Goggles

I love goggles.  I'm one of those people that does not care to even go underwater without them.  My eyes are sensitive to chlorine, or just sensitive.  I even kick with my goggles on, on the off chance that someone splashing will get in my eye.  I would even wear goggles while I teach, but they tend to fog up above the water which makes watching a group of 8-year-olds harder than it needs to be.  I do carry them with me and put them on to watch strokes underwater.

I've run into lots of parents over the years that are hesitant to let their kids wear goggles for swimming lessons.  I guess I get the sentiment: kids should learn to put their faces in the water without any "crutches"  (although why this philosophy doesn't extend to nose-pinching I will never understand).  I do think there is something to be said for this, as you aren't always going to have your goggles with you.  When you fall out of a boat or get pushed into a pond, it helps not to panic if your eyes get wet without protection.  There are even tasks in Level 2 that need to be done with eyes open underwater, preferably without goggles.  Lifeguards are not allowed to use goggles during training, as they need to be able to complete rescues without them. 

When it's time to start learning actual swimming strokes, however, I am very pro-goggle.  They keep eyes from being irritated as students spend more and more time with their faces in the water.  It also helps to be able to see underwater when working on surface dives and flip turns.  If students don't already have goggles by level 4 or 5, I write it on their report card that goggles are recommended for upper levels.  If parents are hesitant, I remind them that even Olympic swimmers wear goggles; it is a piece of sports equipment, not a weakness. 

The problem with goggles is that many times, students or parents pick the wrong goggle.  Goggles that leak are actually more distracting than no goggles at all.  Here is a list of goggle pointers: 

1. No snorkel masks.  Snorkel masks cover the eyes and the nose.  Swimmers should be exhaling out of their noses during lap swimming, which is impossible to do with a snorkel mask.  They are also large and unwieldy, and can be dangerous to dive in. 

2. Get the proper size.  There is a difference between goggles made for children and adult goggles.  Children's goggles have smaller eye cups, and the cups are closer together to fit faces with smaller nose bridges.  Adult goggles on a small child's face leave gaps around the out corners of the eye, causing leaks.  By about ten years of age, kids can start wearing adult-sized goggles.  If you are getting them for your four-year-old, go for the children's size.  Speedo Junior Goggles

3. Double straps.  Find goggles with a split strap, especially if the wearer will have a ponytail.  The double strap gives more stability if you are going to be doing any head-first entries (dives or block starts)

4. Spend some money.  You don't have to drop a huge amount of money on goggles, but dollar store goggles are not going to last very long, and probably won't work well.  Spring for the Speedos or Nikes. 

5. Tight!  Goggles should be tight.  The suction cups can only do so much to hold water...the rest is all in the straps.  Goggles should feel snug on the face, and may leave marks under the eyes if worn for an extended period of time. You will get used to the feeling.  Loose goggles are leaky goggles.

6. Strap placement.  The straps should be above the ears, around the widest part of the head.  Teach your kids to place their goggles on their foreheads when not on their eyes, rather than pull them down around their necks. It is safer and makes then easier to put on. 

7. Test the goggles.  Before you send your child off to lessons in their new goggles, test them.  Have them swim with them to make sure they actually keep water out of the eyes, and adjust the tightness accordingly.  Have them do bobs, swim, flip, dive in with them on to see how they work.  Make sure they stay together, that the straps won't slip out of place. Adjust the nose piece.  Teach your kids how to put them on.  I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted over the course of my career "fixing" goggles.

 Go goggles!

Adult Swimming Lessons

I filled in for another instructor Saturday morning, for an adult swimming class.  It's been a while since I've taught adults in a formal setting, and I was struck by how different, and yet how similar adult lessons can be to children's lessons. 

The two adults I had in the class were a married couple.  They signed their kids up for lessons...and then signed themselves up for lessons as well!  Their goals were simple; they just wanted to get better at swimming.  While that give me a lot of flexibility as an instructor, it also gives me a challenge.  Where to focus?  What does "better" mean?  Better at distance swimming?  Better at strokes? Able to swim to shore if they fall out of a boat?  The nice thing about adults is that you can ask them these questions.  Why are you here?  Do you want to learn all six strokes, or just focus on a few?  Unfortunately, sometimes they don't have specific goals; it's up to you as the instructor to structure the class. 

Running an adult class is very much the same as running a class for kids.  The main difference is in your communication.  You can talk to your students as peers.  You can explain the hydrodynamics behind stokes.  You can start a drill and not have to repeat yourself six times.  There are also few, if any, class management issues with adults.  Most are there to learn, as as such will focus on the teacher and preform the drills to the best of their ability without too much disruption. 

The psychological difference between kids and adults can also make the class more challenging.  Generally, kids are more daring, and only a few will have had previous bad experiences with swimming.  Adults, on the other hand, can be very cautious.  They may be at lessons because of a negative experience in the past, and may be paralysed by their fears.   Adults may also be "patterned", meaning that they have been doing things the same way for so long that it will take a lot of time for them to change their routines.   The woman I taught on Saturday told me that she has never put her face in the water without plugging her nose.  EVER.  For 35 years.  That's not something you're going to come across with a ten-year-old.

Physically, adults may be more challenging to teach than children.  Some are out of shape, some have joints and body parts that don't move as easily as they used to.  Adults are also less plastic in their motor skill development, meaning they may need more practice time to allow their muscles to move correctly and effortlessly. 

The husband and wife duo were at two different skill levels.  The husband was comfortable in the water, but had very little finesse.  Like many athletes unfamiliar with swimming, he tried to muscle his way through the water, with stiff muscles and lots of splashing.  The challenge with his was to slow down and relax, focusing on smooth technique over speed.  I gave him a few pointers, and then started him on doing slow laps with both front crawl and back crawl.  If a student has a good flutter kick, crawl strokes are the easiest place to start, and familiar to the student. 

With the wife, I had a bit more of a challenge.  She could do a front crawl stroke with her face out of the water, but was very unsure of putting her face in.  I was able to explain why it is necessary to submerge the face while swimming, and give her a focus for practicing her breathing.  As with a child, I had her exhale out of her nose, and practice while standing in chest deep water before attempting it while swimming.  Unlike with a child, I was able to give her logical reason to overcome her fear.  I explained that if she would like to swim for fitness, holding her head up would cause fatigue in the neck and shoulder muscles and could lead to injuries in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.  

Both adults could swim the crawl strokes passably well, but I wanted to give them other options.  I decided to teach them breaststroke.  The kick and stroke technique was exactly the same as I would have done with kids.  The difference is that I could add hydrodynamic principles to my explanation.  I told them at which point in the kick they should catch the water, why it was more efficient to keep the feet outside of the knees (even though it feels really awkward at first), and reassure them that this is a resting stroke and so is meant to be sloooooooow. 

Both of them now have more swimming options than just crawl strokes.  They have specific drills and skills to practice on their own.  As an added bonus, the wife actually felt more comfortable putting her face in the water on breaststroke, and so is one step closer to overcoming her fear.  And sometimes, that's the most you can ask for, with adults or with kids.