Little Fish!

The kids have all been taking swimming lessons while I've been working. The last session, I was able to teach Tyler & Bryce which was a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll do it again. I have lots less patience with them than I do teaching other children.

Bryce responded real well to me and is really starting to look like a real swimmer in the water. His back stroke is impressive and his front crawl is getting stronger and faster all the time. They're both in level 3 where we work on rotary breathing (breathing to the side while swimming instead of picking up your head and dropping your body to take a breath). It's a difficult skill to learn (I didn't know how until I started swimming back in 2010). Plus, they're still working on their strength and endurance.

Tyler had been the stronger swimmer before I tried to introduce rotary breathing to him and it has thrown him for a loop. He is now slower and more awkward when he swims front crawl. None of the teachers before me have corrected his kick (he bends his knees back and kind of kicks his bum so he has no power in the water) and it has made things difficult to progress until the fundamentals are there. He liked the idea of having me for a teacher, but did not respond well to me at all.

Both Tyler and Bryce learned how to do "knee dives" in the water. If I can get the video to work, I'll try to post it on here. We spent a lot of time treading water, learning the dolphin kick, and mastering the elementary backstroke. We will most likely encourage them to do swim team as soon as they can get the rotary breathing down. By far their favorite thing to do right now in the pool is jump off the diving board. I love that they're so excited about the water.

Lexi has really turned into a little fish! She is now floating independently on her back and her tummy. She prefers her back, and is very particular about how deep the water is before she will try to float in it. She is not afraid of going under the water and is really fun to watch as her new "independence" in the water has taken off. Mr. Nick was her teacher this last swimming session, and she did fabulous with him! I was so excited about the progress she made.

 Here's the kids with their friends David and Allyson getting all warmed up in the hot tub: 

We're looking forward to the next session of swim lessons!