Learn How to Swim using Water Noodles

When an adult or child is taking swimming lessons in Toronto for the first time, they are often introduced to various aids that may help them learn how to swim. You often see kick boards and small floatation devices used at the pool during lessons. Another useful tool is the water noodle. You may be surprised as this is often seen as a toy that kids play around with in a backyard pool. However, it is just as important as and possibly more versatile than more traditional devices.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Foam noodles are inexpensive and easy to find outside of swimming or athletic retail stores. If you quickly need to find something for your child to use during their private swimming lessons, it’s no problem to go to your local big box store and pick one up. Because swim noodles come in various bright colors, kids may see them as fun objects and be more encouraged to work on their swimming skills.

Many novice swimmers love water noodles because they provide more physical support to the body than a kick board. These products are particularly advantageous when someone is trying to work exclusively on their kick. The size of the noodle makes it possible for the swimmer to keep their head completely above water with no effort. While they are working on their legs, they don’t have to worry about breathing.

Advanced swimmers may not find much use for the water noodle outside of helping them work on a kick. However, any child or adult who is just learning how to swim will find it useful.

Instructions

Here’s how one would use foam noodles at a pool:

• After entering the pool, place a foam noodle horizontally in front of you.
• Drape both arms over the noodle, letting the armpits rest on the device.
• Before attempting to swim, it is important to spend some time getting comfortable with the water noodle by just floating.
• To swim:
• Fully extend the body back and begin to kick with the flutter technique.
• If you are in a public pool, be mindful of the other people swimming around you.
• This process can be done for the backstroke or side swimming by simply reorienting the body.
• Once a swimmer is comfortable with practice using a foam noodle, they may want to attempt swimming without the use of an aid.

Other Uses for Water Noodles

While at a public pool you will most likely see foam noodles used for group and private swimming lessons, they have some other interesting uses as well. Ever heard of water jogging? Injured athletes and others looking for low impact exercise often use pool noodles to navigate through the water in an upright position. Water provides a significant amount of resistance for someone trying to run or walk through it resulting in a very good workout.

As you probably know, it’s not all business when it comes to using water noodles. There is plenty of opportunity for fun and games as well. If you have enough foam noodles, you can build interesting structures in the water and develop some interesting games as a result. This isn’t directly related to swimming, but will definitely encourage your child to spend more time in the water.

Are you interested in helping your child become a more confident swimmer? Want to find the best swimming lessons in Toronto? Zodiac is here to help! Visit our website http://www.zodiackids.ca/ to learn more about our swimming and camp programs.

Tips To Encourage Your Young Swimmer To Take Ownership

Parents often enroll their sons or daughters in a swimming school for kids or swim teams to teach them a much needed skill or to improve their physical fitness. While these are important reasons to get into the pool, kids often do not see it that way. When it seems like Mom or Dad is forcing them to do something, children often become less interested or try to rebel.

The key to keeping your child in a swimming program is to make them the owners of their own success. Not sure how to get started? Here are a few tips.

Discuss Goals

Your child could have been spending time in the pool since they were taking toddler swimming lessons, but if they don’t know why they are still participating in swim programs, they may not be there for much longer. It’s time to get your child to think about what they want to get out of swimming. Do they want to become a fast competitor? Or do they just want to maintain their skills? Being able to answer that question is a very adult thing to do, and your child will appreciate your willingness to trust their judgment.

Be a Cheerleader, Not the Coach

Nothing pushes kids to quit an activity faster than an overbearing parent. If you scrutinize your child’s every stroke and turn, it’s time to stop. Coaches and swim instructors are there to perform that job. The role of the parent is to be a source of encouragement. It is important to tell your child that you are proud of him or her and what they are trying to accomplish. You should enjoy watching your child swim. It shouldn’t feel like you’re working.

Allow them to take responsibility

Once they reach a certain age, children are able to do some basic tasks for themselves. One task could be to prepare for their swim classes on their own. Letting your child pack everything they need for a lesson and putting the task on them to make sure that they get to the pool on time can help your child feel like they are in charge of this activity. If the parents aren’t running the show, they may want to stick with swimming longer.

Be involved in the community

You’re not the only parent with a boy or girl in a swimming school for kids. Maybe it’s time to get involved with these other moms and dads instead of dropping your child off and heading back home. Volunteering for events or just socializing with the other adults at the pool, shows your child that you care about your child’s swim community as a whole.

Give them space

Participating in swim lessons or joining a competitive team is also an opportunity for fun. Allow your child to socialize and cultivate new friendships without your input. As stated above, kids need a reason to or a goal that they want to pursue in swimming. For certain children, that goal may be to make new friends. Those new and positive people in your child’s life may become the most important reason why they continue to participate in swimming. There’s no need to constantly be at your child’s side when there are other people that they can spend time with.

Zodiac offers wide variety of programming for all ages. From toddler swimming lessons to teen courses, there is something for everyone. If you’re seeking a way to improve your child’s desire to swim, visit our website http://www.zodiackids.ca/ today to learn more about our fun and exciting options!

How To Overcome Fear Of Water

The persistent and abnormal fear of water is known as aqua phobia or water fright. If you have this fear, worry not because, you are not alone. Like you, there a many people who are aqua phobic and there can be many reasons for a person to be aqua phobic. Most common of which is the fear of drowning. It can also be possible that you might have a traumatic experience in the water before or one of your family members experienced the same.

Whatever may be the reason, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you want to overcome your fear and here are some tips to help you do just that.

In order to overcome fear of water, you need to take baby steps which depends of how bad your phobia of water is. The Red cross swimming levels defines different levels of water skills that will help you to gradually overcome your fear of water.

1.         Level 1 is exploring the water: The safest place to begin the exercise of getting rid of your phobia is a swimming pool. This is a great start, especially for some people who are afraid of opaque water because of the fear of the unknown as they don’t know what could be lurking beneath it. Hence, the swimming pool that has crystal clear water is the best place to go. Get private swimming lessons to have some supervision. Try to wet your hands and feet, and get into the shallowest part of the pool. It is recommended that you try to get comfortable with the idea of being in a swimming pool.

2.         You may sit down and let yourself loose. You can see your legs and arms floating above water and you can actually feel the relaxation it gives. Spend as much time as you like and have fun till you actually like the idea of being in water.

3.         Scoop water in your hands and splash your face with it. Try this multiple times. Once in a while, try holding your breath and splashing your face with water. If you want, you may wear swim goggles to protect your eye from the water. Repeat the act for as long as you want until you become more confident in holding your breath for a longer period of time.

4.         Now that you are comfortable with being surrounded by water, you may go a little deeper. Try not to go too deep and keep the water level up to your chest. You can now move around in water. This is important because you need to maintain your balance which takes practice too. Walking on ground is different than walking in water, because the water provides some resistance and since the density is human body is slightly lesser than water, you may find yourself being floated every time you lift your leg to walk.

5.         When you think you have built enough confidence, you may try to submerge your head in water. Be sure to hold your breath when you submerge. You have to actively train your mind to keep your breath held for as long as you are in water. Slowly raise your head out of water when you think you will be running out of breath. Do this exercise initially for only a few seconds and then increase the time gradually. With this you will finish one level of the Red cross swimming levels and move onto another level.

Are you afraid to step into water? Do you see other kids having a good time in the pool and you wish you could experience the same but can’t? Check out Zodiac swim schools and try their private swimming lessons. Visit zodiackids.ca for more details.