Swimming Ideas Podast

What do you do with new staff that have been trained, but still need some practical experience before they start teaching classes on their own?

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Step one should be to go through a training session. We use the SLI Swim Instructor training workbook, which is a three day course where they are walked through all the 15 essential swim skills, then we review HOW to actually teach. They learn what waves are, the rotation method, and how to use command language.

Topic: Training new staff with "assistants" or teaching a large class with Assistants.

Large influx of new teachers. How do you train them? Give them the SLI Swim Instructor Training Workbook, online video supplement, finish their training with shadowing.

Shadowing lasts for a full class session. Stick with the same teacher and the same class for one full class (typically 3 weeks worth of lessons)

Main teacher dictates all activities, explains focus.

Main teacher does activity with each class member

Assistant does activity with each class member and reiterates/repeats what the main instructor said.

The shadow should take initiative and engage with the class mimicing what the

Co-Teach: switch off: not ideal not clear who is in charge. Not feasible for beginners: they don't know what to do.

Too many cooks in the kitchen.

How long do you have someone shadow? What circumstances?

1 full class length, or 1 month.

When you have difficult swimmers, sometimes better to keep together than to split the class.

Returning instructor is the "Instructor" and new people are "assistants"

I can think of three reasons to use sidestroke:

Use in lifesaving.

Survival swim.

A teaching tool to illustrate what NOT to do when teaching breaststroke kick.

When you teach swimming lessons we want to make an effort to teach swimming strokes that our participants are going to use. 

Sidestroke is an archaic swim stroke that is often glossed over and ignored today. We only mention sidestroke two different times. 

1. During lifeguard classes when we are reviewing how to rescue someone without a tube. 

2. When we are teaching breaststroke kick in swim team and participants do a side stroke instead of the correct breaststroke.

Have you taught sidestroke to anyone? If so, why? what was the intent?

What do you think about sidestroke and whether we should keep or ditch it?

Everyone is responsible, do not set one person as an outlier. Everyone is accountable. It is a cultural thing. Safety.

How do you create a culture?

Work as equals

Managers help out and "get their hands dirty"

Shared accountability

Encourage others to call their coworkers if they don't show up

Encourage friendships

Team building

Outside of the job place

Give regular reviews where you focus on improvement not hostile negatives

Have regular meetings where you give productive and useful tools to succeed

Play favorites selectively

Recognize the leaders on your staff and encourage them to motivate others

Give them more authority or responsibility

Mentor your staff

Foster an apprenticeship system where new members are brought into the fold by an older more experienced team member

Be social

Say hi and learn about everyone else

Be consistent and clear with rules and discipline. Make it clear and transparent

Do you use drills in your level one and two swim lessons? If so how do you do it?

We look at the key body posture drills and skills for teaching young participants how to start swimming.

Beginner drills:

Side glide? Has a place when done well: need to have core strength to keep body straight without lifting the head to breathe

Position 11

Streamline

Kickboard in position 11

Roll over from front to back: move on belly, roll over, take a breath, roll over again, continue.

1 arm kickboard on side

Catchup drill with kickboard

Catchup drill in position 11

Almost position 11 (reduced time in position 11)

3 strokes 18 kicks on side.

Strong emphasis on kicking and using it to create propulsion.

Swimming Lessons Ideas Program:

Print out rosters

Check existing participant database against current roster

Verify level and group

Assign to instructor

New participants:

Interview parents to determine ability level

Use age as an indicator (avoid putting 5 year olds with 10)

Assign to instructor based on confidence, parent interview, age

Observation during the lesson

Managers and instructors verify the correct placement of swimmers in classes.

If participant needs to switch a class to be more appropriate we move them immediately on the first day

Program A

Print out rosters: Camps

Line up all participants on the side of the pool.

Have 5 -6 swim instructors in the water ready to test swimmers

1-2 managers with a binder on the deck, watching each participant do a swim test

Test: Go underwater, freestyle, backstroke, free breathing, fly swim, breaststroke swim

Take all data from first day and that evening separate into classes for Day 2.

Program B

Registration based on levels specific to certain days/times:

Level 1: Monday 3:00pm

Level 2: Monday 3:30pm

Level 3: Monday 4:00pm

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

 What are some things to watch out for?

 Do not photo requirements

 Automatic waiver unless specified

 Inappropriate pictures?

 Who are you targeting?

 What is the purpose of your social media strategy?

 Enrollment

 Get the word out

 Website traffic

 Email list

 Registration

 Who is in charge of your social media accounts?

 What is your update schedule

Giraffe Neck for a long neck

Brontosaurus neck for a long neck on freestyle

Trampoline Soldiers for bobs

Carrot with leaves spinning for breaststroke kick in position 11

Giant toothbrush running in circles being chased by a tiny toothpaste bottle for brushing teeth in morning.

Use Images to create memorable associations. Images hold more information than lists or rote mantras.

http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1909&mid=9519&ItemId=5455

Key points:

 A swimming coach is or should be:

From <http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1909&mid=9519&ItemId=5455>

Swimming coaches should be organized and well prepared. Swimming is a sport that depends upon developing a base and following a purposeful progression throughout a season and career. 

From <http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1909&mid=9519&ItemId=5455>

A coach can learn, develop and enhance these qualities. Some of these skills may already be well developed; others may need improvement.  

QUALITIES ATTRIBUTED TO

Why we never let participants struggle to swim

Erodes trust

Not helpful teaching technique

Creates fear and distrust

Positive bank. What hurts you doesn't make you stronger, just pulls away from your positive bank 🏦

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight-therapy/201008/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-weaker

Encouragement and support produces healthy swimming longer term. Be kind and supportive to teach.  Fear is worse than respect and love.

We can get results by being harsh instructors but it is not effective teaching techniques, it creates bad emotional associations with swimming. It creates negative feelings with water.

Best option is challenging support. Give clear commands and always lift or be there as a safety of needed. Never walking away or letting a swimmer struggle. 

Focus on distance training

What about technique? Do you sacrifice skill work for endurance?

Emphasis on free and backstroke

What about BR and FLY?

Is there a place for short distance skill work when 50 meter pool time is limited?

What is an acceptable amount of kicking? Should you do any?

How many meters is ideal for beginners?

How do you prepare for long course with your beginning swimmers?

Specific steps we take:

-Gradual increase in yardage in 4 weeks before we switch to outdoor pools

Continue with about 1/2 short distance skill work, but lean more to endurance training (aerobic training).