Swimming is one of the most useful sports, so it is indicated for both children and adults of any age. During the lesson, the load on the musculoskeletal system is reduced. At the same time, all muscle groups work, which contributes to their strengthening, high-quality nutrition with oxygen. Learning to swim is not difficult, as some people might think. There are various swimming training techniques . The main ones will be discussed later.
What to consider?
Considering the theory and methods of teaching swimming, you can choose the best approach to this process. You need to understand what tasks and goals are pursued during the course of classes, how to interest a certain contingent of students. This sport allows you to strengthen your health, harden your body, as well as instill hygiene skills.
For some people, mastering different swimming techniques can be vital. There are situations when, by coincidence, a person falls into the water far from the coast. The ability to swim can save a person’s life. Classes in this sport develop strength, flexibility, and stamina. A person becomes more agile, faster. To do this, you need to study in theory and be able to put into practice the techniques of primary swimming training. It is also important to familiarize the group with water safety regulations.
There are several factors that influence the choice of methodology:
- The conditions that surround people.
- The goal of obtaining swimming skills. It may be the need to simply learn to swim or achieve athletic performance, heights.
- Features of students.
- The age of all group members.
The methodology of teaching children to swim is different from the approach that the coach chooses when communicating with a group of adults. You need to be able to not only interest, but also select the optimal load, which will allow you to get the most out of the session. The physical preparation of people, their goals and aspirations are taken into account.
For children it may be interesting to conquer sporting heights, participate in competitions. Adults, as a rule, go swimming to strengthen immunity, keep fit, lose weight, or for preventive or therapeutic purposes (with pathologies of the musculoskeletal system).
You can learn swimming at almost any age. But the coach always takes into account the features of each group. It is more difficult to educate kids up to 5 years old. Therefore, the methodology for teaching swimming to preschool children is significantly different from the approach that applies to schoolchildren. The difficulty is that the kids are not ready to consciously perform the tasks that the coach gives.
The optimal age for the development of the basics of swimming is the period from 6 to 10 years. Children quickly get new skills. Moreover, at this age an incorrect memory of movements has not yet been formed. It’s much harder for adults to teach the right technique. If a person has been swimming incorrectly all his life, it’s very difficult to retrain him. Although training is still possible at any age. However, learning to swim from scratch is much easier than relearning.
Methods and Tools
Certain swimming training techniques for schoolchildren, preschoolers or adults are tested many times in practice and substantiated in theory. Therefore, they are used by every trainer in their activities.
There are three types of techniques:
- Verbal. It implies carrying out explanations, explanations, as well as analysis, instructions. The trainer parses the intricacies of the technique, gives instructions and commands during the session.
- Visible. The exercise needs to be shown to the group. The movements will be correct if the trainer shows how to move correctly in the water. Also in this category of methods includes the study of teaching materials in theory, visual materials in the form of photographs, films, videos. This can be a gesture, as well as a demonstration by a coach of certain subtleties.
- Practical These are exercises that the group conducts, games and other activities aimed at developing general coordination or individual skills, algorithms and elements.
Considering the existing techniques and methods of teaching swimming, it is also worth mentioning the means used in the course of study. These include:
- physical exercises without shells and additional tools;
- simulators;
- devices, such as circles, swimming boards, etc .;
- visual media such as videos, posters, photographs, etc .;
- natural or artificial conditions.
Types of exercises
Swimming training techniques for children and adults include a number of exercises. They fall into three categories:
- General developmental. Held on land, which allows you to properly work out the movement.
- Preparatory. They can be performed both on land and in water.
- Special They are carried out exclusively in water.
To increase the level of physical preparation of group members, the trainer applies general developmental exercises. They allow you to prepare the body for the development of basic swimming styles. In addition, such physical exertion improves posture and general condition of the musculoskeletal system.
This category of exercises includes running, walking, jumping, gymnastics, which help to quickly adapt to loads. This greatly increases the productivity of training in the water.
Preparatory exercises are more specialized. The emphasis is on the abilities of the body, the skills that are needed for swimming. These are quite specific swimming training techniques. A crawl can be learned to swim only in water, but on land an imitation of the movements that an athlete performs in water is carried out. So you can perform the correction technique. But you can not delay with water training. Therefore, such exercises are limited, a limited amount of time should be performed.
Where to begin?
Swimming training techniques are built according to a single scheme. It is used for people of different ages and includes the following steps:
- Breath.
- Footwork. Moreover, it is required to achieve coherence of the work of the limbs with proper breathing.
- Hand movements.
- Training for coordinated movements of the legs, arms and breath.
All of these items, students learn gradually. You cannot proceed to the next stage if the previous step has not been mastered. Haste is inappropriate here. And gradually the tasks become more complicated. You can not master the work of the legs without proper breathing, etc. If, however, hurriedly run from one point to another, the wrong stereotype may develop.
For example, in the process of swimming, a person works only with his feet, while his head is above the surface of the water. In this case, breathing will not be mastered. And this is the main element. It must be coordinated with the work of the arms and legs. If this is not mastered, when moving in water, a person will monitor breathing, but the work of the arms and legs will be ineffective.
It is very important to learn how to breathe comfortably while swimming. The exhale is done into the water, and the face should be in the water. At the same time, during inhalation, splashes will fall on the face, from which the person instinctively dodges. This increases not only physical, but also emotional stress. This is especially noticeable during long swims.
Therefore, special attention is paid to this issue in all swimming training techniques. Ways to crawl and breaststroke, as well as other techniques, a person begins to master only after mastering the ability to breathe correctly during a swim. Physical activity during swimming is high. Almost all muscle groups work. At this time, the body needs a large amount of oxygen. This need can only be met with proper breathing.
At the beginning of training, you need to swim slowly, developing the necessary skills. Only after this speed increase. Only coordinated, rhythmic breathing will help a person become a swimmer.
Development stages
There are 4 stages of presenting the necessary elements to students, which are described in the swimming training methodology. Crawl and breaststroke are the main techniques that are mastered during this process. The existing steps are also applicable to the development of the process as a whole, and not just to individual movements or techniques.
At the first stage, the students have a general impression of the process. For this, visual materials are used. At the second stage, the individual elements are learned, and then they are combined in combination. Here, as was said, the correct breathing is assimilated, and then the work of the arms and legs, etc. The combinations are complicated step by step, the load increases.
At the third stage, the material is fixed, error correction is carried out. Here it is already required to achieve the coordinated action of all the acquired skills under load conditions. The reproducible movements are constantly being worked out and corrected. This avoids fixing the right skills.
The third stage provides an understanding of existing patterns, for example, when learning how to swim with a crawl. This technique also involves honing the overall dynamics. At the same time, individual characteristics of each student are taken into account. Errors that occur at each stage of training are eliminated. Variations of movements become intuitive.
At the last stage, the acquired skills are deepened, and the technique is improved. Here, a person is already beginning to strive for the ideal in order to become the best. Equipment at this stage is fixed up to automatism. For this, the conditions, the load, up to the maximum possible for a person, are changing.
Each swimmer is individual. He must hone his individual technique, which depends on the general physical development. The formed stereotype of movements is fixed, and the range of variations expands, which depends on external conditions. At this stage, a person is already starting to perform speed exercises. They should be short but intense. Both individual elements and movements as a whole are practiced. The load is gradually increasing.
Crawl on the chest
The listed principles are applied in any swimming training technique. The crawl method is one of the simplest, so it is taught first. The duration of training depends on the physical fitness, skills and abilities of the person. This technique can be mastered only with an integrated approach. Training includes general developmental and preparatory exercises.
Conduct a series of training courses on land and in water. Exercises such as running in place are performed at the gym, but legs are not torn off the floor. The range of motion is small.
Sitting on a karemat, you need to perform reinforced legs, imitating swimming. Then the students lie on their stomachs, arms extended forward. The back must be arched, but the hands must be seen. In this position, the crawl style is imitated.
Further, a swimming training technique involves training in water. The motor and breathing techniques are combined. Vigorous leg movements are performed in water. Hands at the same time hold on to the side. Further this movement is repeated, but already without support, gliding in the water.
An breathing algorithm is being developed. At this point, both hands are near the hips or one of them is pointing up, and the other is directed along the body. When inhaling, the head must be turned, but not raised. The exhalation is carried out in water.
During the exercise, use a board. Breathing should be rhythmic, combined with counting swings. You need to swim with the board, holding it in your left or right hand.
By the same system, other elements of this style are mastered. You need to twist your hands, doing swings forward. First, work is carried out on land, and then in water. It trains the general dynamics of the body. Separately, the correctness of the movements of the upper and lower extremities is worked out. Further in the water perform exercises, swimming short distances up to 12 m. All exercises vary, adapt to the characteristics of the swimmer's body. Emphasis is on mistakes, weaknesses are worked out especially carefully.
Breaststroke
There are some features of the technique of teaching swimming the breaststroke method. This is a more complex technique. It is important to master the footwork algorithm. The sequence of movements is rather complicated. It is necessary to correctly perform actions at each stage. It is important to observe the symmetry and coherence of the legs. To understand all the subtleties of such movements, you need to remember how the frog swims. She performs with her hind legs exactly the same movements as an athlete swimming with a breaststroke.
The legs are bent, there is a turn of the feet, and then extension. Athlete repels from water. Trainings are held on land and in the pool.
In the gym, group members squat, leaning against the wall. In this case, the socks need to be deployed as much as possible. In the process of squats, the heels are not torn off the floor, and the knees are bred to the maximum.
Then they perform a similar exercise, but after squatting, the athlete seems to jump out.
The following exercise is performed while sitting. You need to rest on your hands that are laid back. Feet imitate the movement in the style of a breaststroke. Legs are pulled up, knees are spread apart, the heels remain on the floor. Then the feet are deployed, and then the legs are straightened. All movements are first controlled by the coach. The athlete repeats the movements lying on a bench on his stomach.
Breaststroke. Water training
The technique of teaching breaststroke swimming further involves performing exercises in water. First, they squat in shallow water, holding on to the side. Standing on one leg, the second makes a stroke. The next exercise involves jumping, closing your heels and spreading your socks apart.
Holding on to the side, leg movements are practiced. Only then can you try to glide through the water. And you need to roll over on his back, then on his stomach. Swimming with the board is in progress.
Breaststroke. Hand movement
The swimming training technique in the process of breaststroke mastering involves working out the movement of hands. It is necessary to tilt the body and perform strokes with two hands. They are bred shoulder width apart. Next, you need to make a movement, as if with your hands they are pressing on some object, bending them at the elbows. Gradually hands are brought palms together. They are turned forward and pushed away from themselves. Hands are parted again, returning to the starting position. Before repeating, a short pause is made.
Next, you need to perform the same exercise, but with the expander. Add breath. At the time of stroke, breathe in, and when straightening hands with closed palms, exhale.
After that they go to the pool. At a depth to the waist, you need to touch the chin of the water. Then perform the movements worked out in the gym. You can stay in place or go along the bottom of the pool. After practicing the movement, you can glide over the water. At the same time, they perform 2-3 movement cycles and stop. In this case, it is important to practice breathing, which should be rhythmic.
Crawl on the back
Another interesting technique is the crawl on the back. It is somewhat similar to the complex of movements that are performed on the chest. But there are certain differences. Preliminary work is carried out on land. If the usual rabbit technique is worked out, swimming on the back will not cause difficulties. The straight arm is pulled back, and then a stroke is made underwater. The legs work exactly the same as when swimming the crawl.
First you need to swim with the board, the edge of which should be at the back of the head. First, the technique is practiced at short distances. Errors are immediately resolved, and weaknesses are worked out especially carefully. So the style algorithm is worked out, bringing it to automatism.