Group Lessons Breed Multitasking, Yet Multitasking Doesn’t Work

I’ve suggested many times group lessons are a great way to save money when revising your swim budget. By increasing the class ratio, you decrease swim costs. My advice doesn’t change, nor does my side note about group lessons delivering results for the adjusted, not the fearful.

Up until recently, I wished I was a better group lessons teacher. I’d take on group lesson classes time and time again just to try to increase my teaching abilities in quantity situations. My conclusion? I’m personally throwing in the towel on group environments that equate to over 2 kids. There are two major reasons as to why: One, because I develop guilt-based stress for knowing I’m not delivering the goods or swim skills for the money;  and two, because it is proven multitasking doesn’t work.

In fact, this multitasking article in New York Times shows that is can take a person 15 whole minutes to refocus after an interruption.

I don’t think I need to paint the picture of a 6-to-1 (students to teacher) ratio with a bunch of 4 to 5-year olds in a beginner’s swim class. Someone is crying, someone is climbing out; someone else has just jumped off the pool stairs without permission and another has to use the bathroom. There’s another kid underwater not listening. The one quite child left needs help with his goggles. I love children, but you get what I’m saying. And you’re paying for all of this. Even when the kids by some miracle are all on the same page, the nature of swimming still equates to one turn at a time. Divide your ratio by the time in the class and tell me how many turns that is.

But wait — there’s the distraction of teacher multitasking to configure into that number. A good estimate  to account for the interruptions multitasking breeds is to take away a full turn. I’m a freak like this because it’s not a soccer field, its a dangerous body of water and your kids must learn how to be safe.

I’ve broached this subject a few times, but here’s a new way to look at it. Let’s say you have 1/2 hour class or swim time. Assuming you have a focused and competent teacher, here’s how a half hour lesson  looks in a private one-on-one versus a group lesson:

Private one-on-one lesson. In a 1/2 hour, depending on skill level, your child should be able to: submerge face under water dozens of times; practice climbing out of a pool dozens of times; demonstrate holding onto pool edge; make numerous trips around shallow end with teacher assisted or unassisted; practice jumping off side with or without assistance; display and receive technical advise on kicking, arm circles; blow bubbles endlessly; learn a new safety skill; review all the above; be able to play a few minutes with pool toys. And they develop a stronger bond with their teacher and better pool behavior.

Group lesson 6:1 ratio. In a 1/2 hour, depending on skill level, your child should be able to: submerge face about 3 times or watch how it is done; practice climbing out of pool 1-2 times; jump 1-2 times or watch how it is done; swim or receive teacher assistance a short distance 3-4 times (teacher cannot leave students alone too long); kick at stairs with some advice; show arm circles; display or watch bubbles; maybe learn a safety skill if attention is present; and no time for toys as their aren’t enough and are too much of a distraction.They cannot remember their teacher’s name and they might have been cold and/or acting silly between turns.

So you see the major differences are  performing the actual skill a lot, or a limited time, or not at all. No matter the skill level, all kids are under the same fair equation or “6 divided by 1 minus multitasking = My Turn” formula. With a wary or nervous child, there is just not enough time or focus in a turn for the teacher to both develop the trust needed to convince them to perform and then actually get them to do it correctly and well. And for the perfectly adjusted child, their potential is held back by the lowest-skilled kid, as a teacher cannot create an unsafe environment by moving too far from the herd. Singular attention breeds results. Numbers breed multitasking and multitasking doesn’t deliver.

6 Excuses To Hold a Potential Lap Swimmer Back

By no means do I think it is easy for any parent or adult to just jump into a pool and start swimming laps. Whenever  an adult student shows up for a swim lesson with me at the pool, I always feel extremely proud of them. And that’s just for showing up. Because I understand a lot stands in their way to get to the lesson. I’m going to take apart or break the myths behind the top six great excuses for holding yourself back from learning how to lap swim.

Great Excuse #1: Cannot find someone to watch my kids. Swim lessons sound like a time luxury for yourself. However, exercise is needed to keep the heart and body weight healthy so you can nurture that infant and keep up with your pre-schooler. Once you treat exercise as important as sleep, your schedule wraps itself around it. Everyone learns to adapt, just like one-car families.

Great Excuse #2: I don’t know what I’m doing. Which is why you signed up for lessons. Adults are so much more judgmental on themselves than kids ever are with swim lessons. Use what you have. Do what you can. Start where you are. Perfection is the enemy of the good.

Great Excuse #3: I’m out of shape. Swimming is one of those activities with an equal playing field for both the athletic and out-of-shape. Trust me: the challenge is going to be just as hard for a know-it-all sport freak and a vulnerable parent. In fact, the more humble you are, the better your lesson will go.

Great Excuse #4: I don’t want to be seen in a bathing suit. Remember this is a pool, not a busy shopping center. The uniform around you is suits and everyone is pretty much numb to this fact, along with different body shapes. The swimmers around you are there to get a work out, not to judge. Fake it until you make it.

Great Excuse #5: I might panic. If you take things slow, you can control your fears. You begin learning lap swimming one lap at a time. It takes the ability to apply patience, persistence and practice. These are just words and values we say, but swimming helps you get re-acquainted with their definition. It’s kind of exciting to feel these emotions (and they replace your fears).

Great Excuse #6: I don’t know where to do this. Yes, it does require looking into a pool. So start calling around and visit your local YMCA and community pools. Make sure you check out their hours for lessons as well as adult lap swimming time. Pools can be busy places that have to do balancing acts. If membership cost is an issue, look for trade-offs like free childcare, free showers and shampoo, and guest passes.

They don’t really sound like great excuses anymore, do they? Hey, I have great excuses when it comes to getting my butt into a yoga class. More on the art of exercise motivation later.

Top 5 Overlooked Swim Instruction Issues

Swimming can be pretty basic topic. We think of the subject as limited to certain issues: learning how to swim; dealing with water fears; being more safe around water; and stroke development. But there is so much more in between about swimming that instructors and parents don’t look close enough at. Here are my Top 5 overlooked swim issues:

#1: Group lessons are often a disappointment. To your hopes of safety. To your child’s swim progress. To the instructor who cannot spend as much time with your kid due to a higher ratio. Private one-on-one as opposed to group lessons are an issue about deciding if you want quality versus quantity. Payout in group lessons is delivered to families with a unique set of criteria.

#2. Swim ability isn’t relevant to age in the ways we think. Let’s say you have a water frighten 5-year old and a 3-year old who is something likened to a dolphin. Sounds backwards, right? Suddenly the older child takes off and within 4 lessons, is doing the backstroke across the pool — extremely common progress expectations at this age no matter how long it took beforehand for your kid to love the water. Yet the 3-year old who has been swimming solo longer is limited by their coordination and development issues, unable to do the strokes as well. Who is the better swimmer now?

#3: Goggles deliver immediate confidence. Kids feel better when they can see what they are doing. If the only way we can learn to swim is by putting our heads in the water, give ‘um a good reason to do so with a pair of goggles. Kids will say ‘I don’t like to wear these’ because they say that about anything they haven’t put enough experimentation into. I don’t think anything that can ultimately increase your water safety is a crutch.

#4: Grabbing for help is never okay. It’s not okay for a child to grab a parent or a kid in the water for any reason at any time, and you’ve got to break this habit early. Instead, to help your emerging swimmer, teach them to flip over on their backs when they need assistance. You can assist them by holding onto the back of their head and towing to safety. This is a great activity to do with babies. Also, create pool games that involve grabbing the side of the pool or toys, but not people.

#5: Thrashing isn’t swimming. I’ve had parents tell me their child is ready for stroke development when they cannot swim the shortest distance or width of a pool without being freaked out. We cannot push our kids on this issue because safety is such a concern. The best way to tell how comfortable your kid or student is in the water is to ask them to float on their front for a few seconds and then calmly roll over onto their backs and float for another moment or two. Body language says it all with swimming.

The True Cost of Learning to Swim

Swim lessons seem like a luxury in today’s economic climate. I fully agree. They aren’t cheap, and food or clothing is a better priority. So much is built into the cost, from firing up your pool (if hiring private home lessons) to the instruction costs.

Aside of swimming, parenting (and product review writing, like new cars), I also write about personal finance. In general, I think the main motivator behind any of my articles is a message about consumers finding the best deal. Here’s how I break down the true cost of learning to swim.

Bathing suit and goggles: $25. Old Navy works fine, but their goggles don’t — get a good $12-15 Speedo pair made of silicone, which is soft and refrains from leaks. Goggles encourage putting a child’s face in the water.

Initial 1/2 hr. private lessons: $40-320. I live in the Bay Area, so keep in mind all my estimates are likely a third to a full half higher. You can start with one lesson ($20-40 depending where you live) and get an estimate of where the teacher thinks your child is at. However, it is extremely difficult for any teacher to say just how many lessons it would take your kids to swim, which makes it harder to budget for it. If your kid can swim independently without you, move on to group lessons. If more nurturing is needed, sign up for 6-8 privates ($320 is 8 privates total).

1/2 hr. Group lessons: $15- 185. Group lessons can save you tons IF — and only IF — your child is not afraid of the water. Otherwise, you are seriously flushing money down the toilet if you think your timid child is suddenly going to blossom amidst aggressive (or other frightened) swimmers and an overwhelmed teacher. Instead, you child will regress. Which is why I always recommend the initial estimate above. Hey, only the rich can afford to buy cheap because they can afford to buy something over and over again. The $185 should buy you around two weeks or $15 x 8 (1/2 hr. lessons).

Time with you in a pool: priceless. Not because of the memories, but because of the swim time they will get in. Take advantage of every opportunity. Maybe the pool your kid takes lessons at allows parents to get in after. Maybe a friend or neighbor has a pool and you can exchange tomatoes or something for swim time. I can ALWAYS tell a kid who practices versus one who doesn’t.

1/2 hr. group of private follow-ups: $40-200. Swimming can be a forgotten skill. Retention and strength to swim depends on the age — the older they are, the more likely they can get by on memory and muscle. Best to conduct this in the early month in an indoor pool around April. A minimum of 3 lessons ($40 x 3 = $120) should not only tell you where your child is at but even deliver them stroke skills if their swim retention is strong enough.

TOTAL TRUE COST OF LEARNING TO SWIM THIS SUMMER: $370 (group) & $465 (private)

Of course their are more variables: demographics, electric bills, lost or ruined swim suits, pool memberships, swim toys. (A lot of my clients would tell me they spent a lot more on me than this!) But think of this estimate as the no-frills approach when learning to swim.

Also, isn’t it interesting to see just a $95 difference lies between private and group instruction. Your child won’t be in the pool as much, but will get better time in the pool. So what is more important — quantity or quality?

Currencies & Rescues: Troubleshooting For Fearful Swimmers

Are you afraid getting your fearful child to swim is going to be a struggle again this summer ? You are not alone. Loving water isn’t something we’re all born with — I see it mostly as a learned experience. Some just have a harder time coming to appreciate it than others. Water is a valid thing to be afraid and we want our kids to have a healthy fear of it. But what if the fear is too healthy?

I’m going to keep the answer simple. Which are sometimes the hardest answers. I want you to keep just two key words in your mind when approaching swimming lessons again: currencies and rescues. You keep these two words close to your heart and mind and when headache and heartache ensues. You hang onto them. You make them your mantras. You make them your behavior and action. You follow them despite your buts, ifs and should I’s. Here’s how:

#1: Hone in on your child’s currencies. This is a Dr. Phil term I learned the other night when he interviewed a family that cannot get their 3-year to quit pooping his pants. The parents were using both positive and negative reinforcements in the form of time-outs and the promise of an unopened prize (a dump truck — the kid loved ‘um). Dr. Phil told the parents it was a control issue and they had not yet stumbled upon the child’s preferred currency, or simply what it would take for the child to give up control. This could be a food, a toy, a game, a person, a place … figure it out and use it as a motivator for attending swim lessons. Currencies change, but they always have the same effect.

#2: Refrain from rescuing. Ah, yes, rescuing. I’m using this as a psychological term. I’ve witnessed even the most enlighten parents getting in their child’s way without acknowledging it. Rescuing is when you allow yourself to be pulled into a situation by your child  that you need to stay out of. Managing or controlling is not the same as helping; what parents fail to realize is THEY are the ones being managed and controlled. I have dealt with a lot of crying children over the years and I can guarantee you they always stop crying at some point — IF the parents stay out of it and allow the instructor to just do their job. If you feel compelled to rescue, hold off on lessons until you are both ready. If you do have a legitimate issue with how the instructor is teaching, then you bring it up to aquatic manager after the lesson is over.

Don’t feel like you are alone if you are at your wit’s end with your non-swimmer. I have parents/readers email me their frustrating stories all the time. If you post a comment or email me about yours, I promise you I will get back to you and make it better!

How Your Kid’s Trust Gets Ruined in the Water

Trust. Something very important to build in life, especially with young minds. The more unsure the environment, the more crucial it is to establish it. And once lost, broken or ruined in a situation that is very important to your child, the harder it is for you or anyone else to get it back.

I can tell in less than a minute if a child’s trust has been toyed with in the water. It’s in the body language but mostly in the eyes that silently say to me: I don’t trust what you’re saying to me about water.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says children are not developmentally ready for formalized swim lessons until the age of four. (However,  a study came out in March 2009 by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine that found participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88% reduction in the risk of drowing in the 1- to 4-year-old children).

But one of the reasons this warning still makes sense is because — as stated by Dr. Marilyn Bell who chairs the academy’s committee — parents tend to overestimate their own child’s cognitive skills and underestimate their physical abilities. Meaning, just because we know our kid is smart enough to know what to do in the water doesn’t always mean he/she is always physically strong enough to do it. Here’s how a child’s trust gets ruined in the water:

Not paying attention. Either you or the instructor has their hands full, dazes off and turns a head just for a second. This is when kids slip off the stairs or jumps into the water without you. Either its time for a break or to limit swim activity in a controlled area where everyone feels more present and safe.

Tricking kids into performing. There’s an art to doing this right that involves honesty and building up to it. Too many instructors think telling a child “they won’t move” and then backing away at the last minute will fool a child into believing they can swimming better or farther than what they are ready to do. What I’ve described is the most typical trick in the book and causes major regression.

Classes are too crowded. It’s one thing for a teacher to have 6 kids on the soccer field and another in a pool. But, you get what you sign up for, which is limited help and independent swim time with a ratio this high. I’d go with private one-on-one instruction until your kid is able to swim 15-yards without anyone’s assistance and coming up for air on a regular basis.

You know nothing about the swim instructor. It takes just a little asking around to find out whether or not your teacher is cheap summer help or an established professional. Keep your eyes and ears open around the pool. One time I was off-duty at a pool but performed a double-save (two kids submerged, hanging onto one another) because all three young lifeguards on duty where hung-over and generally not present. That’s the difference.

The Importance of Treading Water

I’ve been teaching baby classes for some time now, and while I like to make the curriculum full of bonding and tender approaches and songs and all that, I’ve also been focusing on parental safety more. Meaning I get some shocking looks when I tell my mommies and daddies we’re now going to practice treading in the deep end while holding our babies.

Okay. Back up. I don’t shock them that much. I build up to it. After the units (meaning individual families) have learned back floating techniques and are truly understanding floatation properties, we give a focus to their treading.

Treading is the art of combining “egg beaters” on the lower body/legs and “sculling” with the upper/arms. In this case, treading becomes just lower body movement as parents must use their hands to lightly support a floating child either on their back or tummy down.

To get a good tread started, I’d begin in about four feet of water. I get a lot of parents saying, “It’s too shallow!” You want shallow. Because a good treading position almost looks like you are sitting in a seat. In fact, the longer you extend your legs/body, the quicker you are going to sink.

So in our “sitting” position, begin by rotating your lower legs at the knee joint drawing circles with the heel. You can have righty move in first and lefty follow. You can have them move in together at the same time. Your body mechanics will straighten out the best coordination. But start out moving the feet inward. That equates to going clockwise for lefty and counter-clockwise for rightly (what I’m saying above is that you don’t both have to be at 3 o’clock at the same time).

You might be asking, What am I supposed to be doing with my child here? Hello! I have a baby in my arms! My answer is stop trying to hold your baby so close to you or out of the water. One of the top reasons a baby cries in the water is that mom or dad has held them too close to their body heat and thus refrained from getting the baby used to the actual temp of the water. All of us experience a 50-80% totally body weight loss due to buoyancy, so work with it: Lower your child to their chin and support lightly with your hand under their tummy (or head/back, if they are doing a back float). If you try to lift your child out of the water, you will submerge yourself. So get your baby used to the temp and floating.

The hard part about treading is that it is hard. The good part about treading is that you can get better real fast with a minimum amount of practice. That piece of information should inspire you enough to stick with it. Begin with keeping your feet up for 10 seconds. Then move on to 15. And so on. Look, if you can keep your mouth out of the water and at surface, you are a success.

Treading is great for building defined quads. It is even better for saving lives. You have to ask yourself as a parent, What would I do if I found myself in deep water with my baby? It’s what I ask my units in my baby classes. And that’s why we work on treading in the deep end.

Squidkid Answers Your Questions: I’m Failing at the Breast Stroke

Do you remember this entry where I answered a regular Squidkid reader’s question about performing the freestyle better? It was a very tailored answer. If you’re visiting for the first time because you want to learn more about doing the freestyle right, you’ll also want to visit here and here.

It has been 3 months now since I got your advice and I am happy to tell you that after consistent effort, I am able to do a complete lap now. I have followed your advice on relaxing as much as possible with a lots of practice on my back. I find myself more relaxed now and also I am able to concentrate on my arms’ movements that propels me forward.

My next attempt is breast-stroke where I am failing quite miserably. Whenever I get my head up for a breath and get my head down again, I go deep inside the water. Not sure whats going wrong.

First of all, congrats are in order if any of you are feeling a bit more comfortable from where you started with freestyle. It’s also a great idea to tackle the other strokes, as they use different muscles in your body and make your workout more interesting = more of a chance you’ll stick with it.

The breast stroke actually takes more strength to perform than the freestyle. This is because you are making deeper, bigger movements with the breast stroke and thus working the water away like a weight. So it makes sense our reader Rahul here would come down hard under the water as he is pulling to the surface very strongly with his arms. We call that velocity or momentum. But you can make the physics work for you.

• Your hands are your steering wheel. When you do the breast stroke, reach forward with your fingers parallel to the surface and just slightly under water.  If you point or pull down with your hands, you’re going to go — well — down.
• Breast stroke uses gliding a lot. Many people forget this: The patter for the breast stroke is Reach, Pull, Kick, Glide. That glide part should have you, again, hands/fingers stretched forward and parallel just slightly under the surface with elbows straighten almost squeezing your ears with your face looking down. Savor the glide. Don’t rush to the next Pull.
• Grab the kickboard and just do the frog kick. Holding the top with arms stretched on the board and chin close to the water, practice this breast stroke kick. I think of it in 3 parts: Knees up, Apart, Together. That “V” your outstretched legs create from Apart to Together is crucial — it is what traps water and propels you forward.
• Keep body at a slight angle. Too much and the legs will sink and the arms will over-compensate, which could be what is happening here. Head needs to not look up, but rather look forward both above and under water.

I hate to say this, but I have to be honest — the breast stroke either comes very natural to a person or it comes very awkward and hard. This doesn’t mean it isn’t possible — I’ve trained many a body to melt into the breast stroke — it just means you needs to work on morphing your movements into a very graceful blend. That takes time. Begin by staying loose, not tense. Shear will and direction cannot get you there — only time and practice.

6 Reasons to Never Downsize Swimming Time

Holy smokes have I been under a time crunch lately! My writing or work-from-home business has seemingly quadrupled as of late with additional work from previous clients (and a new one as well). But this is no excuse to not write about swimming. So I’ve been thinking lately how parents must feel when they are under a financial or time crunch and looking to downsize activities. I’m going to fight for swimming to not be one of them, pointing out all the hidden benefits:

• Swimming cleans you up. I made this point in my Parenting article. I’m not suggesting the pool is a bathtub as much as I’m suggesting parents take advantage of the free locker room showers and soap products if you have ‘um. Time and money (on water and soap bills) is saved for sure.
• Swimming gets your kid one step closer to bed. I often see parents change their kids into pajamas after an afternoon lesson. That saves time wrangling the critter into sleeping clothes later.
• Swimming provides a barrier against colds. While it isn’t wise to go swimming when sick or to stand around in cold water, the pool has a nice chlorine barrier that I have used numerous times when coughed upon.
• Swimming is the only exercise that makes sense on a rainy day. Can’t play on the monkey bars. Can’t play soccer. But you can do cannonballs and get in many laps in if you belong to a warm, indoor (even heated outdoor) pool.
• Swimming doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment. You need a discounted Old Navy swim suit, and old towel and a pair of $12 Speedo googles. Good teachers should provide the tools such as fins, kickboards, hand paddles and diving toys.
• Remembering how to swim saves lives. Kids can forget their swim skills after a few months — even week’s — time. Also, I ask my parents of infants exactly what they would do if they ever found themselves in water over their head with their child. And then I teach them how to handle the situation if they need a workable answer.

The Cost of Swim Lessons: Marin County Prices

Out of curiosity, I’ve been calling around the county to find out how much other pools and swim instructors charge for 1/2-hour private  swim lessons. (So if you’re looking for group lesson prices, I won’t have that — maybe some other time or post).

I also did not list addresses or phone numbers, but you can click this link to get a full list of all the swim joints in the area with contact info.

My round-up is brief and to the point: Prices. This post could go on for miles if I tried to explain what it means to be a Shrimp, Bubbler, Level 2, or Little Swimmer — all swim skill classifications at the various pools.

MARIN COUNTY 1/2-HOUR PRIVATE SWIM LESSON COSTS

Osher Marin JCC. Ahhh; my home. I teach here Sept.- April. Member: $42-33. Public: $49-40. What to keep in mind: Cost depends on whether or not you buy in 5-lesson bulks or just one 1/2 hr private at a time. But since I know this place so well, I added up all the bulk, single, 1/2 hr and 20-minute lessons, member versus public — and averaged a 1/2 hr private to cost $40.38.

Rafael Raquet & Swim Club. Member: $30. Public: $35. What to keep in mind: Outdoor pool only; hope your kid doesn’t get cold too easily.

Tiburon Pininsula Club (TPC). Member: $38. Public: $47. What to keep in mind: Price can scale back to as low as $26 — you pay for expertise (or little expertise) there, meaning a senior or junior instructor. I say get it right the first time and hire the most qualified.

Strawberry Rec Center. Member: $35-25. Non-resident: $40-30.

I also checked out by phone or Internet Mt. Tam Racket Club, Nancy’s Swim School, Ann Curtis, Marin YMCA and SwimAmerica — but as far as I can tell, they don’t offer private lessons but rather group.

Again, check out the link above if you want to look closer — let me know if you find out something different and I’ll update this post. Happy shopping!