Episode Summary
How should you protect yourself and others when you're teaching swimming lessons to individuals or duos? In this episode, we answer a user-submitted question after a brief unrecorded phone call with Rowenna. We cover practical strategies for staying safe while still delivering effective instruction.
Key Takeaways
- Remain distant when possible — teach from the deck or from the water at a safe distance to avoid droplet exposure.
- Have the parent physically interact with the swimmer instead of you.
- Use a dummy, doll, or CPR practice device to demonstrate supported front and back floats and glides.
- Teach both the swimmer and the parent how to perform your typical routines — you become like a music teacher guiding without touching.
- If you can't stay distant, wear a face shield (likethis fog-free model) to redirect breath droplets and shield from spray.
- Realign lessons to encourage independent movement — glides, repetitive skills, and challenges work well in shallow pools with lots of space.
- Use platforms or benches for younger swimmers in deeper pools.
Games and Resources Mentioned
Rowenna's favorite games are Treasure Hunt and diving games with multicolored toys labeled with numbers. I'm a huge fan of Treasure Hunt too. You can find a list of relevant swim games and challenges here:
Teaching Tips for Covid-19
This approach works best in shallow pools with lots of space where swimmers can move in chest- or shoulder-deep water. Have them do glides and repetitive skills like streamline and kicking from two points back and forth. Intersperse your 6 x [something] activities with challenges.
If you're teaching at a deeper pool, see if you can use platforms or benches for younger swimmers to stand on. For more in-depth training, take the Teaching Swimming online course:Rotation Method Course.
Listen to the Episode
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