# Feedback on Every Attempt
Type: Method
Status: Canon (refined)
Definition
Specific, actionable coaching delivered after every practice attempt. Creates a continuous loop: attempt → feedback → next attempt → improvement.
Core structure: Acknowledge → Adjust → Send
After each swim, give the swimmer:
- Acknowledge — one specific thing that worked. Name the behavior, not the outcome. Example: "You locked your hands together on that push-off."
- Adjust — one concrete action to try on the next attempt. Use the same cue language you already teach. Example: "Now squeeze your ears with your biceps."
- Send — send them back immediately with a one-word go-signal, e.g., "Ready… go!"
Feedback takes one of three forms based on the attempt — correction, acknowledgement, or praise:
- Success: specific praise or acknowledgement that names what to repeat. "You kept your eyes on the bottom the whole way."
- Partial success: acknowledge the win, then give the adjustment. "Great straight arms. Next, look at the bottom the whole glide."
- Needs work: give the correction directly, ideally preceded by a brief acknowledgement if one exists.
Frequency
Give feedback as often as possible — after every attempt, to every swimmer, throughout the lesson. Do not wait for a perfect attempt or for the end of the activity. Even a one-word cue counts as feedback.
Timing
- Deliver feedback as the swimmer walks back to the starting point (R8). Never stop the group for a separate feedback pause.
- Keep it under 10 seconds and under ~12 words. Short enough to preserve the rotation of Activity → Activity → Challenge.
- Give feedback after every attempt, not every few attempts and not only at the end of the activity.
Adjustment limits (soft rule)
Avoid listing 3 or more changes on a single attempt. Simple, related corrections may be bundled. For complex skills — for example, the three elements of streamline (hands locked, ears squeezed, eyes on the bottom) — it is acceptable to name the 1 thing the swimmer did well plus the 2 things to remember on the next try. The limit is a guideline against overload, not a hard cap.
Being "actionable"
Actionable means the swimmer can change something on the next try. Avoid "be better" or "more streamlined." Instead:
- ❌ "That was a good kick." → ✅ "Point your toes next time."
- ❌ "Keep your body high." → ✅ "Push your belly toward the surface."
- ❌ "Nice job." → ✅ "You kept your eyes on the bottom the whole way."
Order: acknowledge first (ideal, not mandatory)
Ideally, acknowledge first, then correct — name what worked before giving the adjustment. This is the default order, not a hard rule.
Safety and supervision
- Deliver feedback while remaining oriented to the water. Do not turn your back or turn away from the swimmers.
- R11 — Safety is as immediate and natural as every breath. We do nothing if it is not safe.
- Safety feedback is immediate and intrusive with no barriers. If something is unsafe, stop it immediately — no preamble, no softening, no waiting for the walk back. Safety always overrides the Acknowledge → Adjust → Send loop.
- If a water-safety event occurs (coughing, water in eyes, distress), attend to that first. No skill feedback during an active safety issue.
- If a swimmer resists or refuses, do not insist on feedback. Follow R7: redirect to play and rebuild trust.
Examples across canon skills
- Position 11 push-off: "Great straight arms. Next, look at the bottom the whole glide."
- Backstroke soldier position: "Nice flat body. Next, keep your chin up like you're resting on a pillow."
- Underwater progression (nose/eyes): "You got your nose under. Next, try the same but keep your eyes open."
- Streamline (complex skill example): "Hands locked — nice. Now remember: squeeze ears, eyes on the bottom." (1 win + 2 reminders)
Behavior during the Challenge segment
A challenge is still a skill test (R4), so feedback happens per-attempt, delivered as often as possible — but it must be faster. Use one-word cues: "Hands!" or "Eyes!" and keep the game moving. Do not stop the challenge for a lecture. At ratios near 1:10 or higher, one touch-point per swimmer per challenge is an acceptable delivery target.
What this is not
- Not generic praise ("Good job!") — praise without specificity doesn't tell the swimmer what to repeat. Specific acknowledgement or praise is appropriate after a successful attempt.
- Not a lecture or a multi-step list — keep adjustments within the soft rule above.
- Not delayed correction — give it immediately, before the next attempt.
Connected rules
- R5 — Specific, actionable feedback after every attempt.
- R8 — Give feedback as the swimmer walks back; no separate pause.
- R2 — Keep swimmers moving.
- R3 — Every lesson follows Activity → Activity → Challenge.
- R4 — A challenge tests a specific skill in a game-like context.
- R7 — Never force submersion; resist and redirect.
- R11 — Safety is as immediate and natural as every breath. We do nothing if it is not safe.