I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
The Science Behind Why We Sink and A Lesson Plan For Floating and Gliding.
How do I float and why do I sink? It's a question commonly asked by beginners learning how to swim.
Hi, Mark here. Hope all is well with you.
This week we are talking about why we sink. The science behind may help you to understand more and might even help to you stay afloat when you swim. Also. swimming teachers, I give a lesson plan for teaching floating and gliding.
Let's get one thing clear first of all; floating whilst stationary in one place and staying afloat whilst swimming are two completely different concepts.
Your ability to float is all down to your relative density. What does that mean? Take this example: a log floats and a rock sinks. The log floats because its density is low, relative to the density of the water. But the rock sinks because its density is high, relative to the density of the water.
How does this relate to the human body? Let's say that the log is fat and the rock is muscle. Ok, so there's more to the human body than fat and muscle. There's bones and organs and blood and stuff like that, and they all contribute to your overall density. To keep this simple, let's stick to fat and muscle.
People with a higher fat content will tend to naturally float and lean, muscular people will tend to naturally sink. If you naturally sink it does not mean that you cannot swim!
Let's go back to our naturally sinking rock. It has a slightly streamlined shape, so if it's propelled across the water surface it will remain at the surface for a short time before it sinks.
Create a streamlined shape as you propel yourself through the water add some basic swimming technique and you will remain at the water surface as you swim!
Click here to discover some easy exercises that will help keep you stay afloat as you swim.
Swimming Lesson Plans That Help Sinkers To Float.
The 'floating and gliding' lesson plan below outlines some basic exercises that can be included as part of a complete swimming lesson, This plan is taken from my best-selling book where you will find lesson plans specifically for floating and confidence building and you will also find plans written explicitly for adults. Click here for more details.
This lesson plan is taken from 101 Swimming Lesson Plans for Swimming Teachers
Lesson plans that:
- are adaptable to your students
- save you planning time
- ensure progress
Show me 101 Swimming Lesson Plans
That's it for now.
Happy swimming!
Cheers
Mark
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Hi! I'm Mark, creator of Swim Teach
I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
How's your breaststroke breathing technique? Do you inhale and exhale at the right times? My 'How To Teach Breaststroke' book has all the necessary drills and lesson plans if you need to teach it. Hi, Mark here. I hope all is well with you. This week, I am discussing the basics of the breaststroke breathing technique using a drill that will allow you to perform it slowly and fine-tune it. Also, my 'How To Teach Breaststroke' book is here for all you swimming teachers looking for some drills...
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Can you tread water? How often does it feature in your lessons? Treading water is an important skill to learn for many reasons. Also, this week, fine-tune your teaching practice to be even more outstanding! Hi, Mark here. I hope you've had a great week. This week, we are talking treading water and I give you a free printable download that explains everything you need to know. But first... Calling all Swimming Teachers! Have you seen my definitive guide to teaching outstanding swimming...