4 STEPS to Teach Someone to Swim in few days!!!

Getting to teach another person to swim is very rewarding. However, it is not as easy, as there is a lot to cover and you need to be absolutely aware of what the person is doing at all times, to ensure that the person is both safe and is swimming the right way. If you're keen to teach someone to swim, you're now the "teacher" and your pupil is the "learner", and it's time to get into the water. So sit down and grab popcorn as we unfold this:

WARNINGS!!!!

• NEVER mentally or physically force a learner to do something he/she is not not ready for. This will only increase fear and send progress backwards, wasting your time and their progress.
• Go at the learner's pace but try to encourage progress by being generous with praise and encouragement.
• Be careful, and don't make the learner do anything which makes him/her feel uncomfortable.
• A certified instructor is always recommended.
• Make sure there is a lifeguard at the pool where you practice. Avoid crowded pools.

           1. Ideally, a person should be instructed by a certified swim teacher, preferably a lifeguard or monitored by a lifeguard. If you have anxiety about swimming, you are also likely to pass on your fears to your student no matter how well-meaning you are.Some teaching strategies are counterproductive and should be avoided.

• "Sink or Swim"/ "Viking swim lesson", in other words, having a person forcibly put (such as tossed by an adult) into deep water. The idea is that the person will struggle, but will eventually gain the courage to get to the side. Typically, this just re-enforces a person's reluctance to get in the water, and builds distrust in you as an instructor; he or she will be unlikely to swim for pleasure and thus not become a good swimmer. At worst, the person can drown.
• Use the term "Drown-Proofing". Being able to swim does not mean a person cannot drown. Many water-related deaths were by people who could swim competently. This is an outdated and misleading term.
• Demand a perfect float or dive. Some past swimming programs demanded students pass skills such as floating or diving. While both of these skills compliment swimming and teach good skills, one can be a great swimmer while not mastering them.
  • A very skinny and/or muscular person may not be able to float well, but swim just fine. Many Olympic-level swimmers do not float well.
  • Diving demands a certain form, and a few people have real trouble with elements such as keeping the legs together. But in an emergency, this really is unlikely to matter.
  • Get comfortable around water. If a person cannot swim, it is natural that there will likely be a lot of anxiety over getting into the water, much less swim. The older the swimmer, likely the greater the reluctance. Gently introduce the learner to being in the water, starting in the shallow end of the pool.
    

    • Do not rush the person into being more comfortable in the water. You will not be able to teach anything about propulsion, floating, breath control, or any other aspect of swimming unless the person feels confident enough to relax and explore.
    • Take small steps. For someone very afraid of the water, just getting three steps into the pool may be a huge achievement. Do what he or she is comfortable with, then take it just one bit further at a time.
    • You may want to hold your student's hand (as long as it is a small individual) to make them feel less anxious.
    • Let your student hold onto you until he/she is ready. Instead of you deciding when to let go, let your student decide. This can help build trust in you.
  • Take a playful approach. A relaxed, joyful approach helps ease anxiety and increase curiosity and risk-taking. It is also often a positive distraction. For example:
    

    • Provide colorful floating toys for children to reach for in the water. This helps children learn to stretch out the arms (rather than contract defensively) and feel water is a fun environment for exploration and play.
    • An adult may be anxious standing in the water away from the pool wall. However, tossing a beach ball back and forth acts as a focus--away from feeling anxiety at being away from the safety of the wall and building a feeling of relaxation, fun, and safety.
  • Buoyancy aids should be used sparingly. Although flotation aids can be helpful in building skills and confidence, they can become a crutch.
    

    • Do not use "arm floaties". These devices easily come off, and restrict arm movements. Swimming requires a lot of arm movement, so these inflatables are highly discouraged. They also give children a false understanding of the physics of being in water.
    • Kickboards are very useful in teaching swimming. Although they float, students cannot use them as a support.
    • "Bubbles" are often useful. They help the student float a bit more, and encourages a horizontal position in the water. As the swimmer becomes more confident, the amount of flotation can be reduced until no longer needed.
  • Build confidence, but not recklessness. Your job as a swim instructor is to build on a novice's confidence. This means finding where he/she is, and gradually add skills. You may also need to know a student's limits. A student who is not confident in treading water for more than a few seconds should probably not go in the deep end for very long if at all. A student who can swim freestyle for 100 yards competently may be ready for recreational swim at the pool, but not ready to do a triathlon.
    2.  Practice the arm movements. Sit on the side of the pool, next to the learner. Demonstrate how to do the arm movements of a very simple stroke which you will be doing properly later. He/she should copy you, and you should correct any mistakes he/she makes. Keep repeating these steps until he does the stroke properly. To help him/her practice this put your hand under their stomach to keep them buoyant. 
    Get the learner to hold onto the side with his/her arms, and kick with his/her legs. Give him/her guidance as to how to kick correctly, so that he/she can feel confident when he/she finally starts to swim. It may be easier for the learner to do this on his/her back so that he/she can see his/her legs as he/she is doing it. 
    Get the learner to lift their feet off the ground in the middle of the shallow end. This is a big step for some people, without a side to hold on to, and so it may take a bit of time. Again, the general advice is to hold the learner's hand, and give him/her a buoyancy aid. He/she should try treading water - you should demonstrate this again if he/she doesn't know how it works.
    
    3. Take the first steps to swimming. Get him/her to swim short distances in the shallow end of the pool, in a simple stroke which he/she feels comfortable with. Don't push the learner to do too much at the moment - this will probably be the first few strokes of his/her life.
    Swim widths of the pool with the learner. This may not happen immediately. In fact, it will probably take many learning sessions to get to this stage. Make sure to support him/her both physically and mentally - this will be hard for him/her. 
    Get the learner to try out different strokes. This will help him/her decide which one he/she likes best. Get him/her to swim a width of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and any other easy-to-hard stroke you can think of. Don't put too much pressure on the learner. Make it fun for the student so that he/she will want to learn more.
    
    
    
    4.  Take the first journey into the deep end. The learner is probably not ready to swim there yet, so he/she should simply hold on to the side of the pool and pull themselves along. It may take a few goes to get to the other end of the pool. In this case, you should lead the way, showing that it is safe, and go a little bit further each time. It is essential to stop the learner fearing deep water.
    Swim into the deep end. When the learner is prepared to do this, which may not be for quite a long time, you should carefully ease him/her into the deep end. To start with, you should stay close to the side and make sure that the learner feels secure. Eventually, he/she will be able to swim on his/her own, and that is a job well done.  
    Jump into the deep end and swim across. Once the learner is comfortable with swimming from the shallow end to the deep end, the next step is jumping in to the pool at the deep end. At first, the learner should get used to jumping in and then holding onto the wall. Then, once jumping in is no longer a challenge for them, he/she should be encouraged to try jumping in and swimming across. At this point, the learner has achieved a basic grasp of how to swim
    

    • It's important to save jumping in until the learner is comfortable with the deep end, because it can be dangerous to jump in at the shallow end, where he/she could hit the bottom and hurt themselves.

    
    HOWEVER, THE FOLLOWING TIPS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION!!!
    
    

    • Only teach them a few new skills at a time so that he/she don't get confused.
    • This will take a long time - go at the learner's pace, and be patient.
    • You should be safe, calm and give praise enthusiastically and encouragement often.
    • Don't be afraid to vary on these instructions, if it helps the learner.
    • An alternative approach is to forget starting with arms. Kick all the way! A good leg kick encourages good body position. Use wiggles/noodles. When the kick is good, get that face in the water blowing bubbles. Move onto kick boards and then start arm movements.
    • Never force a student to do something he/she isn't comfortable with. Beginning to swim (not yet swimming itself) is definitely something where the student has to find their "rhythm".
    • Start with a kick-board or another flotation/helpful device that doesn't do all the work for them.
    • Always go to a pool with a lifeguard - otherwise the learner may be in danger.
    • Avoid using water wings or a life jacket; they teach the learner bad body position.
    • It may be easier and better for the learner to go to proper swimming lessons.