Download the PDF handout and guide here:[button link=”https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/wp-content/uploads/Swim-Instructor-In-service-Module-Going-Underwater.pdf”]Training: Going Underwater[/button]

Training: Going Underwater

Key Points:

• Offer excessively multiple opportunities to go underwater
• Instructor must go underwater first and often. No dry heads.
• Push the next step of the underwater progression, not 2 steps ahead.
• Incremental Underwater Progression; all 7 steps.

Set up your training

Start in one large group. Handout a copy of this PDF (found at the top of this page).

Briefly go over the main points found in the PDF (color bands), and then demonstrate the underwater progression. You can do this on the deck, or in the water. Teach all 7 steps.

Assign everyone to a 4 person group. You can also break up your staff into smaller groups if you want.

Small Group work

Activity #1: Filibuster Underwater

Each person in the group needs to speak without stopping for 1 minute. During that minute instructor needs to ask a group member 7 times, to go underwater to one of the seven underwater progression steps (chin, lips, nose, etc), but ask without waiting for a response. Continue talking.  Should ask 7 total times in one minute. Assign one person in each group to count underwater ask attempts.

Rotate who is filibustering so everyone gets a chance.

Bonus points to people who work swimming into their filibuster beyond asking to go underwater.

“Do you want to go underwater? Lets go underwater!”

Activity #2: Show and Tell

Each person in the group should be in the water. One at a time, go underwater to each of the 7 progression steps and shout which one they’re doing.

Example: Go underwater up to your shoulders and yell, “SHOULDERS.” Then go underwater up to your chin and yell, “CHIN!” Do this for every stage. When you have your lips underwater yell so we can hear you above water.

Activity #3: Rapid speech

Each person in the group has a challenge: Say each of the seven incremental underwater progression steps as fast as you can under 3 seconds, or 5 seconds.

One person goes at a time, and one person in each group times and says, “Start” and “stop” after 3 or 5 seconds.

Review

Gather your staff and review the key points of the training:

• Offer excessively multiple opportunities to go underwater
• Instructor must go underwater first and often. No dry heads.
• Push the next step of the underwater progression, not 2 steps ahead.
• Incremental Underwater Progression; all 7 steps.

 

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