BREAKTHROUGH!
If you are a parent of a, say, 3 to 7 years old child, and you bring him/her to the water, this is for you.
Today my son experienced for the first time (since his birth!) an ancestral knowing, an ancestral memory, his whole body supported by the water... "I am floating!"
My message in short:
LEARNING SWIMMING IS NOT ABOUT LEARNING THE "MOVEMENTS" first!
It is the EXPERIENCE OF THE BODY FLOATING that is the key in the learningchain.
The "event" on the video is a PIVOTAL EXPERIENCE that will propell your child towards superfast, autonomous and joyful development of swimming skills.
A longer version if you want to know more:
There is no need to go, at first, through the laborious teaching of the breaststroke.This is still a very commonly held belief that a child needs to learn the breaststroke movements first. It is difficult for a child of 5 or 6 years old to learn a pattern that is symetric especially with the legs (like breaststroke, same movement on both sides of the body at the same moment), because our locomotion, walking, is asymmetric.
If you skip this laborious part you can then enjoy your time in the water together, witness all the microsteps s/he is making because s/he feels SAFE with you. You will not waste your time trying to teach something your child does not want to learn.
THE ESSENTIAL PREREQUISITE BEFORE FLOATING ON THE BELLY (like in the video) IS TO FIND COMFORT IN PUTTING THE HEAD (mouth, then nose and then eyes) IN THE WATER (yes goggles are helpful, it is not cheating). The success is not if your child did it fast or young but if s/he went there while nurturing a pleasurable relationship with water. If so, s/he'll keep exploring and progress will be booming at some point. Progression will unlikely be linear. Be patient. support and trust your child. I used to make a living from teaching swimming to the youngsters, the elders and the scared bunnies. I am so excited to accompany my own son Elouan now.
Antoine
