wendell Gilliard (D-Charleston) calls for any state-funded school within 10 miles of a public pool to offer free swimming instruction to all students. Under AB 3030, students would be required to complete two years of swim education before graduating from high school. To read the full story, go to this link at Pool & Spa News.

It doesn’t stop there — or in one state, anyway. Maine offered district-wide swimming lessons for all of Regional School Unit 1’s third-graders in Bath this past year. The Times Record covered the story found here.

This European trend is likely spurred by our nation’s drowning statistics. Did you know:

  • Nine people drown each day in the U.S.
  • Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 14 years
  • In the summer of 2010, 77 percent of reported spa and pool fatalities and emergency-department (ED)-treated injuries were to children younger than 5 years
  • Children under one year most often drown in bathtubs, buckets or toilets
  • Most young children who drowned in pools had been out of site for less than five minutes
  • In ethnically-diverse populations the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher than the national average
  • African-Americans report the most limited swimming abilities
  • Males are 3.7 times more likely to drown than females
  • Faulty spa and pool drain entrapment has the suction power to disembowel a child – and have.

Jim Reiser (aka “The Swim Professor”) recently met with Rep. Wendell Gilliard to discuss his ideas for a statewide swim curriculum. I will keep you posted on what Jim has to say about how his meeting went! In the meantime, he is a finalist for the About.com Reader’s Choice awards and needs just two minutes of your time (and vote!) on this link.

Posted in Children Learning to Swim, Swim Lessons & Programs, Swimming News | Leave a comment

How I Became a Swim Instructor — When I Couldn’t Even Swim That Well!

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Katrina

Here is another excerpt from my upcoming swim eBook about overcoming water fears with children. Because a new year can inspire — and put pressure — on people to work harder at their goals or resolutions, I wanted to make sure readers who are new to swimming or working out in the water understand even seasoned instructors like myself started out somewhere. This story is about how I almost never became a swim teacher because, truth be told, I wasn’t that great of a swimmer!

At 23-years of age, upon graduation of college, instead of pursuing a career in my chosen field of journalism I decided what I wanted to was teach kids to swim in a safe, educational and supportive manner to help them avoid creating such water fear stories of their own. Nobel enough goal, yes; but this meant first obtaining lifeguard training and certification. Shouldn’t be too hard for a recent know-it-all college grad, right?

There were a couple of hurdles in achieving this. Although I was an avid athletic and loved the water, I wasn’t that accomplished of a lap swimmer.  In fact, I had never been on a swim team or even had a lick of formalized swim instruction! My only swim background really was at age 10 when my mom signed me up for a synchronizing swim team filled with a bunch of older girls. I was so lousy for a swimmer and would get in everyone’s way that I started faking sicknesses to the coach the second my mom dropped me off just so I wouldn’t have to suit up and get in the pool.  Word got out about my antics and my mom silently removed me from the team.  So much for a swim career, right?

But here I was, an ambitious recent graduate signing up at the local YMCA for a lifeguard course with what looked to be a bunch of high school kids instead of sending my resume to print publications and the CNN newsroom.  And I feel the experience turned out to be just as challenging if I had been hired by a big-time media company.

On the first day of lifeguarding class, I found out we would be required to swim 200 yards in the lap pool. I could manage to do the eight laps, sure, but they had to be doing the freestyle or crawl stroke which requires rhythmic breathing. I decided I would do just fine winging it.

After about two laps, I began struggling to catch my breath while these 17-year olds sailed past me in the lap lane. The lifeguard instructor who had been giving me the evil eye the whole time pulled me over to call my bluff. He told me point blank he didn’t think I was going to be able to do this. “You can try to practice, but I cannot guarantee I’ll even pass you then,” he warned.

I pondered giving up. I was obviously in the wrong place. Yet I am not someone who takes defeat lightly, so I attacked the threat of failing head-on and practiced my side-breathing every day. This is how I became a self-taught lap swimmer who did not really learn to swim (by some definitions) until age 23. As the lifeguard class progressed, my lap swimming got stronger. Three weeks later when I was able to fight my 270-pound instructor off me in the water (talk about the irony) which was part of our life-saving test, I passed my certification and officially began my career as a swim instructor.

For over fifteen years now I have taught swimmers of all ages and abilities, from experienced infants to first-timer senior citizens, in private and class settings at both homes and large facilities, on how to perform all swim strokes and practice water safety techniques. The number of humans I’ve taught to swim has to be in the thousands. One last shot of irony: one of the most memorial moments in my career was when I performed a double-rescue on two kids who were clinging onto one another underwater as a means for safety.

Posted in Adult Swimming, Children Learning to Swim, Swim Instructors, Tina's Swim eBooks!, Water Exercise & Aerobics | Leave a comment

Water Aerobic Mixes! All the song artists and song titles found here!

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Katrina

This post is specifically for my water aerobic students that love the music I play in my classes! I will now share with you the song artists and song titles to the first five of my class mixes!

MIX #1: Love Lockdown — Kayne West; Poker Face — Lady GaGa; Gimme More — Britney Spears; The Way I Are — Timbaland; SexyBack — Justin Timberlake; Single Ladies — Beyonce; Crazy — Gnarles Barkely; Bad Girls –Donna Summer; American Boy — Estelle; Work That — Mary J. Blige; Obssessed — Mariah Carey; Good life — Kayne West; Clumsy — Fergie; What Comes Around — Justin Timberlake; The First Taste — Fiona Apple.

MIX #2: Swimmy Swim — Woody Guthrie; Day-O –Harry Belafonte; Livin’ in the USA — Steve Miller; Single Ladies — Beyonce; Another One Bites the Dust — Queen; Ping Island — Mark Mothersbaugh; Family Affair — Mary J. Blige; Work That — Mary J. Blige; Crazy — Gnarls Barkley; Mrs. Jackson — OutKast; Hey Ya! — OutKast; Love Train — The O’Jays; Irreplaceable — Beyonce; Big Girls Don’t Cry — Fergie; Undercover of the Night — The Rolling Stones; Fly — Nick Drake; Factory Girl — The Rolling Stones; Dust in the Wind — Kansas.

MIX #3: Monster Mash — Bobby “Boris” Pickett; These Eyes — The Guess Who; New Slang — The Shins; Mickey Mouse Club — Disney Characters; Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) — Bill Conti; Cosmic Thing — B52′s; Double Dutch Bus — Frankie Smith; Harlem Shuffle — The Rolling Stones; Crazy — Gnarls Barkley; SexyBack — Justin Timberlake; Keep Feeling Fascination (Remix) — Neon World; Obession (Remix) — Neon World; Irreplaceable — Beyonce; Say it Right — Nelly Furtado; Mr. Bojangles — Nina Simone.

MIX #4: Planet Clair — B52′s; Oh Marie — Louis Prima; Suddenly I See — KT Tunstall; No One — Alicia Keys; Down in Mexico — The Coasters; Clumsy — Fergie; Toxis — Britney Spears; Crazy in Love — Beyonce; SexyBack — Justin Timberlake; LoveStoned (on mix TWO times) — Justin Timberlake; What Goes Around — Justin Timberlake; Irreplaceable — Beyonce; Copacabana — Barry Manilow; I Believe — Stevie Wonder.

MIX #5: All You Need is Love — The Beatles; It’s My Life — Talk Talk; Drivin’ My Life Away — Eddie Rabbit; Rehab — Amy Winehouse; Gimme More — Britney Spears; Just Fine — Mary J. Blige; Say it Right — Nelly Furtado; Good Life — Kayne West; The Cisco Kid — War; Crazy — Gnarls Barkley; Syncronicity II — The Police; I Need a Lover — John Cougar; Glamorous — Fergie; Can We Find a Reason? — Lenny Kravitz; Changes — Seu George.

Posted in WATER AEROBIC MIXES! | 3 Comments

Water Goal for 2011: How to Get Yourself (or Someone Else) into the Pool

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Katrina

I don’t like resolutions. But I do follow goals. If you’re anything like me, you feel there is a lot you should be doing every day, week, month and year. After much practice on chasing goals — more accurately too many — I’m finding you can net better results when you simplify or keep your goals very limited. My friend Jeana likes to call these WIGs, or “Wildly Important Goals,” and to have a laser-beam focus on one at a time.

So let’s say one of your goals for 2011 has to do with water. More specifically, exercise or safety. That could mean either you’d like to either get in shape using water or help someone else (like your child) learn to swim.Sounds simple enough, right? But complexity is always right around the corner …

After just finishing my rough draft of my upcoming eBook on helping children overcome water fears, I can attest there is A LOT that goes into getting a resisting child into the pool. And even more if you are a resisting adult, because the power of freewill reigns supreme. So how do you get yourself or someone else into the pool this year without a lot of complications? Here’s some simple advice that works for parents wanting to know more about lap swimming to seniors wanting to join water aerobics to children who have big water fears:

  • Buy some cool swim stuff. This is when the notion of buying “stuff” can work for you. A new suit, pair of goggles and/or workout bag can be a major pool motivator. Hang the item up where you (or your child) can see it. It serves as the knowledge and action you’re already taken a step to commit yourself to tackling the goal.
  • Visit a beautiful pool. This helps with the visualization process that your goal is really happening. It is also great for little kids who are not that comfortable with swim environments. In the dead of winter, being inside an indoor pool heated to 90-degrees can alleviate any excuses that it’s ‘too cold for swimming.” You see families and others achieving something you want for yourself or kin.
  • Create accountability. If you get into the pool with your child, you’re holding them responsible. If you sign up for private lessons or group swim class, now you’re the who has to show up. Appointments are great because we don’t like to let people down!
  • Your mantra is: Do the Best You Can. These are your last words to your pre-schooler before their swim lesson starts. And this is what you tell yourself if you feel like you’re going to look stupid in the pool trying to swim a lap or keep up with a high-powered water aerobics class. Everyone around you was new once, too.
  • Don’t make money the excuse. I know the economy is still in the dumper. I know a new swim suit, classes, and even a membership sounds expensive. But I bet if you take a careful look at both your fixed and variable monthly costs, there is room to cut $5 here or $20 there. I just called up my cable company and dropped by monthly bill by $20 just for asking for a discount. And I’m doing the same with my car insurance, which will net me an extra $10 a month.
Posted in Adult Swimming, Children Learning to Swim, Health and Fitness, Lap Swimming & Strokes, Water Exercise & Aerobics | Leave a comment

Learning to Swim: One Piece in the Bigger Water Safety Puzzle

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Katrina

The following excerpt is from my upcoming swim ebook, “Overcoming Water Fears with Children” available spring 2011.

It’s pretty exciting to not only watch your little one overcome a water fear, but to actually start swimming! I’m as pumped and touched as you are to journey through this process and beyond, but I’m obligated to give you some important warnings and advice about pool safety. Actually, I really shouldn’t be apologetic about it. It could save your child’s life or someone else you know – and your very own.

The Red Cross wants to make sure parents and instructors understand just because someone shows water independence – or your definition of what it means to swim – it doesn’t make the person “drown-proof.” In fact, one thing every accomplished swim teacher can agree on is that no one is ever drown-proof. There is no such thing. If you witness the claim anywhere, consider it a marketing buzzword or a big mistake (to the point of a liability) on the part of the swim program that uses it. I don’t care if your infant successfully graduated from one of those infant aquatic survival programs. No one is ever drown-proof.

I’d also like you to remember, courtesy of Swim for Life, that where there is water, there is risk. At the time of writing this book, within a 10-week period (and just a hundred miles from one another) my local news reported two separate stories about one toddler who drowned in a backyard koi pond and another who drowned in a hotel lobby fountain. In fact, before this latter tragedy happened, when I was writing Part One on this ebook I had used a child being frighten by a garden fountain as a possible reason for how your child might have developed a water fear or water trauma – but I changed it because I thought I was exaggerating with my examples too much. Turns out I wasn’t. In fact, many drowning facts, stories and statistics will surprise you.

I have my own wise adage to add to the others: Learning to swim is just one component in a water safety plan. No matter what age or ability level your child is at, being able to swim just isn’t enough. You’ve got to be vigilant around pools or other open bodies of water, as well as any environment that could have water around it. You’ve got to educate yourself about the signs of drowning and take a 20-minute online CPR class. Never assume the other parents and children around know as much as your family does about water safety (even if they own the pool). Don’t think water safety rules apply to other people or other situations. You don’t have to be paranoid – you just have to be aware and prepared. Aside of learning to swim, cover the following points in your water safety plan:

  • Compliant pool fences. The Samuel Morris Foundation shared studies that showed 5 out of 16 pool fencing materials failed to pass compliance standards.
  • Proper-fitting pool or spa covers.
  • Up-to-code pool or spa drains.
  • Baby-proof door handles and pet doors in house.
  • Adult supervision at all times.
Posted in Children Learning to Swim, Water Fears & Trauma, Water Safety | Leave a comment

The True Definition of What is Means to ‘Swim’

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Katrina

I once had a dissatisfied parent explain to me I wasn’t teaching enough to their already-advanced 1-1/2 year old child. I explained I was doing everything I was able to do for a child of this age, but that cognitive and physical ability limit swim skills.

Although the child was happily going underwater and allowing me to push or assist her in getting to the pool edge without much hands-on help, it wasn’t enough. The mother told me that where she’s from — Hawaii — infants swim all the time from one end of the pool to another.

I don’t disbelieve this happening. I just don’t call it swimming. Technically, it’s called infant aquatic survival skills or drowning prevention tactics. What can we actually call swimming?

Two things come to my mind. First, it depends on what your definition is of swimming. If you are a parent asking this question, to you it probably means not having to get into the pool and instead be able to watch your child swim safety from the deck without having a panic attack. That’s a fair expectation and desire.

  • TIP: Asking when your child will start swimming is too broad of a question. Be more specific about the task or situation you have in mind. Does your child need to swim 25-yards to be accepted into a certain summer camp? Are you going on vacation where your kid might be swimming in an open body of water? Let your instructor know what your swim goal is; it allows them to better prepare your child for the skills they need to accomplish it.

The second thing that comes to my mind when figuring out the true definition of swimming is you have to talk to or trust in the definition provided by a reputable safety or swim organization. Something that has been around for awhile or is government-based. For example, the one of the markers Red Cross uses to define a “real swimmer” is someone who can swim the freestyle 50-yards (swimming to one end of the pool and back) which includes showing proper rhythmic breathing. This information is outlined in their Water Safety Instructor textbook. I know it also includes being able to dive and perform other strokes as well or just generally be competent in basic swim skills and swim safety.

  • TIP: Many pools — both private and public — have in-house “swim tests” the staff wants your child to pass if they are going to either be allowed to swim by themselves while you watch OR even to be dropped off and left alone. I have heard of a local pool requiring independent swimmers to be able to swim 25-yards (one length) of the pool doing the freestyle with rhythmic breathing WITHOUT goggles. And others pools just go by age.

Hopefully this information (and tips) will help you narrow down what your definition of swimming is as well as meet any future swim situations you might encounter.

Posted in Children Learning to Swim, Infant & Baby Swimming, Water Safety | Leave a comment

Great Tips on Teaching the Butterfly to Children

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Katrina

The butterfly is a fun yet complicated stroke to teach. The idea of teaching it can intimidate a lot of instructors because it requires mastering a particular rhythm, a difficult kick and a lot of upper body strength. But I love working with kids on it and in my experience, they love to learn it.

First, it helps to have catchy and fun phrases designed to help kids remember the techniques when swim instruction gets intense. For example, when I start out teaching the accompanying dolphin kick, I ask kids if they were a mermaid (or for boys, a dolphin) and therefore had a tail, how would they swim? Kids love acting like animals and girls love beautiful princess figures. They get right into it.

Also, Swim equipment can correct or assist with difficult strokes. I use fins or flippers for aiding in the dolphin kick. I give kids two simple rules: keep the fins in the water and don’t bend your legs. Sometimes teaching the art of using fins becomes a lesson in itself, but it eventually makes the butterfly more achievable for younger kids. Heck, even for adults.

Finally, manual or physical “hands-on” instruction is another suggesting for teaching the butterfly to children. This means actually using your hands/body to correctly position the child in order to teach physical memory. It’s one thing to verbally tell a child that the dolphin kicks uses their whole body AND visually show them, but sometimes it is beneficial to actually position the child in such a way you can manually show them how it should feel.

Here’s a round-up for some great butterfly teaching tips:

  • Check out this free 8-minute clip on butterfly teaching techniques brought to you by Jim Reiser, The Swim Professor. He has a catchy phrase to remember when to kick and when to stroke (or the proper rhythm) that involves saying, “Inchworm, butterfly! Inchworm, butterfly!”
  • This How to Swim video offers a good refresher for instructors on the timing of each stroke element, from the two-kick cycle to recovery.
  • If you have a really good student who just needs a little tweaking here or there, check out this animated “swimming human skeleton” video to watch the body syncing correctly.
  • To see what progress looks like, here’s was a practicing 7-to-12-year old should look like after a couple of lessons practicing the butterfly. (P.S. I love the frog kick drill the teacher uses in the beginning!)

In the words of Jim Reiser, break each stage down (ie. first learning how to stay afloat). And for every correction provide twice as many compliments.

Posted in Children Learning to Swim, Lap Swimming & Strokes, Swim Instructors, Swim Lessons & Programs | Leave a comment

4 Uncommon Swim Tragedies That Can Happen To Your Kids

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Katrina

The longer I teach, the more conscious I become about enforcing water safety skills and pool rules. Well, I also think getting older and pregnant makes me realize all the dangers that exist for kids out there. You just have to pick up your local paper and read about the latest drunk driving teen crash to get an idea it does happen in your backyard.

Without a desire to sensationalize swim tragedies, I offer 4 uncommon swimming accidents that can happen to your kids for the shear purpose of trying to avoid them.

  • Horseplay can lead to lifelong disabilities. Yahoo! News just posted this story about a teen who was pushed into a pool by a friend and landed on her head. She now suffers from a C6 spinal cord injury that has left her paralyzed from the neck down. She’s a brave lady who doesn’t blame her friend with wedding plans on the horizon.
  • A faulty pool or spa drains causes horrific bodily damage. They have the suction power to disembowel a child; read Abbey’s Story to learn more. They have the power to hold a body underwater that would take two adult men to pull the child off the drain; read Graeme’s Story to learn more. By law, you must install VBG-complaint drain covers that can be found here.
  • Involved in a multiple drowning incident. Last summer we saw 6 teens drown at once while wading in a Louisiana river. None could swim, and neither could the parents that stood back and watched in horror. The most common reaction of a frighten child is to grab at someone else, even if the other person is a child and/or a non-swimmer.
  • Drowning or falling into “harmless” bodies of water. This 2-year old fell into a hotel lobby fountain and was found unconscious. And this 2-year old drowned in a backyard koi pond. Both incidents were about 6 weeks apart and 100 miles from one another. So imagine what we’d gather if we branched out for similar stories nationwide.

The number of drownings did not go down this past summer, despite the presence of a very strong national pool safety campaign. Make sure your presence is always known at the pool. Know the pool rules before you even get in the water. Let your kids know you won’t tolerate certain horseplay. Wherever there is water, there is always risk. Always.

Posted in Water Safety | Leave a comment