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The Danger of Learning to Swim |
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The lives of many children are at risk through swimming tuition based on dangerously incorrect teaching methods. Large class sizes, insufficient lessons and a worrying emphasis on distance achievement as a gauge of ability result in most children leaving primary school with a rudimentary facility for moving through water, not the essential floatation and breathing skills that would help the child survive in a hazardous situation. An aura of false security surrounds most learners and their families- the student believes that, having had lessons, they can "swim". Parents are equally willing to accept that (as their child has achieved a distance goal) they can get out of trouble if necessary. This frightening situation needs to be addressed if our children are to be truly safe in the water. Swimming as a skill is essential to every child's development. In addition to promoting water safety and social confidence the sport has numerous health benefits including the development of motor skills and reduction of stress. A childs swimming ability will determine their enjoyment of water environments for life, which is why it is essential that when our children are taught to swim they are taught to swim properly. The first swimming style typically introduced to new swimmers is Doggy paddle- a energetically wasteful stroke that encourages poor body control, fails to achieve the key aims of swimming as a fitness activity (relaxation, breath control and co-ordination) and promotes the use of poor technique that needs to be "unlearnt" when the student progresses to other strokes. Doggy paddle remains an appealing ‘quick-fix' introduction to swimming as the focus is on the child moving a set distance through the water- a clear and immediate goal that when successfully completed provides an instantly gratifying experience for students, parents and instructors alike. In spite of this it is important that parents keep in mind that how far their child can struggle through the water bears no relevance to their overall swimming ability. A more accurate measurement of a childs ability to swim is the degree of control they have when in the water. Simply put, this is the ability to float still while on the surface and use efficient strokes to get to the surface when underwater. Breath control and co-ordination are vitally important in this regard. These skills are more difficult than they initially seem. Lying afloat while motionless is not easy and it is difficult to swim under water without a correct understanding of propulsion. It is likely therefore that developing these skills will take longer and lack the instantaneous results associated with learning Doggy paddle. However, it is these long-term techniques that form the foundations of all recognised strokes and may prove potentially life saving in an emergency. Floating forms a good position for children to kick their legs while keeping their balance- providing a base from which forward propulsion, correct breathing and comfort in deep water can be developed. Once the child is able to relax in the floating position they are far more able to manage a dangerous situation simply by positioning themselves well in the water and waiting for help. Learning to float and control the water can take from one lesson to a year to achieve. But this has a much greater impact on the child in the long term than to achieve a few metres to show "they can swim". An obvious question is, if the current teaching environment is so dangerous and misleading then why does it persist? On average children will receive a total of twenty swimming lessons through their school. For most children twenty lessons provides nowhere near enough time for them to learn to swim with confident, correct strokes in a safe manner. The damaging effect that this lack of time has on a child's confidence in the water is aggravated by the fact that the majority of children in the UK receive swimming tuition in class sizes of up to 20 students. Common sense dictates that individual children have different degrees of confidence and comfort in water. It is therefore totally unrealistic to expect every child to learn at the same rate and in the same way. Personal attention is vitally important in ensuring that each child learns at their own pace- picking up the essential skills of water survival in a measured and secure manner that is engineered for the individual. Unfortunately this kind of personal service comes at a price- one which Local authorities and parents are unwilling or unable to meet. Local authorities set a maximum budget for each student to be spent on swimming tuition, even if this means that children will not be taught to acceptable levels. For the prices set, swimming schools are forced to have high numbers of students per class to enable them to cover the costs incurred for pool hire, teacher salaries and administration charges. Provision of smaller group lessons is made impossible by the fact that there are simply not enough funds available. More recently private instruction has proved popular with parents who recognise the importance of learning to swim properly and are willing to invest in this life skill. Problems arise from the extent of the financial commitment required, the fact that many private swimming instructors use the same poor teaching methods seen in schools and may not have professional insurance. Another major contributing factor to the current situation is that learning to swim has not been given its deserved importance in the progression of learning in general and has thus failed to attract sufficient numbers of teaching professionals. Learning to swim requires experts in the field, regulatory controls and sound educational methods in order to provide a safe and effective environment for teaching- all of which will cost money. Both parents and borough councils need to have a higher level of awareness of the need for correct swimming teaching and be prepared to make a larger financial commitment. There should be a review of teaching methods towards the goal of standardisation and the teaching of correct swimming technique from the onset. Only with a new vision and commitment from both parents and the teaching profession will a standard, safe approach to swimming instruction be realised.
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