Swimming lessons idea game: Jumps

This seems like a stupid thing to write about or talk about. Jumps. Really? something that simple?

 

Yes.

 

Jumping into the pool w/ assistance or without works on a number of different skills and can be a good gauge of trust and progress.

Here are a few:

1. Go underwater?
2. Will listen to instructor without hesitation (shows trust level)
3. blow bubbles with nose
4. deep water or shallow
5. jump away from the wall
6. jump in but turn in air to grab wall (DANGER!!! could hit face on lip of pool edge)
7. after jump, swim to instructor?
8. type of jump

To effectively teach a novice who does not go underwater how to jump in:

• Have them stand on the edge of the pool, feet curled over the edge
• Have swimmer hold your fingers, then you hold their hand. (your hands should be thumbs up, fingers pointing together, backs of your hands pointing away from the pool or at the swimmers shoulders.
• Tell swimmer exact number they’ll jump in at
• Reinforce that they will not have to go underwater
• once you’ve counted to the agreed number, say GO!
• Lift your hands up and have their body go below their arms. (this way they’ll hold on to your hands to hold them up, and experience the feeling of falling buy yet maintain control over the depth they go in
• Let your hands stay above the water so they pull on your hands to stay up.

 

For experienced swimmers:

• Specify a number of jumps they get to do
• For each one or all, give them a specific goal to accomplish with each one

Examples:

– Jump in 5 times and touch the bottom with your feet first then your hand.

– Jump in 4 times and after each one do 1 somersault underwater before you get to the surface.

– Jump in 3 times and after each one you must do freestyle swim to me(instructor) and back stroke back to the wall.

– Jump in 2 times, and each time only do BR kick to get to surface and back to wall

– Jump in 1 time and blow bubbles with only your mouth (see what happens :) )

The picture has someone holding their hands as if they were going to catch a football. If you do this the child will leap for you and kick you in the face or stomach. DO NOT DO THIS!!!!! Hold their HANDS! To transition between holding hands at the beginning and not holding at all, have them jump FOR your hands. Remember, don’t move them once they jump or you’ll destroy their trust.