We take lessons at the ymca in summer. my son has been through the same class for the 3rd summer in a row. i'm getting frustsrated,
first it doesn't seem like they cover very much,
second they say he is very close but has to work on stamina
when i compare him to other kids in and out of the water he seems average. he wasn't huffing goign down the pool and back he is reasonably coordinated but not a super star athlete.
So do you think goign year round they would be more likely to advance him?
If he is confident in the water and can get from one end of the pool to another does he need lessons any more?
do you think private lessons instead of a group of 4 would be better?
we go to the open swim at least 2 x a week and while he doesnt' drill on what he has learned in class i do see him practicing it.
I sound like a control freak mom pushing my next olymipian, but i'm really not. THe first 2 times he failed to progress i just thought he needed some maturity, but now I'm really unsure.
oh and some of the things marked on his report as being covered in class --were never covered, i have my dd with me so i can't go work out and we sit at the opposite end of the pool out of the way but i do watch.
any advice????
He is at the Guppy Level. other than stamina, he needs more practice with rhythmic breathing, but there was only 1 time that the instructor modeled how to do it, and never stopped my son and said look you need to turn your head breath, stroke stroke, turn breathe etc.
the practiced the breast stroke and the back stroke, but nothing else. and i think the sheet was marked that butterfly was introduced and I sure don't remember seeing it. the only diving was to ju mp in feet first and try to swim to the bottom of the pool.
I want them to keep it fun but i also want them to correct him if he is doing something improperly.
hmm, kind of sounds like no one else has continued to re take the same level.
eta: he is 9 he has had lessons almost every summer since he has turned 2. so the mom and me, the polliwog for 2 yrs, guppy in one town, guppy again and again in our new town.
Plus these lessons were once a week for 8 weeks and our own free open swim time at least 2x a week,
Oh I have been there! My kiddos failed to progress in swimming for so long that I just gave up. They were in YMCA swimming.
Now we are a few years later and one of them has expressed an interest in the Red Cross lessons. When we can get him in, I hope it works out.
Hi Lilly,
I'm a former swim instructor (for 35 years) and you have some very good questions that actually can be answered. First, your son's instructor should show you the guidelines at the beginning of the course, that they use to pass the child on to the next level. There are very specific things a child should be able to do before advancing. This criteria is the only one that the instructors should use to determine the level placement. IE, swim 50-yards front crawl, using rotary breathing to the side. Tread water for 3 minutes. Float unassisted for 5 minutes, etc. There are some levels that are much more difficult to pass than others, just because the student's motor skills are not quite developed yet. That is where having them swimming year round will help, especially in the younger children, ages 3-10, they digress very quickly if they aren't continually swimming. As far as the issue of group lessons vs. private lessons, here is the breakdown. In a class of 6 students, your child receives about 2 minutes of actual instruction out of a 45 minute class. In private lessons they receive 30 minutes! So, actually paying for private lessons is usually a better deal. However, the biggest thing to remember is that in order to make swimming lessons successful whether private or group lessons, it takes practice! We say that in order to improve in swimming, swim lessons is 20% and practicing what they learned is 80%. Have them in the pool in between lessons and work with them on what they learned earlier in the week before their next lesson and they will keep improving.
I hope this helps.
You have been watching them teach your son how to swim. Why don't you take him out of class and teach him yourself?
Get a book from the library on teaching swimming and do it yourself.
My wife wasn't satisfied with the swimming instruction at the local pool so she got a book (maybe two or three) from the local library, read them took notes and then taught our kids. The people at the swimming pool saw what she was doing and hired her to be one of their swimming instructors. The Red Cross people saw her and asked her to teach water safety instruction. She taught the life guards how to do their job.
Just a thought. Good luck to you and yours.
Morning
We go to the Y and YES.. private lessons, albeit are more expensive but are definitely worth it. Like yours, my son was also in group lessons (not at the Y) and due to class size and truly there ALWAYS being one student who needed more attention than others, the other kids were kinda put on the side.. I just felt that for what we were paying, the group classes weren't worth it. Then we decided that ok, we'd give private lessons a try.. sure enough, was just what the doctored ordered.. Prior to the lessons and after about 4 or 5 group, my son was still VERY afraid of the water.. In fact, he very much protested us putting him in private.. Then after the first lesson he decided that he could do it.. So far, he's had about 10 to 15 lessons and is now swimming in the deep end. .Additionally, his strucks are getting better and is still building stamina.. Overall, the lessons have been well worth it.. We are going to finish his last lessons next week and once school begins, I will take him to the pool afterwards so that he can swim on his own. Granted, his technique needs works but based on where we started and where we are now, I feel like private lessons were a good investment ..
I would try to find a place that offers Red Cross swim lessons. My mom swears by them (my brothers and I all did theirs).
The YMCA is a complete waste of time for swimming lessons. We tried it once, just once at the age of 4. Our son didn't advance at all. In fact, another child went under water and it was my husband who noticed and jumped in to get him. Not one of the 5 lifeguards nor the swim teacher (a teenager) noticed!
I highly recommend a private teacher that offers group lessons. We have done this with a teacher that teaches up to lifeguard training. They have been going for 8+ years. My kids do the mile swim across a lake every summer in Scouts w/o any problem at all. My kids could save other kids lives due to the safety lessons she teaches. I wish you were in Dallas, I would give you her number.
I'd take him out of class. Just take him to the pool and have fun. We removed our kids from the Y program. We will remain members, and we will continue to go to ppen swim, but I feel like there isn't enough joy in the Y swim program. Our Y has one of the best ranked swim teams in the country, and that's great, but what's important to us is that our kids love swimming. If in the future they want to be on the swim team or something, we can then worry about lessons.
take a class at another pool. with another teacher.
My kids make tremendous progress with private lessons.. I only pay $25 for a 30 minute lesson for 2 kids..
we have anoutdoor pool for summer lessons.. and then an indoor pool for winter lessons..
My kids are 5 an 6 and red cross level 2 swimmers.. they will not pass the level 2 this time.. we will do it again in the fall. -- my 6 year old can swim the width of the pool.. barely.. and my 5 year old cannot.. they cannot move to level 3 till they can swim the length of the pool. we have been doing swim class for 2 full years
When I was a teenager, I spent my summers as a lifeguard and teaching swimming lessons to young children. Some kids are naturals in the water, and others really have to work at it. What level is your son at right now, and how old is he? What things are they saying he needs to work on (besides stamina)?
The only way to build stamina is to swim more. So yes, swimming year round would almost certainly help him build stamina. Are they saying that his stroke technique is lacking in some way? If that's the case, then they should be offering corrections to him during lessons, and then he would need to continue to practice outside of lessons to help his muscles learn the proper movements.
If he is able to swim freestyle for 50 yards, then I think your best bet is to put him on a swim team. It will be REALLY hard for him at first, but kids tend to pick it up very quickly. And the coaches for year-round swim clubs are typically great with teaching kids proper technique, and building stamina. (I'm assuming your son is grade-school aged? If he's younger than that, then keep him in swim lessons...)
Hi! Let's see, your son is a Guppy so that makes him over six and he has passed Polliwog so he has gained some proficiency. Getting better at anything takes time, just doing it for a few weeks in the summer and then not again for another ten months makes it hard to maintain anything learned - making progressing even harder.
Yes, taking a level multiple times is very common. They don't all get stuck at the same level but they do get stuck.
He would do better if he had some consistency. Every child progresses at his own rate in the pool and absolutely should not be compared to any other. The idea is to gain proficiency not learn it all at once. They work until it clicks for them, each at their own rate.
Remember the instructor has to work keeping in mind each child's ability and personality. if you have concerns talk to him or her. If you discover you don't care for the instructor switch classes, the aquatics director will work with you. Make use of your resources.
BTW, he shouldn't be huffing as he swims so that is a good thing.
Swimming is something he can carry his whole life and something that can opens doors his whole life, give it a chance--- it is supposed to be fun.
I could go on but I won't. I proudly admit to being our swim team's mom, with a son who is a swim coach and instructor, a daughter who is a swimmer, and a husband who is a meet official. I've seen and spoken to many, many like you over the 17+ years I've sat by the pool...
My dd takes swim lessons at the Y too. I would hear that she is almost there too but since there are other kids in the class waiting her turn was keeping her from doing what I thought she should be doing so I enrolled her in private lessons. She is doing really good. I plan to let her go 1 more time before putting her back in with the other kids.
What I'm noticing more & more, even though DD is only 6, is that the teachers will often have their favorites, which are usually the kids that are naturally gifted/athletic & don't require extra attention, and the others are kind of left to their own devices.
I think a huge part of it is the teacher & their teaching style, level of patience & follow through. If the person is not dedicated, then your child is not going to learn properly. I would probably pull him & find a swim specific school or club.
