Where you stand in a swimming lesson is almost as important as the feedback you give. Almost.
Have you ever thought to yourself, “How could I make this swim lesson just a little bit better?” Maybe, or maybe not. I spend most of my days thinking about how to improve swimming lessons. When I am watching swim lessons I’m assessing the quality of the instructor’s feedback, thinking about how the kids could be better engaged, and identifying things that work and things that don’t.
I was a little shocked to see that most novice swim instructors (high school, less than 1 year, or seasonal) don’t have any intentionality, any purpose with where they stand in a lesson unless it is to avoid an obstacle or help a swimmer.
The Teaching Swimming Workbook 4th Edition is your GUIDE to better lessons. The following info is from this book.
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One of the best lessons in the Teaching Swimming workbook is guidance on where the swimming instructor can stand and position themselves for more effective feedback.
Where to stand:
If you’re using swim platforms and benches, which you should because they’re awesome, then use the pictures above to position yourself for the best feedback.
Level 1:
With two benches pushed together get in there and be a part of the class sitting on the benches and joining in the activities. Alternately, you can stand outside the caged in benches and provide direction and feedback from outside. Stand in the middle to provide maximum support where there is a gap and kids can potentially fall/slip.
Level 1 & 2:
Push those benches further apart and start encouraging independent movement and motion. We want swimmers to gradually start crossing the benches and taking those brave glides on their own. Stand or sit on a bench to “receive” or catch a swimmer’s attempt. If they’re in Level 1 and stepping or reaching across the gap then stand just outside the benches and support swimmers directly.
Level 2+:
Again, position yourself where a swimmer will NEED physical assistance, at the apex of their distance and attempts. A swimmer will do a streamline, and some arm strokes then need to breath. When they take a breath, they’ll go vertical and need help standing. Stand there and pick them up.
If you have advanced swimmers, stand outside the rotation method or lane and give feedback on every attempt when the swimmer reaches the bench or stands.
Being a traffic cop vs an instructor
The traffic cop spends the majority of their time directing the flow of traffic. They’ll say things like, “Ready go.” or “John, your turn. Go!”
Spend as LITTLE time as possible being a traffic cop. Align your program’s language and format using the “rotation method” October 2024: Rotation Method
Once you’ve standardized the expectations of how your lessons will run you can then position yourself well to do what you’re there for: giving feedback that gets results.
Position for maximum FEEDBACK
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Why do you think novice swim instructors often overlook the importance of where they stand during a lesson?
Great question.
Why do I think that? I train new swim instructors and have been doing it for 20+ years. When I watch swim instructors that are new they get out of the way instead of positioning themselves for the best feedback.
Why do they forgot or not consider it? because teaching swim lessons is super complicated with lots of stimulus. you have the water, the splashing, the temperature of the water, the children in the pool, bunches, the edge of the pool, how deep the water is, objectives like activities and challenges, structure that you may have been trained on, and then the onus of responsibility that you are required to teach these children how to do very specific choreographed moves.
With all of those things floating inside their head, where they stand is a common thing to overlook or simply not think about.
there are many things in swim lessons that fly beneath the radar of attention to detail and that’s part of what I do. I look for trends. I look for opportunity and I want to make small changes that produce out sized results.