Your student has the butterfly kick. Your student understands the recovery action of the butterfly arms. Your student’s body action and undulation is even looking good! So what is often holding your student’s butterfly skill mastery back? THE BREATH TIMING!

One of the most frustrating parts of teaching butterfly is getting our students to put it all the parts together and perform the butterfly the way it really should look. The majority of the time it is improper breath timing that is the culprit. The head position throughout the stroke is paramount, whether it’s during the entry, the pull, or the recovery of the arms.

In this short video clip, I’d like to share with you a drill that I like to use and have found it to be very helpful to my students when it comes to understanding the timing of the breath. Because the butterfly is complex skill, it still requires a lot of trial and error. In other words, it’s not a magical drill. However, at the very least, this drill will help your students understand what they are striving for each and every time you review it before your students attempt to practice it.

Would you be interested in a complete, detailed course on HOW TO TEACH THE BUTTERFLY?  Check out Swim Lessons University’s Butterfly video course.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

Today’s blog is in a Q & A Format, as I answer questions from a North Carolina Instructor:

N.C. Instructor: When you are manipulating a student’s arms on the “Butterfly-Inchworm” stationary drill (as seen in the Butterfly 301/302/303 Instructor Certification Video Course),  are your legs squeezing the child’s left leg, or both legs? I worry only slightly because I know that there are some parents who might be uncomfortable with their child in this position with a male teacher. Am I being really weird worrying about this? I will have 3 male swim instructors on my staff. The rest are female.

Swim Professor:  Great Question.  In the stationary drill, I do have the student wrap his legs around one of my legs.  I do this in order to isolate part of the skill so their is less distraction.  However, I do advise male instructors especially to AVOID this technique  for the same reasons you mentioned.  Even though our instructors are not alone with the students and their parents and other spectators can see that this is a teaching technique, it is not worth taking the chance that the instructor’s intentions would even be debated.

N.C. Instructor:  I’ve always just had the kids stand on the pool bottom while I manipulate their arms on a butterfly stationary drill. I guess it isn’t as good as in a horizontal position since the kids aren’t really able to “feel” the proper recovery and body dolphin motion in a vertical position.

Swim Professor:   There is certainly nothing wrong with having the students stand to practice the recovery phase of the stroke as part of the learning progression.  But yes, the more realistic the position the better going forward.  In other words, you may find that going through the movement while the student stands on the bottom of the pool is very valuable to introduce the skill.   But as you repeat that in future classes it may lose some of it’s value, and you may find that it is more important for them to start “feeling it” while in the actual swimming position.

 N.C. Instructor:  My last question is: What kind of wetsuit do you wear while teaching? I like yours that you wear in the videos. It looks comfortable and warm, but not too constricting.

Swim Professor:  I personally prefer the Henderson 3mm Front Zip Shorty.  I got mine from Diver’s Supply for $120.00.  Not cheap, but the front zip is much more comfortable for teaching than a traditional rear zip you would use for scuba diving.  For your students, you can find wetsuits for as little as $30 online at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com  We really like the Konfidence Warma Wetsuit for children.  There are several wetsuit styles available that are great for swimming lessons, including wetsuits for babies and wetsuit shorties for kids.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim is the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com  We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

My Definition of Swimming and Swimming Skill Benchmarks

What does it mean to learn to swim?  In an effort to help my “swim lessons parents” understand what a child can potentially learn at a variety of ages, I developed a list of “Swimming Skill Benchmarks”  for infants, toddlers, and young children.  Because the question, “How long will it take my child to learn to swim” is asked so often, I thought it would be helpful to define swimming in terms of a child’s reasonable capabilities at a variety of ages.   This, of course, is assuming the child is being instructed by a swimming professional (not your local pool lifeguard).

While I don’t believe it is necessary or even a good idea for children should  to be enrolled in swimming lessons 12 months out of the year, I do believe that learning to swim should be TOP PRIORITY and even take priority over other activities (if necessary).   To clarify further, my own children participate in a variety of activities for both fitness and skill acquisition, i.e., soccer, basketball, karate, and gymnastics to name a few.   Nevertheless–it is my professional opinion as both a physical educator and water safety professional every child should be able to swim freestyle and backstroke across a pool (5 year old benchmark below) by 6 years of age.  AND I don’t think that spending month after month in other activities INSTEAD of learning to swim, for example, is a good idea.  Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children age five and under for a reason, and while  learning to swim should never replace Constant Adult Supervision–it does save many more lives than t-ball, soccer, dance, etc.

It is very important to me that the following set of benchmarks be used to help parents understand what their child is capable of doing in terms of swimming skills, but this list should NEVER be used as a critique of any kind.  Children should be allowed to progress at their own pace in a child-friendly, child-centered environment.  FOR YOUR CHILD’S SAKE–KEEP THESE SIMPLE GUIDELINES IN MIND:

1. Encourage and complement your child on what he/she is doing well.
2. Leave the constructive criticisms to the teacher.
3. Love and support your child unconditionally.

You want your child to develop a life long love affair with the water.  Allow him/her to progess at their own pace.   With that in mind, here are my SWIMMING SKILL BENCHMARKS:

3 months: Baby is capable of happily having water gently poured over the head using our conditioning method (as shown in my Bathtub Baby 101 DVD available on our website for just $19.00).

6 months: Baby is capable of performing a “brief underwater pass” with our Parent & Me class experiences.

12 months:  Baby is capable of a “brief underwater swim” with our Parent & Me class experiences.

18 months: Toddler is capable of maneuvering himself thru the water for 3-5 seconds using the legs for propulsion (independently from mom/dad to the teacher) with our Parent & Me class experiences.

24 – 36 months:

• Toddler is capable of getting back to the side of the pool from a sitting entry with our Parent & Me class experiences.

• 30 months: Toddler is capable of swimming with face in the water for 7-10 feet with our Parent & Me class experiences.

• 36 months: Toddler is capable of getting back to the side of the pool from a standing entry with our Parent & Me class experiences.

3 ½ years: Child is capable of swimming with the face in the water and breathing as needed using a “pop-up breath” or “roll-over breath” with our Swim 101 class experiences.

4 years: Child is capable of swimming freestyle with the face-in-the-water for 20 feet with our Swim Strokes 201 class experiences.

5 years: Child is capable of swimming Freestyle with side breathing and Backstroke for 30 feet with our Swim Strokes 201 class experiences.

6 years: Child is capable of swimming a 100-yard individual medley (25 yards of each stroke:  butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) competently with Advanced Swim Strokes 301 class and our entry-level swim team class experiences.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University Online Swim Instructor Certification  and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

Mark your calendars for April 10^th, 2010 to attend a terrific  one day conference.   The clinic will be held near Washington, DC in Gaithersburg, Maryland and costs just $49.00!

Speakers include

• Jim Reiser, “The Swim Professor” &  founder of Swim Lessons University
• Steve Fenning, Owner of Vero Beach FL SwimAmerica
• Steve Haufler, Head Coach of the Orinda Country Club/Head Coach Orinda Aquatics.

What will you learn  and what is the schedule like?

9:00 – 10:00             Jim Reiser “Teaching Babies Better”

10:15 – 11:15          Steve Fenning “Teaching Beginners Freestyle and Backstroke”

11:30 – 12:30          Steve Haufler “Teaching Butterfly and Breaststroke”

12:30 – 1:30             Lunch Break

1:30 – 2:30               Jim Reiser “Presenting a Water Safety Lesson”

Pool Demonstrations

2:45 – 3:45               Steve Haufler “Teaching of Butterfly and Breaststroke”

4:00 – 5:00               Steve Fenning “Teaching of Freestyle and Backstroke”

Location:  Quince Orchard Swim & Tennis Club, 16601 Roundabout Drive, Gaithersburg, MD  20875.

For more information or to register, call Julie Nitti at 1-800-356-2722!

How to Teach Beginner Swimmers

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Are you becoming frustrated with your beginner swimmers? Or even students who can swim BUT are learning a new stroke? When you consider the points and suggestions below you may feel a little better!

Steps

1. Understand there are 3 Stages of Learning, and when a skill is new the student is in the “Cognitive Stage of Learning.” This stage of learning is characterized by errors that are gross in nature, multiple errors, and an inconsistency in performance.
2. Because of the above characteristics, you can determine the best approach. That approach consists of keeping your explanations simple and refraining from teaching details.
3. Use cues or buzzwords that attend to the “whole idea” of the skill and teach your student in more general terms vs. specifics.
4. Be patient and get excited about the “baby steps” of progress.
5. Look for things to complement your student on, even if it’s effort. Your swim student’s confidence increases his/her determination. Complement your student twice as much as you correct him.

Video

Sample of author’s DVD on How to Teach Beginners to Swim

Tips

• Visit www.swimlessonsuniversity.com

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Teach Beginner Swimmers. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Become a Professional Swimming Instructor

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Do you want to be considered a “Swimming Professional?” In this article, you will learn some simple steps to becoming a pro!

Steps

1. Become a member of at least one reputable, nationally recognized organizations. Here are the ones I belong to: American Swim Coaches Association, United States Swimming, United States Swim School Association, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, and the World Aquatic Babies and Children’s Network.
2. Become safety certified. At the very least, get a certification in CPR. If you’re teaching only children, you can get a specialized certification in Infant CPR and/or Child CPR. A First Aid certification is also important, and a Lifeguard certification is strongly recommended, but not required.
3. Become a certified teacher or coach. The American Sport Effectiveness program has terrific courses you can take right online. The American Swim Coaches Association has similar home study courses that you will find extremely beneficial. There are others as well, including but not limited to SwimAmerica (one of ASCA numerous programs), Starfish Aquatics, the American Red Cross,the YMCA, etc.
4. Commit yourself to continuously educating yourself and taking advantage of all the tremendous resources available today. You can make up to $100 per hour if you do a great job. YOUR PERFORMANCE DETERMINES THE BOTTOM LINE. If your students are learning and loving your class, if their parents love the way you work with their children–your client list will grow AND FAST! If you do a bad job on the other hand, the word will spread 10x AS FAST!
5. Use Swim Lessons University. Swim Lessons University will give you a blueprint to success! Not only does Swim Lessons Univ. make it easy, it’s also an affordable way to get a competitive edge. You can order DVD courses for $35 or less where you can see real classes with real students! You can even see FREE SAMPLES of the videos right on the website so you can see the quality of the DVD instruction before ordering, and they all come with a “satisfaction guarantee.” Go to www.swimlessonsuniversity.com

Tips

• Visit www.swimlessonsuniversity.com for instructional swimming DVDs.
• Email jreiser@swimprofessor.com for more advice and tips.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Professional Swimming Instructor. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Teach the Butterfly Stroke

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
If you would like a creative way to teach Butterfly to young children (ages 4 – 12), this article is for you! Jim Reiser, “The Swim Professor,” will share a few creative, and easy steps from his brand new DVD on teaching butterfly to get you started.

Steps

1. Have your young student(s) lay on their stomach on the deck. Their arms should be at their sides, thumbs down, pinky side of the hand up.
2. Say to your students, “I want you to pretend you are a “caterpillar.” We’ll call this position (with their arms at their sides) the caterpillar position.”
3. Say to your students, “Now I want you to slowly move your arms forward, keeping, your thumbs down, and pretend that you’re changing from a caterpiller into a butterfly.”
4. Say to your students, “I want you to stop moving your arms when they get in front of your shoulders which is where the arms enter the water.”
5. Practice this movement several times until your students have a clear understanding of what the stroke/recovery of the arms should feel like. Then you can teach the pull.
6. The late legendary Olympic Swimming Coach Richard Quick would have advanced swimmers do the same drill while lying on a kickboard in the the water. After watching his video with older, more advanced kids, I started using a similar technique with younger swimmers learning the butterfly.
7. Because the kickboard doesn’t work well with young children because they have a hard time balancing on the board without it popping out, I started using a Swim Ways Power Swimmer (buoyancy device) on my young swimmers that laces up the sides so it can’t slip out from underneath them.
8. Then I have my young students practice the arm recovery and pull with the buoyancy and it really works well. Why? Because the child can concentrate on the technique without worrying about staying on top of the water.

Tips

• You can see this entire new teaching technique in action in the new Butterfly 301 Swim DVD. How to Teach Butterfly to Young Children in 30 Days or Less! Go to www.swimlessonsuniversity.com

Things You’ll Need

• SwimWays Power Swimmer
• Butterfly 301 DVD by Jim Reiser

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Teach the Butterfly Stroke. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

I just submitted my final edit on Teaching Babies Better to my editor.  If you already ordered your “Teaching Babies Better” DVD, I should be able to ship it out sometime late next week!  Of course the video is now available at Swim Lessons University, my online library of instructional swimming videos, www.swimlessonsuniversity.com

For those of you who have been asking about when my Learn to Swim Butterfly DVD would be produced, the answer is now!  I have already shot all the footage and have written most of the production.   Starting this weekend I will start piecing it together.  I see no reason that it shouldn’t be ready before the holidays!

If you don’t already get my Swim Lessons University newsletter, go to www.swimlessonsuniversity.com and sign up today!  I will be sending out a special early buy discount on the Butterfly 301 DVD to all my customers soon!