A post for the parents and "old" ppl who thinks swimming are for the young guns.

Swim Safer:
Achievement Based versus Skill set based training.
Fitness training is the adaptation of one's physical body to a training over time.
Skill mastery is the mastery of a practice that allows the body to perform an act with minimum energy used, and thus ability to efficiently utilize the energy reserves of one self.

Training for an achievement, i.e. to cover long distance swim (400m to 1.5km), is possible even for someone with bad techniques, it is just a matter of energy cost.

Remember the initial reason of sending your kids to a swim class?
Is it to gain the skill of swimming and thus ability to survive in times of a water emergency?
Or is it really about the awards?

Those of you who said both, which is more important? No matter what the replies are, I've met enough parents who cares only about how many certificates the kids have and can get. As if the certificates can help you to float when you're drowning.

A skill set based program provides the flexibility and advantage of the child not being laden by the urge to get a certificate for the sake of getting it.. It dismissed the idea of swimming endless laps just to "clock base mileage" in order to swim fast enough in the 100m pyjamas swim (really, what's the point in this? Are you going to race in it?).. I understand that one has to swim out of the radius from a sunken ship to prevent oneself from being sucked into the whirlpool created by it.. but really, you go to cruise in pyjamas? Even a 6 yrs old boy asked me that.

It refocused the idea of a swim class to one that allows the kid to have fun, and really understand and learn what is of good use in times of emergency.

It teaches the kid to learn how to effectively use his own energy to the fullest potential to survive in times of emergency.. through the focal point of mastering effective swim strokes with good techniques.

The older people who swam 30 laps in the morning and still yak away happily will honestly tell you that swimming is an effortless business. Those who don't know how to swim would tell you they can run 42km but can't swim 50m of freestyle.. is it about the numbers (42<50) or is it really they're missing some magic?

Firstly, we need to acknowledge that resistance in water increases exponentially to the Force Applied By You! And since every single movement in the water is against resistance, we have to know how to apply the force in the correct direction so that the result of the force applied will be causing you to move in your desired direction!

Secondly, we have to acknowledge swimming is really about the body positioning, not about how strong one is (again, the energy cost issue).. I've seen small boys and girls doing 60seconds freestyle laps effortlessly.. but they can't even carry the 10kg rice bag the daddy could.. oh, and the daddy swims more than 2mins a lap. Magical?

The position of the body of a person in the water, determines the direction of the force applied by the limbs of that person. Imagine doing a breast stroke kick with the body upright in the water.. you'd be pushing the water down.. so how can you be moving forward when you're pushing the water down? Angle the body diagonally to the surface and continue doing breast stroke kick, and you'd be bobbing up and moving forward slowly..

Try to place the body to a levelled position in the water, horizontal and parallel to the floor, and kick backwards... Now, the kick will be pushing backwards and you will be moving forward without bobbing up or down!

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Honestly, who brought your kids to swim lesson and see that the teacher shares about deep breathing and exhaling completely? Or does the teacher just say "Do 50 bubbles, 100 bubbles, or even just "Go Do Your Bubbling" ?

Even for adults, without explanation on how to perform breathing properly, one would often hyperventilate, hold breathes in the water and exhale/inhale in an explosive manner. All of which causes a tension in the chest (known as thoracic pressure) and thus causes the whole swimming deal to be superbly tiring as the distance/effort increases.

How can we expect something not explained to the kids but asked to perform, to be realized through endless practice of struggles?

All in all, i believe that swimming should be tireless. As coaches, we Need to realize that as the child grow up, the size of the child increases, so does the strength. So if we do not instill a good body posture and reasoning of why a good level position is needed right now when he's a small child, then when he grows up, the amount of resistance and difficulty he's going to face is going to multiple folds (remember that resistance in water increases exponentially with the force applied by Oneself. Resistance also increases as you grow bigger in terms of surface area).

Now we remember that some adults will say "i can swim 30laps last time when i'm like 6 to 10 yrs old ok!.. but now Old already la.. cannot even swim 3 laps continuously..".. then they'd dismiss the thought as
1) they're not fit enough
2) theyr'e Old already

It is true that one's fitness has parts to do with the distance swimmable.. but it is only minute. With proper stroke techniques, breathing techniques and relaxation techniques, even 60 yrs old uncle can do a 7.5km swim (Mr Chong is my friend.) and emerge from the water smiling and feeling like he can do another round.

I hope this post intrigues parents and adults to realize what is good for their child and also that swimming can indeed be effortless.

Cheers
KK