“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” ~ Michael Phelps
One thing about swimming is that it is able to bring our limits and beyond, forcing us to think outside the box that we have limit ourselves to think about what we are capable of. Sometimes our goals might seem so far-fetched and distant, let these little kids tell you otherwise! They are going to let you in with their secret keys to all the four strokes- Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly!
FREESTYLE– a stroke that might look easy to acquire but there’s a lot of coordination required to be able to swim Freestyle effectively.
Check out how our little HEROINES make Swimming FREESTYLE look as EASY as 1-2-3!
Having your best friends to accomplish swimming GOALS together is something every one of us would die for! Even when we have to drink a lot of water along the process, the water also becomes sweet like Ribena! But with their best swimming buddies around, they managed to overcome it after much DETERMINATION & PRACTICE.
2 Freestyle Key Tips:
#1: Freestyle breathing coordination may be quite CHALLENGING at first. Imagine having these lil ones to coordinate their arms, legs as well as breathing with only half of their face out of the water. Roll your head to the side to breathe instead of lifting-up your head!
#2: Swim don’t Sink!: Focus on your head and body positioning. Maintain a good horizontal balance when swimming Freestyle. As you roll to the side for breath, remember to keep your hips and legs close to the water’s surface instead of letting them sink. This means continuous kicking even when you pull and breathe while maintaining a good body position.
BACKSTROKE- A stroke that you can focus less on breathing control
This is the most common problem when swimming Backstroke- Swinging heads!
This Backstroke drill will not only help train your child’s BACKSTROKE, but get ready to uncover the other side of your child when they swim! You will see how FOCUS they are, it will also help cultivate GRIT, SELF-CONTROL, and DETERMINATION.
When we swim Backstroke, we might think that since we have our heads facing upwards at all times, breathing should not be an issue. But, that might turn out to be one of the biggest problems!
Backstroke Key Tip #1: Breathing Control- Develop a consistent Breathing pattern after every complete arm cycle. Avoid holding your breath as it might cause you to SINK! You might think that it’s ok to just breathe as when you are on land, but NOOOOO… Remember to maintain breathing MOUTH IN, NOSE OUT even when swimming Backstroke to avoid the water gushing into your nose.
“Why can’t I float when I’m swimming Backstroke?!” That’s a common one!
Backstroke Key Tip #2: Buoyancy- Best tip is just to loosen up and put less weight or focus on your lower bottom. It is also a common misconception that if you are sinking, you have to kick harder which leads to kicking with very bent knees. Remember to kick from the hips rather than the knees.
Next up, the most common question we have at all times is “Why am I not moving forward when I kick Breaststroke?” Unlike any other strokes, breaststroke rely more heavily on its legs movement as compared to the arms.
What are the 2 SECRET formulas for perfecting the Breaststroke (aka “Froggy”)?
#1: Strong Breaststroke KICK: Imagine as if you are KICKING OFF OF THE WALL right behind you every single time you kick. Focus on your feet positioning! Your feet should be turned outwards as you kick in a frog-like motion. The feet should not extend past the width of the knees. GLIDE, DON’T RUSH after every kick, stay still for 2 seconds will allow you to swim Breaststroke more EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY & EFFORTLESSLY.
Common mistakes of Breaststroke Pull:
- Pulling all the way to the back towards the hips
- Pulling too narrow
- Pulling in Sharp corners (imagine rectangular/ square shaped)
#2: Round Catch during Breaststroke Pull: The shape of your breaststroke pull dictates how well you will propulse forward. During the catch, carve your palms down and inward, make a round shape. As you surge forward, focus on driving your hands forward near to the surface of the water after breath. Allow your body to will follow your hands as it leads the pull.
The butterfly is said to be the most difficult stroke of all. However, we believe good fundamentals and a strong understanding of the basics always help to swim a beautiful Butterfly. So our advice to you if you are keen to learn this….. GET your foundations and basics SOLID! Then you will find swimming Butterfly is actually pretty easy. Let this 7-year-old boy show you how to swim Butterfly in just 1 lesson??
2 Tips to swimming a more EFFICIENT Butterfly:
#1: Keep as close to the surface as possible: It is a common mistake for swimmers to want to tilt their heads up high to take in breath when swimming butterfly. Raising your head up high for breath will only make you more tired and less swim effectively. The key is to create a wave with UNDULATING movements and stay close to the surface. Your chin should barely graze over the surface of the water when catching air on the breath.
#2: Kick from the HIPS, not the KNEES: It is a common belief that if I kick harder, I will move forward faster. Keep your feet and legs together during your dolphin kick. The key is to keep your ankles as loose and flexible as possible. Focus on your glutes and hips movement during the kick, make sure that your heels break the water during every upward kick.
We hope that these swim tips are going to help your swim. If you would like to find out more about our swim programs, feel free to reach us at https://bit.ly/LearnToSwimwithWAHOO. Our team is always excited to be part of your swimming journey regardless your age or which stage you are!
