Methods
My focus is on the most comprehensive Aquatic Survival Skills and Water Safety program available, which includes lessons taken while fully clothed. Snorkeling is offered to children as young as 2 years old. In addition, I work with all special needs. I teach with love and respect. I teach through positive reinforcement, using the sensory motor technique which is why I can teach a 6 month
old, a special needs person, or someone who doesn't speak English. I teach safety and survival skills first, then fun. I make each child responsible for their own life in the water. I have 12 month old infants that swim through hoops and 2 year old toddlers that snorkel and dive. When the child is skilled I do some lessons fully clothed since most children fall in the water with their clothes on. This means a regular diaper (if they wear one), long pants, shirt, jacket, socks and shoes. I teach as many different scenarios as possible that way it's much easier to assimilate to any situation. We only panic when we don't know what to do. I teach my parents how to swim with their children. It's to everyone's advantage that you hold off on swimming with your child until I have the chance to teach you and your child together. This includes relatives and anyone else you want to be able to swim with your child. This way we can avoid undoing their learning and help them to advance more quickly. I teach individual lessons. It's like teaching a child to ride a bike; you can't teach even 2 kids at the same time. You have to take each child through all the movements safely, over and over, until they can do it on their own. But just like on a bike, you don't let them fall and get hurt. Instead, you buffer their movements so they will want to keep trying. I teach breath control. Breath control is necessary even for a 6 month old. Everyone should hold their breath instead of blowing bubbles. I don't want anyone to blow out their air which is exactly what blowing bubbles is doing. I do not use any flotation devices. They are dangerous. Not only do they give everyone a false sense of security (including the child), most of the time they don't have one on or it's on incorrectly when they fall in. This results in danger to the child's life. It also teaches the child the wrong position in the water. It encourages them to be vertical, which will sensitize their face and make it more difficult to stay afloat. This will lead to doing the doggy paddle, which is a stepping stone to a panic swim and the easiest way to aspirate water into their lungs. I want your child to be able to swim, float, swim, float, swim ...
This should be done from one end of the pool to the other; recreationally or to escape possible danger. I teach the front crawl (basic stroke) and have them turn over to float instead of getting a quick breath on their side. I like to call it side breathing for tots. I teach my adults the same way because when you can instantly stop for air and rest, then you are comfortable enough to learn how to swim. My adults always surprise themselves on how quickly they can learn with me after a lifetime of being afraid of water. This way of swimming can then lead to an easy transition of side breathing when the student is ready to progress further. My lessons are 10 minutes, 4 days a week. There are many reasons for lessons to be 10 minutes and the first is safety. As a very young student is learning their breath control they can occasionally drink in too much water over a prolonged period of time. It is also important to monitor their body core temperature so that they do not fatigue. When student gets tired, he/she becomes sloppy and then the lesson becomes counterproductive. When a student is young, they will also lose their attention span. I even wear out my almost seven foot tall basketball players in 10 minutes. It can be mentally, emotionally, as well as physically taxing. I teach everyone as much as they can absorb in each lesson. Lessons are 4 days a week for retention through repetition. I teach Monday through Thursday. It is tough to say exactly when your child will learn to swim; it's like asking a doctor when your child will walk. For the average child, as if there were such a thing:
Most ages 6 to 12 months will take 3 to 4 weeks because they are only capable of learning to swim and float. Since every child is different, I do have some that age who swim float swim through hoops. Ages 1 to 2 years take 4 to 6 weeks. Ages 3 to 4 years take 3 to 6 weeks. Ages 5 years and up can take 2 to 6 weeks. In this amount of time your child will learn to swim and float even with their clothes on. Parents will learn how to effectively swim with their child, help their skills progress and have fun.
