Beginner B Lesson Plan - H2O Swimming Works
Beginner B Lesson Plan #1
This lesson will be used early in the term.
Be thorough with the little details. In following lessons, revise, but you should not need to spend as long on each exercise, so more work or new work can be introduced.
The aim of this lesson is to
1. Get kids to feel which part of the surface of their feet is used for kicking
2. Undertake a drill progression that will enhance their body awareness whilst simultaneously teach them correct head position, body position and breathing position for kicking and streamlining.
Introduction
Seated Kick Drill: (approximately 5 -10 minutes)
Aim: To sensitize kids to the surface of their feet, knees and water surface during kicking drills using both sight and touch.
• As swimmers arrive have them seated on the side of the pool legs extended in the water ready to kick; toes pointed. The teacher should be IN the water for this exercise.
• Teacher rubs the top of each swimmer’s foot and explains that as they kick it is this part that pushes up and down on the water.
• Swimmers begin to kick slowly at first and as they do so the teacher moves from swimmer to swimmer placing his/her hand over the top of the foot (and at the surface so swimmers are also connecting with the amount of splash needed)) so each swimmer gets to feel which part of their foot connects with the teacher’s hand on the upbeat of each kick.
• For any child who points toes up to the roof, the teacher should again use their palm to get the swimmer to feel the difference between what they are doing (toes kicking against palm) vs what they should doing (ie top of foot kicking palm). Ensure the child is not only looking at his feet to see what they are doing, but also to feel what it is they are doing.
• This is an example of using 2 different learning styles – the visual and the kinaesthetic.
• Once swimmers get the idea, have them kick fast while you count to ten, again placing your hand over any of the swimmer’s feet who start hooking their toes, and then slow for another ten seconds. Continue alternating fast and slow kicks while you count until they can all kick with feet correctly positioned.
• Drill extension #1 is to place your hand over the knees of any swimmer who is bicycling their legs.
• Drill extension #2 Swimmers get in the water and kick in single file from platform out to teacher and back again (in circle formation). As each swimmer approaches the teacher, the teacher places his/her hand above either the feet ( for swimmer to feel which part of their foot is being used AND to feel where the surface of the water is so they know how high to kick) or the knees (to prevent their knees breaking the surface).
Alphabet Drill (10-15min.)
Aim: This drill tunes swimmers into the different parts of their body. Body awareness and sensitivity to water is critical to mastery of swimming. The more we can tune swimmers into this, the better co-ordinated they will be. This drill sequence also is a forerunner to streamlining. Another benefit is getting the head position correct. A side benefit is teaching letters of the alphabet in a fun way.
Equipment: Swimmers each wear a back bubble. This is essential for this exercise so swimmer’s body position in the water is not compromised.
• Working along the pool edge all swimmers line up holding the wall.
• Teachers ask the swimmers to make the shape of a simple “L” ie as long and thin as possible. They can have their head up during this exercise so they can hear your instructions. Check their body shape is strong ie they can keep their limbs rigid.
• Move into a “Y” shape (wide arms, skinny legs with feet closed)
• Then an upside down “Y” (ie skinny straight arms, wide legs) then a
• “T” shape (resting chin on the edge with arms completely extended sideways) and finally
• An “X” shape. Let them know that this shape is sometimes also called a “Starfish” shape.
• Repeat all letters, but this time with eyes under. It is critical the teacher gets the head positioned correctly now. Check that eyes look down; just the back of the head shows above the water; neck line is straight. The teacher should go from one swimmer to the next placing his/her hand beneath the water directly underneath the swimmer’s face. Ask the swimmer to put their nose into the palm of your hand to bring the head down into the correct position. Make sure your hand is low enough that the head is almost completely submerged, showing only a sliver of the back of the head.
• Once kids can do this on all letters maintaining good body position it is time to look at how the swimmers inhale and exhale.
Breathing Drills (5 – 10 min)
Aim: To fine tune breathing skills. It is very important that teachers continue to practice breathing skills EVERY lesson.
Equipment: None – can be performed on the platform.
• Teacher demonstrates in a highly exaggerated manor the explosive breathing technique. We are trying to get the kids to be aware of the shape of their mouths during the sequence and where the water level sits around their face. Teacher inhales with a large, round ‘O’ shape, water level just below the bottom lip. He/she then puts face under water and exhales some air underwater and the remainder upon re-emerging back to start position. As they emerge, the remaining stale air is forcibly exploded as if blowing out candles on a birthday cake. In its exaggerated form you want the swimmers to hear the explosion as well as see the water drops get blown away from the mouth, AND to see the shape of the teacher’s lips. The teacher should tell the swimmers what to look for.
• Next, the teacher should have the kids look at each other and watch to see themselves making a “BIG” mouth to breathe in and a “SMALL” mouth to blow out. Have them put their pinky finger into their mouth as if it’s a straw and then remove it keeping their lips in the same shape – that is the size and shape the mouth should be on exhalation. Use the cue words and have them match their actions to your words. Do this above the water a few times first, then under water. “ Big hole to breath in, small hole to blow out.“ Repeat a number of times consecutively to see if kids can get into a rhythm without mouthfuls.
Once they can do this, get them to do it with their ‘Chin on the water” (Big Hole), and “Eyes under” (Small Hole). Make sure there is no daylight under their chin when they inhale.
• Once they can do this, go BACK to the alphabet drills, but this time include breathing on your call as above. At this point, the teacher should again place his/her palm underwater, and under the swimmer’s face, ensuring the swimmer places their nose into the palm of the teacher’s hand. The teacher should also be looking to feel the swimmers bubbles being blown onto his/her palm and whether the swimmer blows to quickly or too slowly. Check that birthday candles are being blown out still. Once this has been mastered you should now have perfect head; body and breathing technique.
Torpedos leading to kickboard drills (10-15 minutes)
Aim: To have all swimmers able to perform a perfect torpedo (rigid body, head and body position perfect AND slow controlled bubbles to last longer distances.
Equipment: From the platform using kickboards
All of this preliminary work leads into torpedos and eventually to kicking on the kickboard.
• With a kickboard, swimmer to torpedo a distance of between 3 – 5 metres, with slow bubbles and no breathing, out to the teacher and back – no kicking just gliding. Teacher to check head position and where eyes are looking. Stress NOT to look forward to where they are going.
• Now they are ready to kick on the board single file to the deep end. Teacher to use the image of the leader being the father or mother duck with ducklings following. Teacher to monitor (using palms if necessary) head position, knees and feet as well as whether feet are splashing or not. Teacher to ask swimmers to listen to the sound of the feet as they kick and as they breathe. They should hear them ALL the time. Feet should never go quiet. Keep using cue words and phrases such as “listen to the sound of your feet”: “ Big hole. Small hole”: “ fast feet”: Let me hear you blowing out your candles” etc….Give plenty of feedback if only to say “keep up the good work”.
Close (3-5min)
Teach this rhyme using action with swimmers lined up on pool edge, toes gripped over blue line.
“Tall as a house” (Swimmers make a tall streamline)
“Small as a Mouse” (Swimmers crouch down into a tight ball)
“Fat as a cat” (Swimmers make a wide star shape with arms and legs)
“Thin as a pin” (Swimmers stand tall with a rigid body arms at side)
“(Name of swimmer) jumps in” (Swimmer waits for name to be called and does pin drop)
Variation is on the last line the teacher says “We ALL jump in” and whole class jumps in together – teacher to ensure kids jump forward, not on top of one another.
If kids are beginning to streamline well, introduce dives.
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