Corine "Relax. Breathe. Trust the water." (38 years old)
"Maybe there is hope for me. I can do breast stroke and free-style only with goggles on, and I can't tread water or float on my back."
A couple of things stood out in Corine's e-mail: 'only with goggles on' and 'I can't tread water or float on my back.'
GOGGLES: Let's tackle the goggle issue first. I have a love-hate relationship with goggles. I love to wear them. I prefer to wear them. Growing up, I wore contacts, so I had to wear them. I use them all the time when I teach. Buuuttt...I do not allow my swimmers to become addicted to them. They start the lesson without them and they jump in without them. Because if they ever accidentally fall in the water, they most likely will not be wearing goggles.
I've seen kids jump into the water without their goggles (or they fall off or fill up with water) and they absolutely fall to pieces. They panic, don't want to actually get water in their eyes and thrash about like they have no idea how to swim. They really do forget everything. It's amazing to watch. Amazing to think of how dangerous this lack of confidence without goggles can be. Of course, I usually just look at them in disbelief and calmly tell them to put their heads down and swim.
I've also seen kids wearing goggles when they are not comfortable putting their faces in the water to begin with. Please don't allow this. I understand that you think it will help them want to look underwater, but you are really doing them a disservice in the long run. They need to experience water in their eyes. Practice in the bath, the shower and the pool. Introduce goggles when they are comfortable putting their eyes in on their own. Corine opened her eyes underwater without goggles. She did it, but she didn't like it. Well, neither do I! I told her to practice opening her eyes underwater every time she swims, but to wear goggles most of the time if that's what she prefers. If you or your child has the same issue, just remember to practice without them now and then.
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FINS:If you saw my blog post about Karina, my 9th participant, you know that I LOVE using fins as a teaching tool. Since Corine could already do freestyle and breaststroke, I added fins so she could feel what it's like to really glide through the water. Fins offer buoyancy, keeping the legs on the surface. She loved them of course. Who doesn't?!
FLOATING ON YOUR BACK: Relax. Breathe. Trust the water. While I realize this is much easier said than done, if you are not relaxed, the water will NOT hold you up. I can see why non-swimmers can be afraid of the back float. It's sort of like riding the Colossus roller coaster at Six Flags backwards- There's that feeling of the unknown. And when you figure it out and let the water hold you up, it's exhilarating. A friend recently told me that learning something new in the water gives them a rush of adrenaline. That's so cool- I never thought of it like that.
Once Corine gained a bit of confidence in the water, I asked her to please trust me while I helped her do a back float. I told her, "You can touch here; it's shallow." "Just relax and let the water hold you up." "I won't let anything happen to you." "When you need to stand up, bend your legs down from the waist and stand up." I was so glad Corine trusted me because once I began to take my hands away from underneath her neck and back, she totally got it on her own. She felt what it was like to have her body float on top of the water, weightless. And what an awesome feeling it is! She couldn't stop practicing. Being able to back float independently gave Corine the added bit of confidence she needed in the water. We were ready to move to the next skill she wanted to learn.
TREADING WATER: Rather than get technical (I assumed she wasn't going to start water polo training anytime soon) and teach Corine an eggbeater kick, we just stuck with a basic flutter kick. Since she was doing so well and was so excited for the next step, we ventured to the deep end with the fins. As much as I like fins, I categorize them much like goggles. They can be life-changing, giving a swimmer that "A-ha moment" when they really "get it" and "feel" the water. Yet, they can also become addictive! Use fins in moderation:
Introduce a new skill (without fins).
Add fins to aid in buoyancy and propulsion. Be sure to use proper kicking technique- kicking from the hips, not the knees.
Remove fins and practice the skill without them again.
Corine found that the fins helped her tread water because she could hold her body vertically with her face up and do a flutter kick with slow, gentle strides. This way, she could feel the sensation of treading without panicking. The keys to treading: Relax. Breathe. Trust the water. Recognize those three suggestions? They apply to anything you're doing in the water. In fact, the first two apply to anything you're doing anywhere. So, Corine relaxed, breathed and learned to trust the water. She was even able to do everything without her fins :)
Check out Corine putting it all together and conquering all of her fears in the end! Amazing job, Corine!