The Power of Honesty and Consistency
The core principle is simple: consistency. If you are honest with your intentions and follow through with your commands, your students will listen and attempt new things. Conversely, if they sense that you are tricking them or forcing them into activities they are afraid of or simply do not want to do, they will run away from you. This emotional response is natural; they are protecting themselves.
Handling Refusal and Building Adaptability
We all want to give commands, but when faced with a 'no' or a refusal, the instinct might be to push harder. Instead, we should restate the command, and then immediately give an alternate option. This technique validates their feelings while still guiding them toward progress.
For example, you might say: “Let's go underwater 3 times. Billy, go underwater 3 times. Okay, Billy, how about we start by putting your chin in the water 3 times instead?” Here, we give the command, restate it, and then offer an alternate option. By doing this, we slowly earn trust from our participant because they know that we will accommodate their feelings and their fear.
This adaptation does not mean that you are letting them dictate the flow of the class. It simply means you are willing to adapt to include them at their comfort level, and then gently push that comfort zone just a little bit further.
For instance, if you are following the <a href="https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/2015/09/19/swim-lesson-guide-underwater-progression/" target="_blank">underwater progression</a>, and next time we do bobs, you might ask Billy to put his lips in the water too, building on the skills he is ready for.
The Importance of Physical Presence and Stillness
When you are having your swimmers swim to you, stand as close as they can comfortably get to you unassisted. Then, plant your feet and DO NOT MOVE. Stay exactly where you are after they start their glide. This is arguably the single most important way to earn trust in the pool environment. Remain where you are when a participant does something to you! I cannot stress this enough.
Critical Warning: What to Avoid
Letting a child struggle to swim while you walk backwards and yelling at them is the single worst thing you can do to a swimmer. You should NEVER let this happen. Your role is to be a calm, consistent guide, not an enforcer.
To help reinforce these principles, please take a look at this supplemental training video and resource guide. This material is designed to complement your in-water teaching methods.
<h3>Resources</h3>
You can find the <a id="amznPsBmLink_9501468" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/SLI-Swim-Instructor-Training-Workbook/dp/1514731800/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=swimlessidea-20&linkId=bb6370b1e1d3233503f8ba633691853b&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="SLI Swim Instructor Training Workbook" data-amzn-link-id="bb6370b1e1d3233503f8ba633691853b">SLI Swim Instructor Training Workbook</a>. This resource comes from Section 2.
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