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  • 21 Sep

    Why It’s NOT Okay to Hold Your Breath (Or Nose!)

    Proper exhalation while swimming is a vital skill for two reasons: 1) it’s how we teach you to keep water out of the nose while you are on your back whether it be floating, flutter kicking, or learning backstroke, and 2) it’s how swimmers release air in preparation to take a breath.

    Ultimately swimming is all about breathing. In Level 1 and Beginner Adults we focus exclusively on teaching how to breathe underwater. Developing and maintaining a correct pattern of inhaling and exhaling is the first fundamental skill for anyone to be able to swim and be safe in the water. If your swimmer is in Level 1 or if you are still “bob-reluctant,” check out our deep-dive on bobs blog post here.

    This blog post is for you if you or your child are saying, “I can’t…”

    … go as far as the coaches are asking
    … hold my breath that long
    … float – I just sink!
    … do a somersault in the water
    … touch the bottom of the pool (at 3-4 feet of depth)

    The average healthy person should have no problem covering a distance of 20 feet in the water provided they are exhaling properly and performing the skills being taught correctly. Swimmers that are not exhaling properly are likely to feel winded or become out of breath more quickly. Exhaling, on land or in water, releases tension. When you hold your breath, your body is unable to release carbon dioxide (CO2) and you will begin to fatigue. This causes a sense of urgency or “needing” to breathe and results in a swimmer lifting their head, thus losing a stable body position and further fatiguing the body while trying to regain buoyancy or movement.

    Simply put, holding the breath and retaining tension makes it hard to move. This feeling of needing to breathe creates a sense of fear and no one, regardless of age or ability, is able to learn when fear is present. By first teaching every single student how to breathe underwater, we are able to helping to establish a baseline comfort and confidence in the water that allows them to then be able to learn.

    For more advanced swimmers who are expected to bilaterally breathe during freestyle, stockpiling CO2 from not exhaling makes the time between strokes feel very long regardless of how strong or powerful you are. A swimmer, in this case, is more likely to revert back to breathing solely on their favored side. This results in your stroke becoming lopsided from poor body rotation on your non-breathing side, which then leads to arm pull deficiency and other problems such as stress injury on the shoulder joints and back. All stemming from a poor breathing technique!

    If you or your child is struggling to exhale through the nose, close the mouth and make the “letter M sound– hmmmmm” when putting the face into the water. As one improves the ability to exhale without needing to think about it, it actually becomes possible to exhale easily through the nose with the mouth open and not swallow any water. However, this can be difficult to achieve when first learning how to exhale through the nose.

    By Amy Rzepka Uncategorized
  • 20 Sep

    Deep-dive into the Infamous Beginner’s “Bob”

    What exactly is a “slow and controlled bob?” Developing and maintaining a correct breathing pattern is the first fundamental in teaching anyone how to properly swim. In Kids Level 1 and Adult Beginners we focus exclusively on teaching how to breathe underwater. In order to pass Level 1, your child must be able to easily perform 10 slow and controlled bobs.

    A perfectly executed bob is when a swimmer takes a BIG breath in through their mouth and then submerges their head fully underwater while releasing air out their nose. The air exhaled through the nose becomes bubbles once submerged underwater. Children and those who cannot safety stand in the pool are asked to holding on to the edge of the pool with two hands to complete every rep.

    At home, children can practice their bob in the bathtub. Our coaches frequently describe the exhale through the nose as “humming” underwater. The act of humming produces exhalation through the nose instead of the mouth.

    What we look for is that the swimmer is able to consistently and repeatedly put their head underwater while exhaling properly through their nose, come up and take a new breath in and then do another bob exhaling through the nose again and getting the head completely submerged underwater. This is called proper air exchange.

    Additionally, we want to see that anyone bobbing is confident and comfortable performing ten bobs in a row without stopping, getting distracted, or needing to adjust goggles or wipe water from their eyes/nose/mouth.

    Proper air exchange relieves tension in the body and is a foundational step in developing water confidence and comfort. This becomes especially important in Level 2 when you learn how to float on the front and back, a survival skill.

    If you have already mastered the “bob” check out our blog post here for important reminders on breathing for swimmers across all levels of our learn-to-swim program.

    By Amy Rzepka Uncategorized
  • 20 Sep
    “Water Independence” for everyone

    “Water Independence” for everyone

    Water independence is a foundational swim skill and one that is woven into Old City Swim School’s program across all levels, whether you’re a child or an adult. Water independence can be learned by anyone of any age or ability.

    Water independence is foremost a safety issue. When a swimmer feels confident and comfortable being independent of another person/object in the water, they are more likely to survive an incident that may occur when that person/object becomes disabled, momentarily distracted, or perhaps involved in an incident themselves. Water independent people do not see water as inherently dangerous. They are comfortable with the presence of water completely surrounding them and understand proper underwater breathing techniques (exhaling from the nose) as safe and necessary.

    Water independence also informs better technique. Swimming is a highly individualized sport. Each swimmer must rely on his own natural state of buoyancy and body and self-mobility to float, move, and ultimately achieve speed, efficiency, and endurance for either sport, play, or survival needs. Water independence encourages an individual to figure out how he can best use his own body to swim without pain, getting tired, or elevating a stress/panic response.

    Within Old City’s SwimAmerica-based curriculum, an individual’s water independence shows up in a number of ways across all levels. For beginners, poor water independence may look like an extreme dislike of getting the face, mouth, or eyes wet; or a fear of letting their legs dangle in the water such as clinging/clutching to a person or the wall. In intermediate levels, it may be that a swimmer can effectively kick, but they are only strenuously kicking to achieve the goal of reaching another person or wall as fast as they can.

    In the upper levels, a lack of water independence may show up as a swimmer becoming easily exhausted and a preference for floundering, dog paddling, or treading sloppily instead of using learned techniques to reach the end of the lane.

    To help you or your child continue to build water independence outside of swim lessons, allow water “play” time that encourages building familiarity with water being present all around the face/body. This can be as simple as a splashy bathtub experience or walking around in waist deep water at the local pool.

    For a swimmer who is clingy or clutches onto another person or object, encourage more time off the wall in open water. For kids, establish rules such as “I will hold you and keep you safe, in return you can’t hold onto me” or “You can use my arm to hang on to, but not anything more and I will keep you safe”. For adults, use a swim noodle (not a kickboard, as they are not for flotation) or a flotation belt to explore water that comes up to your chest.

    For swimmers who have advanced to our intermediate levels, minimize “hold” time where swimmers are dependent on standing up to fiddle with goggles or wipe water off their face. Try to gently kick with relaxed breathing slowly back to the wall, or recover into a float position to take a 5-10 second break to reset. Maintaining a streamline or floating position is the best way to keep the body from going vertical in the pool, which often leads to paddling the arms and thrashing the legs, which exhausts the body quickly and triggers a panic response.

    For swimmers in upper levels, discourage bad habits such as stopping and walking where they can stand or holding the lane line. Practice pushing off the wall in a streamline position instead of walking a few steps, or hopping before starting to swim. Practice strong finishes all the way to the wall instead of coming up and walking.

    By Amy Rzepka Learn-to-Swim , ,
  • 20 Sep

    How to prepare your child for swim lesson success

    In order to be successful in Old City’s Learn-to-Swim program, your child must be comfortable independently getting in the pool with their designated coach without a parent nearby and demonstrate a willingness to try new things from their coach.

    Our goal is to teach your child how to swim and ensure they have fun along the way! In order to achieve this, your child is going to be asked to get their face and body wet, splash around, and try new things. Our instructors are highly trained but they are not miracle workers. We believe that no child can learn how to swim if they are afraid or scared to be in the water with a trusted “helper” adult.

    Swim Lesson Readiness Checklist: Is my child able to do the following?

      • Willingly get parts of their face wet and/or go underwater in a bathtub or pool?
      • Be away from parent(s) for a 30-minute lesson? (Parents sit on the bleachers at the end of the pool.)
      • Meet a new coach and have that person hold them safely in the water
      • Meet and Interact with peers in their lesson group
      • Listen and watch the teacher demonstrate basic lesson skills and drills
      • Understand and try their best to follow one-step and two-step directions
      • Comply with our #1 rule of always holding on to the wall with two hands unless their coach instructs them otherwise

     

    At-Home Readiness Practice:

      • Have your child lay on his back in the bathtub filled with enough water to come up to the ears. Ask them to use their hands to scoop water across their body. Ask them to roll their head side-to-side they are comfortable having water in their ears.
      • Sitting-up in the tub, have your child scoop water into their hands and “wash their face” by splashing their face with water with their eyes closed.
      • Have your child learn to put their face into the water and then sit back up. Learn to be okay with just blinking the water away and not needing to wipe eyes or wipe face excessively with the hands. Just letting the water “drip” off the face.
      • Get your child comfortable with water being scooped and poured over their head, letting it trickle down their face.
      • Encourage your child to have fun and play by splashing their own hands/arms/legs/feet and getting splashed in the face with water.

     

    Get Your Child Comfortable Doing the Following at a Pool:

      • Independently holding on to the wall or edge of the pool in a place where your child is not able to touch the bottom
      • Holding on to the wall or edge and putting ears, back of the head, face, or submerging (with mouth closed) to the chin, and then the nose.
      • Going under while being supported under the armpits by a trusted adult and then brought back up to the surface
      • Jumping in and submerging underwater with assistance (or not) from a trusted adult coming back up to the surface
      • Going underwater alone while holding on to the wall or edge of the pool. At OCSS we call this doing a “bob” – learn more about what a Level 1 “bob” is here. 

     

    Not sure if your child is ready for independent learn-to-swim lessons? To learn more about how you can prepare your child for success in swim lessons, check out our FREE download on How to Set up your Child for Success in Swim Lessons!

    By Amy Rzepka Learn-to-Swim
  • 16 Sep
    Is it okay for my child to wear puddle jumpers or water wings in the pool?

    Is it okay for my child to wear puddle jumpers or water wings in the pool?

    We are often asked by parents if it’s okay for their children to wear puddle jumpers, water wings, or flotation devices at the pool. At Old City Swim School, water safety is something we take very seriously – and emphasize with students at every lesson. We want to make sure you are also equipped with all the information you need to make a decision on what is best for your child.

    We believe allowing children ample swim time without a floatation device is the absolute best way to develop water independence. (The exception here is if your child has special needs – if that is the case, let’s chat about the best solution.)

    When children who are not water independent are provided puddle jumpers, water wings, or flotation around the waist, they aren’t experiencing what really would happen if they went into the water on their own. These devices teach children to be comfortable in the water in a vertical position with their head (the heaviest part of their body) and spine held upright, which also happens to be the exact best position to sink to the bottom.

    This gives children a false sense of security that they know how to maneuver through a pool on their own. Both of these outcomes are simply unsafe and even potentially dangerous. Even a life jacket positions a person vertically in the water. This is great for when a lifesaving device is actually needed, not for learning how to swim at the pool. Bottom line is that any of these devices hinder proper swim movements and can easily create water independence issues that hamper learning how to swim properly.

    So what is a parent supposed to do?! It’s easy as a parent to stick a kid in water wings so you can also relax a bit at the pool yourself. Plus many kids love to wear these items, as they feel independent and are brought back up to the surface when they jump in the water. How can this not be a win-win?! If you want your child to really learn water independence, get rid of their water wings or devices today. It may not be the short-term solution you were hoping for as a parent, however, it is the best way to get you where you want to be long-term. (i.e. relaxing on a lounge chair reading a book next to the pool while your water independent child swims.) 

    Providing your child with a consistent flotation-device free water experience is the best way to support the development of a water independent child. This allows them to gain confidence getting totally wet and immersed over their head and practice how to roll over and float on their backs (the safest and least tiring position if they ever have to wait for help).

    Without props like floaties or water wings, your child will be allowed to experience how their body actually responds to water. If they jump off of a step, they will experience being submerged underwater. As a parent, you can reinforce the movements they need to learn to bring themselves to the surface and promote the use of the swim skills they are being taught at their current skill level.

    If you’ve used floaties or water wings with your child in the past, don’t worry. You can start fresh today helping your little one to learn the real cause and effect of their body’s movements in the water. To help encourage your child, get a pair of goggles to help build underwater confidence, and start using a swim noodle to aid with front and back floating. Reserve the use of approved flotation devices for when appropriate.

    The best thing you can do to keep your child safe in and around water is to enable them to learn water independence without flotation aids and consistently have them in swim lessons over time. While this investment requires constant adult supervision and a commitment to participating in lessons, it will pay off in the long-run!

    For more tips on how you can teach your child to become more comfortable and water independent right at home check out our FREE download on How to Set up your Child for Success in Swim Lessons!

    By Amy Rzepka Learn-to-Swim
  • 14 Sep

    Learning to swim in the “sweet spot”

    Watch our Sweet Spot Video!

    One skill we teach at Old City Swim School when preparing both youth and adult swimmers to learn freestyle is the sweet spot. The sweet spot builds on the flutter kick position. The sweet spot drill allows a swimmer to focus on using their body to balance in the water while moving across the water without using their arms at all and breathing normally. This movement is foundational for eventually learning efficient, non-tiring freestyle with side breathing.

    Watch our sweet spot video by clicking on the image above. Look at how the body is positioned:

    • The upward facing arm on top of the water is placed against the side of the leg.
    • The downward facing arm is in the water extended out overhead in a streamline position.
    • The swimmer uses a traditional flutter kick.
    • Ignore the head position in the video as you will be taught to look up towards the ceiling and not asked to have the face in the water when learning the sweet spot.

     

    By Amy Rzepka Learn-to-Swim
  • 13 Sep

    Revisiting the Sweet Spot

    Why is the Sweet Spot SOOOOO important and why do we teach it before teaching swimming with arms? Because the Sweet Spot is the key that unlocks swimming efficiency.

    Swimming efficiency is a competitive advantage for athletes and a survival strategy for the rest of us. Efficiency in the water is not about having the strongest muscles or the fastest cadence. Efficiency is about combining balance with movement. Balancing is the default position. Pairing that with moving through the water, by expending the least amount of energy, equals efficiency.

    Balance is first taught to beginner swimmers with front and back floats. These are the easiest balance positions to learn because they provide the most surface area and least amount of movement to work with. Front and back floats are like riding a bicycle. The Sweet Spot side float is like learning to ride a unicycle. It’s about countering the unbalanced part of the body. This makes the sweet spot a difficult yet critical position to master when learning how to swim.

    The Sweet Spot is the single most important position in freestyle and backstroke. These strokes, when performed well, are really all about swimming side to side. The finish of each of these strokes is in the sweet spot or side balance position. A proper sweet spot is a swimmer’s rest/recovery position in freestyle and backstroke.

    In the Sweet Spot position, a person is stretched out as long as possible on their side with their head turned just enough towards the sky so they can breathe while their feet engage in a very small flutter kick. We want swimmers to learn how to perform the Sweet Spot on both sides of the body. Most people have one side that feels more natural which is completely normal. Students learn Sweet Spot on both sides because it will help you learn how to breathe bi-laterally in Level 5!

    What the Sweet Spot Looks Like:

    • Head is in line with the spine in a neutral position, chin up slightly
    • Eyes are looking up towards the ceiling; tip of the nose facing the ceiling
    • Top hip is up at/near the surface of the water
    • Arm closest to bottom of the pool is extended in streamline in line with the head and NOT moving
    • Arm closest to ceiling is extended down the side and NOT moving, resting on the thigh
    • The top facing shoulder is dry out of water or at the water surface

    Common Sweet Spot Mistakes to Correct:

    • Under or over-rotation – either rolling too far onto stomach or back reverting to the front or back float
    • If the chin is tucked too much swimmer’s body will look like a curved “C”

    How to coach yourself or your swimmer in Sweet Spot:

    • It’s okay to feel terribly awkward when practicing the Sweet Spot – it’s an entirely new position for the body. When are we ever floating on our side?! The body is smart and will learn to feel comfortable the more time you spend in the Sweet Spot.
    • When practicing on your own outside of lessons, try rolling onto the side to take a breath instead of standing up or flipping all the way onto the back. Have fun with the rolling and pretend you are a seal in the ocean! It’s okay to flop around and make a splash. Be grateful for giving your brain and body a challenge.

    Overall, Sweet Spot competency builds endurance and improves one’s ability to swim longer distances. Although the Sweet Spot is a skill first learned in Level 4 and Intermediate Adults, it continues to be practiced as a “recovery position” throughout the rest of the Learn-to-Swim program levels and strokes.

    By Amy Rzepka Uncategorized
  • 12 Sep

    How to Feel Like a Legit Swim Parent Pro at Lesson #1

    At Old City Swim School, we want everyone to feel like a legit pro from their very first lesson. From the “secret code” required with the security guard when entering campus (psst… briefly stop your car, wave, smile, and then turn right and continue on once the guard waves back) to where you as the parent are supposed to sit, everything you need to be 110% prepared for your child’s first learn-to-swim lesson with us is outlined below.

    Use the map provided in your welcome email to guide you to the MSSD campus once you enter the University. Once you’ve parked in the MSSD parking structure (bike racks are also available outside the pool), enter the MSSD campus area by walking down the sidewalk between the 2 buildings at the roundabout circle. The building on your left is the MSSD athletic facility. On weeknights, come to the side doors of the pool. On weekends, the front doors to the lobby of the gym/pool will be open.

    5 minutes before your child’s scheduled lesson time, a member of our deck staff will call the next class of swimmers over to the area by the diving board. Swimmers are asked to rinse briefly off and then given either their lane number assignment (it does NOT correspond to their level) or a colored cone to stand or sit by. We call either “All Out” or “All In” at the :29 or the :59 of the hour to allow for a 60 second transition between lessons. To ensure your child receives their full 30 minute lesson, be sure to have them visit the bathroom and finish any snacks or drinks by five minutes before their start time.

    If you arrive more than 5 minutes early (this means you aced your directions on how to find the pool – congrats!) and the next group of swimmers has not yet gathered by the diving board, please take your child to the parent seating area with you until the next lesson group is called.

    At the end of the lesson, members of the deck staff will exit swimmers from the lesson area around the far side of the pool deck to parents and caregivers in the parent seating area. The exception to this may be swimmers in upper levels who exit from the diving well if their lesson ended in that section of the pool.

    Restrooms for changing are located in the lobby of the MSSD athletic building to the left of the trophy case when you first walk in. The restroom facilities are large enough for changing, but unfortunately, due to school regulations, we’re not allowed to use the high school’s locker room and shower facilities which are reserved for student-athletes, visiting students, and those who live on campus.

    Your experience as a parent/caregiver during lessons

    First and foremost, the temperature inside the pool is quite warm to help keep our swimmers comfortable. Parents, dress appropriately if you plan to stay on deck and watch from the parent seating area!

    During lessons, you, the parent, are welcome to sit in the parent seating area on the pool deck, hang out in the lobby by the trophy case or outside and watch through the big glass windows.

    For the safety of all swimmers, staff, and coaches, parents, siblings, and caregivers are NOT allowed on the area of the pool deck where lessons take place.

    What to expect if your child is a more experienced swimmer

    Every child begins at Level 1. Because our learn-to-swim program is a technique-focused, skill-based building block system, we will check your child’s form at every point along their swim journey. Experienced swimmers may progress through levels more quickly until they land at the level appropriate for their current skill set, perhaps even being promoted through multiple levels during their first class.

    That said, they may also stay at a certain level if they need to unlearn a bad habit they may have picked up over time, such as holding their nose or breath. For example, if your child possesses the ability to kick breaststroke style with their head above water (Level 4) but has not yet mastered a proper flutter kick with the face down blowing nose bubbles, she’ll stay at Level 3 until she has learned a proper kick and can swim with her face in the water! As a parent, you can help manage your child’s expectations by reminding them there may be levels they easily pass through the required skills and other levels where they stay for a while until they have learned or corrected their technique.

    What to expect if your child does not have formal swim lesson experience

    Our goal is to teach your child how to swim and ensure they have fun along the way! In order to achieve this, your child is going to be asked to get into the water within a minute or two of leaving you and try new, sometimes hard things with a friendly new face (things other than just playing with rubber duckies!). Our instructors are highly trained but they are not miracle workers. We believe that no child can learn how to swim if they are afraid to be away from you or scared of the feeling of water on their body, most importantly their face. In order to be successful in Old City’s Learn-to-Swim program, your child must be comfortable independently getting in the pool with their designated coach without a parent sitting beside them and demonstrate a willingness to put their lips, nose, eyes, ears, and eventually head completely underwater.

    Your role as the parent is critical to your child’s success. We ask parents to help set expectations and prepare your child ahead of their first lesson, especially if they are young and new to swim lessons. To help prepare your child for the environment, watch our welcome video together here before your first lesson!

    You can let them know that every week a coach from our deck staff will escort them to the pool where their coach is ready to greet and welcome them to their lesson! You can repeat that our coaches will always keep them safe and that you will always be nearby to come get them when class is over. Explain to your child that at the end of their lesson they will walk around the far side of the pool to where you are sitting ready to celebrate and congratulate them on a great first swim lesson!

    For tips on selecting the right swimsuit for your child or whether they need goggles, check out our blog post here!

    By Amy Rzepka Learn-to-Swim
  • 11 Sep
    Rash Guards are Great…Just not at Swim Lessons

    Rash Guards are Great…Just not at Swim Lessons

    When it comes to swimwear less is more when learning to swim.

    The popular baggy surfer style board shorts, loose fitting rash guard shirts, and tutu-inspired swimsuits may be fashionable but are NOT functional when it comes to lesson time. Instead, outfit your child in a snug fitting ‘racing style’ swimsuit for lesson time.

    Anything that is worn in the pool beyond a basic swimsuit gets filled with water, which adds drag and weight that your little one has to overcome. This makes learning-to-swim a much more difficult task. At Old City Swim School we want to remove as many barriers to learning to swim as possible.

    Learning to float and balance in the water is hard work! The more material your child is wearing, the more weighted down they are. If your child is struggling to pass a given level, or if you’re simply interested in setting your child up to perform at her best, we recommend leaving the rash guard, baggy shorts, and princess-inspired swimwear at home.

    Recommended Swim Lesson Attire:

    • Snug-fitting one-piece racer back style swimsuit for girls and snug-fitting shorts-style suit for boys that covers the thigh.
    • For swimmers Level 4 and higher, a basic clear swim goggle is needed. (Avoid snorkel or scuba mask-style goggles and the popular decorative goggles that tend to not function as well.) Goggles are optional for swimmers in levels 1 – 3 and for some level 1s they are a distraction/prohibit tolerance for water on the eyes.
    • For anyone with hair long enough to get in their eyes a ponytail is a must and more preferably a swim cap (silicone or latex).
    • “Shorty” wetsuit only for kids that get cold easily. Our pool hovers around 85F, which is comfortable for the overwhelming majority of our swimmers.

    Thankfully UV protection from a swim shirt isn’t an issue in our indoor pool facility. Once your child learns our basic swimming survival skills of balance and floating, it’s much easier for your child to adapt those skills while adding in those necessary protective layers for outdoor play and wearing fun, fashion-forward pieces.

    Hopefully, someday your child will be so good at swimming that in order to help them train effectively, their swim coach will require them to wear leggings and an extra baggy swimsuit at practice. Until then… leave the rash guard shirts, surfer board shorts, and costume-inspired swimsuits at home!

    For more tips like this check out our FREE download on How to Set up your Child for Success in Swim Lessons!

    By Sean Emery Learn-to-Swim
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