Teaching your child how to swim Breaststroke
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Teaching your child how to swim (Breaststroke)
If you haven’t read page one of this hub series you can find it HERE!
Page one discusses beginning steps a parent should take and will help you find which article you should be concentrating on depending on how experienced your child is.
SWIMMING STROKE (Beginning Breaststroke)
The Breast stroke is a fairly easy stroke to learn, however many children get into a habit of staying under water too long and performing the motions poorly.
Important things to correct in this lesson
- · Make sure your child is focused more on gliding on top of the water, instead of constant stroking which would use up all of your child’s energy.
- · Make sure your child is not doing the stroke completely underwater which many children like to do.
Equipment Used in this Lesson Includes
Important things to perfect with your child’s breathing techniques.
- · Use as few breaths as possible through the length of the pool
- · When taking the breath make sure your child is using the least amount of energy to take his/her head out of the water.(it must be quick and a fluid motion)
Important things to perfect with your child breaststroke motions.
- · Extend arms in front during the glide
- · Breaststroke steps – Look at the hands, kick and glide.
- At the beginning of the lesson you are going to want to have your child extend his/her arms with the bottom of the boogey board in their hands and just practice the “froggy-kick” that one should use during breaststroke. Tell your child that while holding his kickboard out in front of him/her, he/she should Froggy kick then glide, make it a challenge to see the least amount of kicks it takes to get to the other side.
- After your child swims back and forth from each side of the pool for about five minutes you are going to take the boogey board away and practice the arm movements. Breast stroke arm movements- starting with your arms extended with the palms together (sort of like a spear) turn the palms outside, pull the water to the outside and push behind you. During the kick your child should lift his/her head out for a breath and after the push comes the Froggy kick. During the kick your child’s hands should be coming back and spearing the water in front of him/her. DO NOT tell them all this at once, it is your job to remember this is the exact motion and to work on your child’s weaknesses. If you tell them all this they will become confused and will think too much in the water. Tell them to concentrate on a great Froggy kick, spear (arms), and glide. The breaths are usually the last thing the child will perfect once they get used to the motion.
- Be sure not to teach them all the strokes at once, this will counter the progress you made on the other strokes. Daily practice is key, in learning strokes, as well as the beginning drills every time your child steps into the water. I do not care if you are Michael Phelps mother.
To sum it up and perfect your child’s Breast stroke remember these tips.
- · Your child should breath on the arm pull
- · Your child should kick after the arm pull
- · Your child should spear during the kick
- · Your child should not be completely under water
- · Your child should practice getting to the other side in as few kicks as possible
- · Your child should really concentrate on gliding after each stroke and kick
- · Make gliding a competition that they want to work at
After your child has finally perfected what you consider enough of a Breast stroke you can move on to
Or
Please do not confuse your children with all three of the strokes at once.
Thank you for reading this Hub series, I hope it results in saving money and lives.
