In my previous blog, ‘How to Use Positive Feedback in Swimming Lessons,” we discussed the importance of using general positive feedback in swimming lessons. Praising your students, whether it be for an actual improvement in performance or for the student’s effort is paramount when it comes to teaching children. Nonetheless, while swimming instructors must be positive and encouraging, we can’t expect our young students to improve without letting the learner know what he or she must do differently in order to improve.

The use of Specific, Corrective Feedback has been the subject of research in motor learning and in teaching. Theoretically, specific information should be more valuable to the learner. Specific feedback has the potential to contribute to student learning a great deal more than general feedback. Specific feedback also serves a major role in maintaining student attention to the task and in developing accountability for task. (Rink, 1993).

What’s important to understand about Specific, Corrective Feedback is that when learners are in the beginning stages (See Cognitive Stage of Learning in my 1/8/17 blog), they cannot use detailed information, which makes it absolutely critical for swimming instructors to give feedback that tends to the “general idea” of the skill. At Swim Lessons University, we have buzzwords and cues for every skill on every lesson plan. We train SLU instructors to give their specific, corrective feedback based on those cues because they have been tested, tried and proven over the past 30+ years. In other words, these cues are not only practical and easy to understand, but they will help the young student learn and master the new skill.

With that said, Specific, Corrective Feedback can also come with a cost if it is overused. Research by The Positive Coaching Alliance shows the magic formula is 5:1! Five positives for every correction.   One technique I like to use is the “Sandwich Technique” when giving corrections: Complement, correct, complement. For example, “Maggie, you have such beautiful strokes. Now if you can just keep your head nice and still, your backstroke is going to look even more fabulous!” While this may be a 2:1 ratio, you just make sure to praise your student on a few more things that your student is doing well before giving another correction. Hope you found this blog helpful!

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).

It was the summer of 1982. I was just 13 years old when I got my first job as a Swim Instructor Aide teaching under my father at his swim school in Johnstown, PA. Between 1982 and 1990, I not only continued teaching, but I played about every sport I could play.   As a youth and teen, it was swimming, baseball, soccer, football, and basketball.   In high school, it was football, basketball, track, and swimming.   Oh yes, and I fiddled with karate after breaking my hand in 1985, and later pursued and earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do.

In college, after playing football my freshman year at California University of Pennsylvania, I started my own lean-to-swim program as a sophomore. While I wanted to keep playing football, a back injury during spring ball cut that career (going nowhere) short! While rehabilitating my back in the university pool, I got this idea to propose a Swim Lessons Program and lease the University pool.   After a lot of perseverance, it was finally approved.  In no time at all I knew I found my calling. I ended up in Columbia, SC  after accepting a graduate assistantship to teach aquatics for the University of South Carolina’s Physical Education Department while pursuing my master’s degree in Physical Education and Motor Skill Development.

I will be 46 years young next month, and coaching sports has been a huge part of my life. Coaching and teaching is my life. To me, nothing is more rewarding than utilizing sport to teach life skills to kids.   And sports are a wonderful medium to do that.  From 1993-2005, I coached year-round competitive swimmers from novice to elite, producing 20 National Top 16 Qualifiers.   For the past year and a half, I have been having the time of my life coaching my son’s AAU Basketball Team!

But while there are so many benefits our youth can learn from participating in most all youth sports with the right coach–there is one thing that cannot be denied about swimming:   “Swimming is the only skill that can save a child’s life.”   The problem is, I don’t believe this statement is taken anywhere seriously enough by parents across the United States.

Why do I say this?  Because when I am not writing curriculum for Swim Lessons University or working on The Swim Lessons Company, I spend the majority of my life in the gym and on the local ball fields.  What do I see?   I SEE THOUSANDS of YOUNG KIDS playing t-ball, soccer, and basketball… And I know there are thousands of others also doing dance and gymnastics.   I WOULD LIKE TO APPLAUD EVERY SINGLE PARENT for giving their child these wonderful opportunities … BUT I CAN’T!

Why? Because my educated guess is that the majority of them can’t swim or they are WEAK swimmers!  And rather than making sure these children are learning a skill that could also save their life, parents are turning a blind eye to this fact.  Instead, parents are enrolling their children earlier and earlier in these other sports are hoping their son or daughter becomes the next Michael Jordan, LaBron James, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Tom Brady, Walter Payton, Pele, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, or Nadia Comaneci.

I understand that some families can’t afford swimming lessons.  Here in Columbia, SC, I have done two things to help create solutions for those families: First, we partnered with the USA Swimming “Make a Splash” program and discount all of our lessons at our downtown location by 40%!   Number two, Ebony Bowers and I co-founded The Swim Lessons Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) that affords children with FREE LESSONS to families who can’t afford them.   (I do feel we are underachieving in securing donations so if you can help by donating please go to www.SwimLessonsFoundation.Org )

But the fact is…DROWNING TAKES MORE LIVES THAN ANY OTHER ACCIDENT for children under the age of six, and ranks 2^nd only to AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS for ages 6-14.

The point of my writing today is to ask you to consider re-prioritizing your child’s activities, especially if they can’t swim or swim well enough to save themselves.   Take a look at this blog, “SWIM LESSON OBJECTIVES,” which outlines what your child should be able to do at a variety of ages.  Would your child pass the test?  You can watch video samples of what I believe is a reasonable objective at a variety of ages.  You can find all those videos and blogs on this site!  For example, here is a link to the blog of  what every 3 & 4 year old are capable of learning if taught by a qualified instructor.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS:  Learning to swim is a process, not an event!  Don’t wait until summer to enroll your child in swim lessons.   Find a child-centered, progressive swim program near you today!

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).

When I say email marketing, I am not talking about sending emails to anyone. I am talking about the importance of staying in touch with your current and past customers. I am talking about creating customer loyalty.   I am talking about positioning yourself as an “expert” that your customer can turn to with confidence!

As a general rule, I send a weekly email to my local swim school patrons.  HOWEVER, I keep that email short and to the point (unlike the email I am sharing below).   Don’t send your clients a lengthy newsletter that they are going to DELETE and miss your real message.   As a rule of thumb, keep your weekly email messages to three points or less.

There is a time and place to elaborate, to give more, to educate… just don’t do it weekly.   If you send something longer on occasion and it is educational, most of your readers will be curious if not anything else.  They will want to know why you have taken the additional time to write them… and they will read it.   This is your opportunity to make a statement, to  educate, and even to persuade your reader and get your critical message across!

Here is an example of one of those longer emails.  It has what I feel is a critical message to communicate to my local swim lesson parents, and it benefits their children:

Dear SLC Families & Friends:

Why are March lessons so important? Because if you start lessons now and continue in April and May–your child will get 24 lessons BEFORE summer arrives.

Why is that important?  Consider what your child could ACCOMPLISH before summer is here:

• Parent & Tot level Students – He/she could learn how to swim short distances and learn how to get back to the side of the pool if he fell in.
• Swim 100 level Beginners – He/she could learn how to swim across the pool
• Swim Strokes 200 level Swimmers – He/she could master freestyle with side breathing and backstroke–two of the most critical skills any swimmer ever learns!
• Adv. Swim Strokes 300 & 400 level swimmers – He/she could graduate from lessons– making him like a “black belt of swimming” (blue wristband) by summer, giving your child a complete set of swimming skills.

Why 2x per week?

Listen, 1x per week of swimming lessons is clearly 100% better than ZEROx per week, and 1x per week is a great way to maintain swimming skills over the winter and certainly make some improvement.

However, IF you increase the frequency of swim lessons/practice from 1x per week to 2x per week you will CLEARLY see a significant difference in the speed/rate of improvement. STUDY AFTER STUDY clearly suggest when you increase frequency, you increase the learning rate.

As a parent of three young boys–I UNDERSTAND HOW NICELY ONCE PER WEEK fits in our busy schedules and I am okay with that in the fall and winter. But when spring time comes, it’s time to increase the frequency. Learn to swim is so important for the safety of our children.

Soccer, Karate, Basketball, Gymnastics, Dance, etc. are all skills that are TERRIFIC for young children to be exposed to and learn. But if your child is going to master a musical instrument, excel at a sport, or if you are just trying to stay fit–-do you really think once per week is enough? How much weight will you lose if you diet and exercise once per week? If you really want your child to swim not only for fun and fitness, but for skills and safety–NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE A REAL COMMITMENT TO SWIMMING. There are no magic formula, but I can promise you that our Swim Lessons University curriculum is as efficient as can be!

What do I do with my own children? We dedicate 2x per week for swim lessons from March through October and have done that for all three of my boys since they were a year old. It works!

REGISTER YOUR CHILD TODAY! Swimming is the ONLY skill that could save your child’s life!

SwimmingSafercerely!

Jim Reiser, M.S. of Physical Education

Founder – The Swim Lessons Company

865-2629

www.swimlessonscompany.com

So can YOU or YOUR business benefit from Social Networking? Are you resisting the idea of Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.? Technology changes are always hard for me and I was resistant at first too.   In fact, I have been only using twitter for a few weeks but I have been trained in it now and I am confident of the benefits.

The best news about it is that . . . it’s FREE!   MOST IMPORTANTLY, in my mind, it’s the BEST REFERRAL PROGRAM ever invented.   I expect our enrollment to increase because of the way we are using it.

For my local business, I focus on getting local news coverage which is free, and I advertise and pay about $400 per month to be in a Parent magazine.  In addition,  I have a small listing in the yellow pages (which is almost a dinosaur),  and do several children exhibits, water safety talks at schools and libraries, etc..  But over the years I have drastically reduced my advertising budget (I have done radio, TV, billboards, other magazines, newspaper, etc.)  and have eliminated most of them.   I really depend on customer referrals which has improved from our in-house “customer loyalty” training program which leads me back to social networking.

There’s no better advertising than a referral from one friend to another.  The “trust” barrier is almost eliminated from the start and presto: you have a new student!     The hard part about referrals is while your swim parents may love you, they are not going to walk around with a “sign on their chest” promoting you.  With facebook, it is easier and more comfortable to tell all their friends about you!  It’s actually quite exciting and amazing when you see how your “friends” or “followers” begin to multiply.

Sounding tempting yet?  Get this, as of 2009, Facebook had over 250 million users and that number is growing rapidly!   If you haven’t used facebook before, it is very user-friendly and it won’t take you long for you to see and understand the benefits.

What I have learned to be most important about twitter is that what I “tweet” is informative and worthwhile.  This way your customers will “want” to stay in touch with you.   For Swim Lessons University, I am tweeting to swim teachers, both my local teachers here at The Swim Lessons Company in SC and Swim Lessons University teachers from all over the world in over 20 different countries who are using my teacher training DVD’s, lesson plans, online testing program, etc.   Now with Twitter and Facebook, I can give back by “tweeting” a TEACHING TIP A DAY from Twitter or Facebook or both!  So when my followers get my tweet (which is simultanously posted of facebook), all those signed up can receive a useful teaching tip every day that will help them with their teaching.   Because the information is useful, valuable, and even personable, it is an invaluable training resource to my staff and yours, and it takes just 5 seconds a day to read!   I have listed below some of my recent tweets I have done via facebook with my blackberry that go directly to twitter.  Here you can see what I’m talking about in terms of tweeting info. swim teachers want:

Follow Swim Lessons University on Facebook and/or swimprofessor on twitter!

Dear Teachers & Parents:

I received an email today with a VERY COMMON QUESTION from a parent who has a young two year old in our Parent & Me class who is doing wonderfully.  However, and I think this happens often, there was a misunderstanding that because of the progress the little one was making, that continuing in the same class may be a waste of time.  As instructors and swim school owners, it is vital that we communicate the message that I did today.  If we don’t, the child’s progress will likely stop.   So here it is, enjoy:

Dear Coach Jim,

We are really pleased with Laura’s progress in her swim lessons.  Her teacher, Coach M.,  said she thought Laura was physically ready for the next class, but your 101 class is 3 and up…Laura is only 2 and 6 weeks.  Do you think she could enroll in 101 despite her age, or is that a strict rule?  We just don’t want her to lose the skills she has already gotten, and it seems a waste to take the Parent and Me class again.

Thanks!

Allen

Dear Allen,

Your question is a common and I believe this is a great question and one that I will blog about for you and other parents, not to mention to “hammer home” to my Swim Lessons University teachers.   Secondly, I also want you to know that what I am about to recommend for Laura and all of our other wonderful young toddler swimmers, is the same route that I take for my own children.  My oldest, Jeb, now almost 7, did my Parent & Me curriculum until he was 3.  Nolan, now 23 months, will do the same.

Here’s a little background on toddlers and swimming progression and why the Parent & Me class is the right one for toddlers under 3 years of age:

#1  For safety reasons, I always want the parent with the toddler until they are 3 because they need that “hands on” supervision while they are learning to follow directions.   It is too risky for a 2 year old to be in even a semi private lesson without the parent because of the risk of them entering the water without the instructor seeing it.  One extended submersion could cause a toddler who was doing great to take major backward strides, not to mention the other risks.  This is also another reason we use the Power Swimmer flotation device with our 3’s and I recommend it for our 2’s.  However, unless the child has his/her balance in the water, they could still take in water even with the Power Swimmer or Type 3 Lifejacket (ski vest).

#2  From a progression standpoint, the skills Laura is developing in Parent and Me, i.e., front kicking, back kicking, breath control, breath holding, and swimming are the same skills we practice in Swim 101.   All of these skills will continue to improve with more classes and practice no matter which course she is enrolled.

For example, let’s touch on the skills we are teaching in Parent & Me:

• Kicking on the Front: The kicking technique will continue to evolve and become more efficient with repetition no matter which course a toddler is enrolled (Parent & Me or Swim 101 (which we don’t do).
• Back Kicking: You should be (with the guidance of your instructor) going thru our back kicking progression in Parent & me to the point that Laura can kick on her back without any assistance from you or the teacher.  To make this progression more achievable, I recommend coupling the SwimWays Power Swimmer and a Noodle at about age two, and then eventually going away from the noodle to where you are using the head and hip support, head support, and then no support at all.  This is taught in Parent  & Me the same way we teach it in Swim 101.
• Breath Control: The dolphin dips (breath control exercise) teaches toddlers how to get their breath in a hurry and return to the inline position.  Some form of breath control exercise is not only practiced in Swim 101, but also Swim Strokes 201.   The only difference is at three years of age, the child is asked to put their face in the water by their own will, using their won decision making abilities, whereas we “assist” the toddler’s face in the water in Parent & Me unless they are resisting.  But here again, the end result is the same skill is being continuously refined throughout the “Parent & Me” learn to swim class.
• Swimming: The swimming will improve as her kick improves coupled with her breath holding ability.  All this will occur in Parent and Me and just as it would improve in Swim 101.  Kick practice is kick practice.  The kick will become more refined over time thru manipulating the legs properly and simply more class time / practice time to refine the skill.

*The ONLY exception in terms of a “new skill” that we introduce in Swim 101 is the “Pop up Breath” or “Roll-over Breath.”  My experience is that from a motor development standpoint, most 2 year olds aren’t ready to do the pop-up breath.  If the toddler can kick on her/his back without assistance, then the roll-over breath is possible upon mastering back kicking.  I have had some older two year olds do the “pop-up” breath, but it is a skill that you have to pay close attention to because of the risk of the child breathing in water before their neck muscles, etc. are strong enough and their breath control skills are so well developed that they have the ability to get the breath in a hurry.

• Safety Skills: At age two, my son Jeb could perform Safety Skill #2 without any assistance.  I remember one day spotting him and he jumped in and swam back to the wall at least a dozen times in a row without any assistance from me whatsoever.   This is a skill that we DO NOT practice in Swim 101 AND WE DO PRACTICE in PARENT AND ME because it is so appropriate for two year olds.   In Swim 101, we spend the additional practice time on learning the “pop-up breath” whereas the toddlers generally aren’t ready for that as I mentioned earlier.   I believe the toddlers are better served by working on the Safety Skills, which require less swimming and they can focus on learning how to swim themselves back to the side of the pool, which is why we do that in the Parent & Me curriculum.

Lastly, I want to just touch on the way we begin our Parent & Me classes.   We start it with some “one on one” time to get the infants and toddlers acclimated and then we do the group acclamation songs, etc.   I have found no matter how monotonous it may seem for us adults, the toddlers absolutely love that time and the socialization aspect of it is quite beneficial.

I hope that all my teachers and swim parents can see that I put a tremendous amount of thought, time, research, and regularly apply my countless experiences with Parent & Me classes into developing the Swim Lessons University curriculum which is what I feel is the best infant-toddler curriculum possible for my children and yours.

I hope my input and feedback will help you and all our current and future students.

SwimmingSafercerely!
Jim Reiser, M.S.
“The Swim Professor”

2010 Life Saver of the Year by National Drowning Prevention Alliance
2008 Adolph Kiefer Water Safety Person of the Year by USA Swimming
Water Safety Chairperson – Safe Kids Midlands
Local Partner – “Make a Splash” Initiative

Founder, President -Swim Lessons University
www.swimlessonsuniversity.com

Founder, CE0 – The Swim Lessons Company, LLC
www.swimlessonscompany.com

Pediatric Drowning Prevention Guidelines Updated

Get your students and parents hooked with the Swim Lessons University Bracelet System!   Instantly recognize and reward your students by punching out the star besidethe skill you just taught your pupil with our handy ¼” star puncher!

Parents and children will absolutely love the way you will reward them for their progress!  Not only will parents appreciate how you are teaching their child, but also there is even more to be excited about!  Here are just a few of the unique features:

• It’s fast & immediate! The reward for progress is immediate, which leads to motivated students.
• It’s motivational! Students are sure to give their best in order to earn more stars and eventually a new bracelet.
• It’s convenient! You don’t have to get out of the pool to print card, stamp certificates, etc.  Simply punch out the star beside the abbreviated skill.
• It’s a time-saver! No more long, tedious testing days.  You update progress bracelets as progress occurs!
• It’s a lifesaver! The water safety component helps educate parents about how to protect their children.

Most importantly, the Swim Lessons University Awards Bracelets allows you to focus on doing what you love most—teaching children to swim and making them safer in and around the water.

For details on how it works, the safety component, what skills are abbreviated on each bracelet, and on HOW TO ORDER the Swim Lessons University Awards Bracelets for your students or swim school, visit Swim Lessons University today!

BFIS (Business Focused Internet Solutions) aka Time2Sign-up has developed an awesome registration program for swim schools.   After years of glitches in the old system that some of my fellow swim school members may remember, this new system they developed for me is EASY, STATE-OF-THE-ART, and virtually Error Proof!

We started our May Swim Lessons Registration about five minutes ago so my classes went LIVE at Midnight.   This is not an April Fool’s Joke!  We have dozens of swim lesson parents on our site right now registering for our May “Learn-to-swim” classes.  How cool is that?

Those of you that know me, probably realize I am hard-working and know what my strong points are, but most importantly, that I take great pride in what I do.   But one thing I am not is very analytical, and I’m not the most computer savy person in the world, let alone in my own office!   But this new program works . . . even I can use it!

In fact, just the other day I had a customer write me and thank me for how easy we have made registering online.  The thanks goes to BFIS!

Check it out for yourself.  Go to my local site, The Swim Lessons Company, and click “Sign up now.”   If you have any questions about the admin section and how we do it, just let me know.  What I can’t explain I will get you on the phone with Gene Gessert, the General Manager of BFIS.   Yes, the G.M. is my “go to guy” when it comes to support on most issues and he is great!  Gene’s partner’s Sean Devoy (mastermind programmer) and Bobby Moore (excellent customer support as well).

Anyway, good night!  Hope your system works as well as mine does while you sleep:)

Email me at jreiser@swimprofessor.com if you want to talk about it.  And while this call is FREE, take advantage of my brand new “One-on-one Phone Consultation Service” which is quite reasonable.

IT’S OFFICIAL!  Swim Lessons University and WABC have partnered to bring you and your staff convenient, affordable training for Swimming Instructors!  TEACH LIKE A PRO & SWIM STROKES 201 Online Tests and Certificates of Completion are now available!

After you and your staff go through the Swim Lessons University DVD course, you can purchase our online tests for just $10.00 per instructor per test. Upon successful completion of the test, your instructors will receive a beautiful certificate of completion signed by both Jim Reiser, President of Swim Lessons University and Steve Graves, President of the WABC.