The Purpose of These Drills Are To

Floating Drills

The purpose of these drills are to

 Foster breath control

 Teach children to not fight the water, rather to allow the water to support them

 Appreciate the buoyancy and to enjoy the water more

 To learn to relax in the water. Ultimately they will also learn to identify areas of tension and to be able to relax their muscles.

 Specifically we are wanting to see a flow through into a relaxed swimming technique ie how to switch certain muscles on (working muscles ) while simultaneously some muscles are relaxing.

To successfully develop these skills, swimmers should

 Have good breath control and

 Be confident in the water

The following floats and progressions can be introduced at the Beginner C level and developed at every successive level. They are also performed by all squad groups.

I would like them to be an inherent part of our program and used regularly as fun exercises to end a class as you would with dives, OR during a class if you are progressing to relaxed Freestyle.

Mushroom Floats (See illustration) Taught at Beginner to Intermediate and Pre Squad

When teaching Beginner C’s from IN the water I find it easy to sit the swimmer on my knee, tuck up their legs and put their head down, then to gently roll them forward.

Ideally, you will have someone demonstrate.

Verbal instructions are

 Hug your knees tightly to your chest

 Tuck up like a ball

 Hold your air for as long as you can. Try not to blow bubbles or you will sink like a rock (this is fun to do as well!)

 Keep your chin on your chest

 The water will gently rock you – enjoy it!

Look for  A nice round back visible above the water which indicates swimmers have their chin tucked well in and are holding their breath.

 Swimmers who sink are generally releasing their air too fast

The mushroom float is a great recovery exercise after a hard training session as it particularly stretches out the lower back – great for Masters swimmers!)

Jellyfish (Or Deadman’s) Float (see illustration) Taught at Intermediate and Pre Squad

Note in the below diagram the swimmer’s arms are too rigid. The teacher should aim for ‘soft’ elbows, and no tension through the hips knees or ankles.

A demonstration by a competent swimmer will give a quick result. Most kids enjoy the challenge.

It is wise when teaching this to explain how

 Everyone floats differently in the water based on their body type

 Some float horizontally while others float more vertically

 Buoyancy can change over the years eg a skinny teenager may put on weight as an adult and float better.

 Some of the world’s best swimmers are poor floaters

 Generally women’s legs float better than men’s due to lighter bones (women with low bone density due to osteoporosis may float too well!) and higher proportion of body fat on legs.

 Conversely men’s legs tend to float more vertically due to greater bone density and muscle mass and lower body fat.

Verbal Instructions are

 Lean forehead into water

 Hold breath for as long as possible

 Relax all limbs

 Hands should be directly beneath face

 Allow legs to sink to wherever they want

 DON’T struggle, surrender to the water – ITS YOUR FRIEND NOT YOUR ENEMY!

 Initially you may sink, but if you wait, you will come back up.

Look for  The teacher standing on pool deck can see areas of tension in the joints. Teach swimmers to tune into their joints (progressive muscle relaxation) and see where there is tension. They should be able to hear the teacher talking through eg “Sam your elbows are stiff – let them soften, Or “Jo, lower your hands so you can see them under your face” OR, “ Rob, relax your knees”.

Progression

Once the swimmers are able to perform this with controlled breathing and relaxation they are ready for the next step which is the whole purpose of the drill. Explain to the swimmers you want them to swim the length with totally relaxed limbs. If they do it well, they will be swimming almost silently with very little sound or splash. Ask them to LISTEN to the sound they make while they swim and aim to be SILENT and SPLASHLESS , while staying loose and relaxed. Get them to watch and listen to others in the group.

 Begin in Jellyfish float

 Gently raise arms to surface then

 Raise legs to surface and begin a slow, relaxed ‘trickle’ kick

 Begin to stroke and swim the length

 What can you hear?