SWIM CLASSES - HOMEWORK TIPS

Levels A, B, B+
(Can be done in the bath tub)

Adjust child’s face to the water

Practice water adjustment in the bathtub by pouring water on various facial parts, shoulders, and the back and top of head. Use the cue: “1, 2, 3” , pour water then praise the child “YEAH! Good job!”
1. Get back rainy hair!: Trickle water on child’s hair, have the child push hair back with hands and say “Get back rainy hair!”
2. Monkey Cheeks: Have children make Monkey Cheeks – remind them “Don’t drink the water!” Build up to pouring water on their mouth 10 times with a single breath between each one.
3. Sea Monster: Prepare water up the nose. Tell them that fish try to sneak up their noses and the “sea monster face” scares the fish out as they blow quickly out their nose.
Face-In Games
1. With cheeks puffed, have your child hum so air comes out of their nose. Put nose in water and blow nose bubbles
2. Sing/Listen to the fish by puffing cheeks and humming with nose. Listen to the fish with ears in water again and again and again.
3. Tapping spoons on the bottom of the tub helps children put their ears in the water to listen to them. Some kids will begin to float.
Back/Front Floats
1. Giraffe/Turtle Neck: If they put their chin to their chest that is a “turtle neck”. Explain how a turtle cannot float on its back because its chin is down. If the chin is high and the neck is stretched, this is a “giraffe neck” and is the proper head positionfor back floating.
Kicking: A common problem of the freestyle and backstroke kick is bicycle knees. Practicing the correct kick at home is as easy as lying on your stomach and doing 100 kicks with a pillow under the feet.

Level C

Kicking: A common problem of freestyle and backstroke kick is bicycle knees. practicing the correct kick at home is as easy as lying on your stomach anddoing 100 kicks with a pillow under the feet.
Breaststroke Kicks: Shin muscles need to be strong in order to do the breaststroke kick. Raise toes off the ground and walk around for a couple of minutes.
Butterfly: Body wiggles. Squeeze arms to body and lean back and forth as far as you can.

At The Pool:

Streamline (Alligator Arms): Head down in between arms, straight leg kick
Rollovers: Practice back floats and roll to stomach and roll back. Float for three seconds and roll to stomach again. Do three ice cream scoops, then roll back and float.

Level 2

Side Breathing: common challenge in freestyle is not breathing to the side. Practice breathing in the bathtub by putting your face in the water and blowing bubbles out, then turn to the side putting only the ear in the water and breathe in. Repeat this several times.
Pop-Up Breathing: Pop-Up Breathing for breaststroke can be difficult to learn. Practice breathing by lying on your stomach on the couch with arms over the arm of the couch. Bring arms around to make a big heart shape, lift head up to breathe and put head back down. Keep your eyes looking at the ground while putting hands together to shoot an arrow back through the heart.
Dolphin Kick: Stand up and put arms to sides, then take a bow and stand back up.

At The Pool:

Side Breathing: Practice side breathing by “talking to the fish in the water”. (Face in the water and humming), then “listen to the fish in the water” (turning head to the side and leaving ear in water)
Breaststroke Kick: Practice bringing feet up to your bottom and then turn feet out, then kick feet around and together again.

Level 3

Endurance: Work on swimming the whole way across the pool. Work on side breathing and front crawl. Practice side breathing by humming and taking quick breaths to the side.
Flutter Kicking: Kick with feet on top of water. Keep toes pointed and legs straight.

At The Pool:

Catch Up Drill: Grab a kickboard with both hands, pull one arm through the water and down to leg, lay head on shoulder and take a breath. Bring arm back to kickboard and repeat on other side.
Backstroke: Start in the back-float position with arms to sides. Slide both your thumbs upward along your thighs, up your sides, and over your shoulders until your thumbs are touching the tops of your shoulders. Rotate forearms until fingertips point outward. Bring arm around until it hits the hips, turn your palm towards you, bring thumb up and out of the water to start again. Repeat with other arm.

Level 4

Flip Turns: Practice flip turns at home by doing somersaults on soft ground

At The Pool:

Endurance: Level 4’s start doing 50 yards of front crawl and backstroke. Come to the pool and work on swimming front crawl to one end, doing a flip turn, and swimming front crawl all the way back.
Butterfly: Start by working on dolphin kick. Keep your legs together and arms to the sides. Bend at hips and kick up and down, and practice taking a bow.
Dives: Practice standing dives from the side of the pool. Stretch arms overhead, intertwine thumbs, and squeeze your arms against your ears. Bend over until arms are slanting towards the water. Bend knees and put toes over the edge of the pool, and push off the side so your hands enter the water first, followed by the head and the rest of your body. Keep your chin tucked in and looking at your belly button.

Swim Team

One-Arm Butterfly: This drill is to practice butterfly arm action and the pull.

Keep one arm out in front of you at all times. Use the other arm to pull
Stay on the surface and keep a rhythm of pull, breathe, dive, kick
Breathe to the side of pulling arm. Briefly lock the thumbs each time you dive until you feel the kick
Relax and go slowly. Look down when you dive. Be sure to get the hips up after breathing.
Repeat the cycle for the other arm.

Double-Arm Backstroke: This drill is to encourage the development of bent-elbow backstroke pulling.

Flutter kick on back with arms by sides
Recover your arms at the same time. Once the hands enter the water, hold this position with your arms stretched overhead and your hands barely underwater for a count of three.
Pull arms at the same time and finish at your side. This completes one cycle.
Continue this until you have reached the end of the pool

Eyes-Up Breaststroke: This drill is to help proper timing for breaststroke

Practice breaststroke with one pull for each kick and glide. Keep eyes above surface at all times, and your chin should still be tucked in.
Follow this pattern: pull, lift, kick, glide
Hold the glide for a count of three, then pull again. Be sure the arms are staying in front of you. If they aren’t, you may be over-pulling.