Gerald, 58, came to me and practically begged me to teach him how to swim. He is new in our community and had been watching me swim while he lifted weights in the gym. Although Gerald used to fool around in the water with his identical twin brother when they were kids, he had only swum underwater and never learned any of the strokes.
Well, Gerald recently heard from his brother that he learned how to swim. To rub salt in the wound further, Gerald's brother bragged about swimming at hotel pools when they travel. :blah: Needless to say, Gerald is highly motivated to catch up to his brother, especially before bro comes to visit Gerald and his wife here in the community.
Although I have taught two people how to swim, I am not a certified instructor, but I have been using the USMS Swimming Saves Lives Foundation Adult-Learn-To-Swim Volunteer Teacher Swim Lesson Guide.
We started just three weeks ago, and here is a video from today's 7th lesson:
www.youtube.com/watch
(Although he has also added breathing, this video shows his stroke better.)
As you can see, when he is kicking and moving forward, he is able to stay on the surface. The thing is, he can't float! This former football player is solid muscle, and he sinks like a rock! Seriously. Air in the lungs? Check. Chin and belly up? Check. Shoulders and lungs pressed back? Check. Relaxed? Check. He is very comfortable underwater, so he doesn't mind going under, but he won't rise to the surface once he's down! On a push off the wall and a "Superman" glide, he looks great-- until he comes to a complete stop on the BOTTOM of the pool (which is 5 feet deep). He'll just lay there until he runs out of breath. When he does stand up, we both just laugh!
This guy is DEDICATED and wants swimming to become his main fitness focus. He has practiced every single day since our first lesson in late May, and he is determined. Between his dedication, determination, size 15 feet, and long fingers; I think he'll be a really good swimmer. In fact, I told him if he keeps up the good work, I'll bring him with me to compete at the Georgia Senior Olympics, in September! :cheerleader:
Any ideas on how I can get Gerald to float without supporting him? :help: He even sinks with my pull buoy! :bouncing:
One of the best things he can do to gain ankle flexibility is just sit kneeling with toes pointed. As he gains flexibility he can lean back like this:
2.bp.blogspot.com/.../IMG_0537.JPG
and eventually try to raise his knees off the ground:
www.usms.org/.../878_250.jpg
Thanks for the ideas, Arthur. So far, I just showed him how he could sit in a chair and do ankle circles (clockwise and counterclockwise) while watching TV in the evenings or reading a book. I will check his flexibility from time to time and see when he is ready to move on to your suggestions. Right now his ankles couldn't handle either one! :afraid:
Howdy Elainiak
He HAS to push off correctly EVERY single time.
Hey, Ande! :wave: I missed you at Nationals. Since you were the one to call me "Elaine-iaK," I always think of you when I add a post to my blog. Check this post out; you'll appreciate it, I'm sure: elaineiakstravels.wordpress.com/.../
Thanks for the suggestions! I have taught Gerald the the proper push off & streamline glide, but he conveniently "forgot" to do it for this video clip. (He's still not comfortable with it yet, because it's a lot to think about.) Gerald understands it's quicker, though, so I'm sure he'll add it in as he gets more used to swimming. (He only started learning how to swim a couple of weeks prior to this video being shot!)
I had also sent him this video when I first started giving him lessons: www.youtube.com/watch
As for jammers, I had also sent him a Swim Outlet link to jammers that are even on sale. I'm hoping he orders a pair, because those trunks are like a drag suit!
We won't be able to meet up again for about one month due to each of us traveling, but I will time him when we meet again. He is super motivated and even chose a hotel at his destination based on the available POOL! :applaud: I can't wait to see how he has progressed by then, and I'll bet he will be ready for the Georgia Senior Olympics on September 16th! I am strongly encouraging him to make that meet a goal, so he can qualify for 2017 National Senior Games in Birmingham. :cheerleader:
Hopefully, I can also get him to join USMS and join me at area swim meets! :banana:
One of the best things he can do to gain ankle flexibility is just sit kneeling with toes pointed. As he gains flexibility he can lean back like this:
2.bp.blogspot.com/.../IMG_0537.JPG
and eventually try to raise his knees off the ground:
www.usms.org/.../878_250.jpg
Great job! I think he looks really good and agree he could become an excellent swimmer. I agree with the fins recommendation, but I personally think that the medium/long blade fins lend themselves better to ankle flexibility and keeping the legs loose. Those short fins can be torture, and we want him to have fun.
You might consider switching gears when you meet next time, doing some other strokes and types of kicking such as flutter and dolphin kicks on the back. This will help build his ankle flexibility and overall fluidity in the water, while adding some nice variety to his lessons. When I teach, sometimes if I switch gears and move to a skill that is completely different, when we switch back to the original skill, the student shows improvement. Tell him the dolphin kicks will help him beat his brother (-:
Thanks! I wondered the same thing about fins, so I went "shopping" at Swim Outlet's site and recommended these to Gerald: www.swimoutlet.com/.../ Tyr says, "FlexFins are designed to increase leg strength and foot flexibility. Color coordinated by size for easy identification. This fin is ideal for all swimmers with an added flexible sole that creates less blistering factors."
The only problem is Gerald's size 15 feet! The largest size Tyr makes is for feet "13+," so I hope the "+" is enough room!
I like the idea of switching gears. When Gerald looked like he was pressing and trying too hard, I would take a break from the full stroke, and focus on just the kick or the pull. He is just so determined to learn FREESTYLE, though! Still, I would love to at least teach him backstroke, too, but we're having sinking difficulties at the moment. :whiteflag: As for breaststroke, he can't turn out his feet AT ALL just yet, but I'm hoping he will work hard on getting some flexibility in those ankles. As a breaststroker, this nothing more I would love than to teach him my stroke! Neither of the two people I taught in the past wanted to learn it, so I'm hoping he will change his mind about it! :cheerleader:
Hi Elaine, I think you've done a wonderful job with Gerald in such a short period of time! Congrats to you! I did notice in the video that he is holding his breath for quite a long time, and then the video cuts off, so I'm assuming he is not comfortable with breathing. Developing his ability to breathe (connected with his core strength and ability to rotate to the side to take a breath) is key here so I would focus on that more than I would focus on ankle flexibility at this point. Good that you're not really focusing on fins and allowing him to develop a natural kick - since he is a beginner with no ankle flexibility at all, the fins might do more harm than good. Keep up the great work and best of luck to Gerald on his swimming journey!
Hi Elaine, I think you've done a wonderful job with Gerald in such a short period of time! Congrats to you! I did notice in the video that he is holding his breath for quite a long time, and then the video cuts off, so I'm assuming he is not comfortable with breathing. Developing his ability to breathe (connected with his core strength and ability to rotate to the side to take a breath) is key here so I would focus on that more than I would focus on ankle flexibility at this point. Good that you're not really focusing on fins and allowing him to develop a natural kick - since he is a beginner with no ankle flexibility at all, the fins might do more harm than good. Keep up the great work and best of luck to Gerald on his swimming journey!
Hi, Julia! :wave: Thanks!!
Gerald wasn't holding his breath; I just posted a video where I had asked him to swim WITHOUT turning to breath to see how long he could go on one controlled exhale. The reason I posted this video rather than one of him breathing is so that you could see more of his stroke without him stopping. I have taught him how to breathe. Here is a video from the same day:
www.youtube.com/watch
I'm getting mixed reviews on whether Gerald should get fins or not. Some say the fins would help him gain flexibility. Personally, I agree somewhat, but I also think the fins would help make him more buoyant. As I mentioned in the thread title, the poor guy sinks like a rock! If fins would help him float, I'm hoping he would feel more encouraged to learn backstroke-- or, at least kicking on his back as a drill.
If Gerald does get fins, I would encourage him to limit his use of them, and only use them for kicking drills.
Meanwhile, thanks for the encouragement to both of us! :agree: Please say hello to your dad and brother for me. They helped make Maryland Nationals such a great experience for me!
Elaine!! Great second video - he is really doing well with the breathing. Very nice to see. About the fins, you're right to keep them limited if you decide to use them. They might help with flexibility but in many people they also tend to promote a kick that comes from the knees instead of the hips. Plus as you can see even though it has been a bit more challenging working without fins, Gerald is really using his kick there so he's learning how to develop that aspect of his stroke naturally.
Thanks for the good wishes - dad and brother say hello back :)
Looks like his neck is a little stiff (possibly from weight lifting), are you sure he is getting a breath every time he is lifting his head? Is he exhaling properly after each breath? For a beginner his stroke looks good
