Spend time in the water.
Woah, I have to stop answering the question before I write anything else. Unfortunately, there is no secret, there is no magic. The “poof” moment when the smoke clears is simply time spent in the water doing purposeful practice. Here is some science proof for you, should you want it: BOOK.
The book basically says that just doing something repeatedly for 10,000 hours doesn’t make you an expert, but rather purposeful deliberate practice, preferably under the tutelage of a master teacher will get you to mastery.
Science is awesome, but why do I care and how does it relate to swim lessons?
Take your children to swim lessons. Drop them off, and let them spent 30 minutes of corrective, deliberate instruction with a “professional.” Now, you will likely have a high school kid teaching your child, but the skills are very basic, and require a modicum of understanding to teach. If you are going to send your child to a swim team where they are exercising and advancing to the more competitive areas of the sport, you want to send your swimmer to a professional coach, preferably one with ASCA certification.
When your child spends time in a swim lesson they are contributing to the 10,000 hours of practice, but are also getting constant and repeated feedback specifically targeting their deficient points. If you read my previous article about the swim instructor’s curse, then you’ll know you’re paying some novice to teach you child something you could easily do.
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