The Fear Of Going Under Water
The thought of going under water for many new students is the MOST terrifying idea. Of course it is!
Think about it.
They close their eyes, so it’s dark and the dark is scary to kids.
They can’t hear. Another sense that is gone. The less senses you have the scarier the situation for a child.
They can’t breathe! Absolutely the most terrifying part of all. What if they sink and don’t come up again? Terrifying.
And worst of all, what if they INHALE the water into their mouth and/or nose?! Just the worst.
This is what causes trauma in many children that end up coming to me so I can help them get over their trauma, learn how to go underwater and LOVE IT!
Either no one has taught them or no one has taught them properly.
If this is your child there are homework assignments you can do to help.
Have them wear their “I can do hard things” bracelet to give them courage. Many of my students think it has magic powers that give them confidence and extra swimming abilities.
Get goggles. I HIGHLY recommend the Eversport ones on Amazon. Get clear or tinted, NOT reflective lenses. Get your child used to wearing them at home in the bath/shower. Bring them to class so I can help adjust them for a perfect fit. Not to tight, not too loose.
The first goal is to get them to exhale when water goes over their face. Get a cup and in the bathtub tell them to hold their breath or exhale while pouring a little water over their head. Not too much at first. Build up the quantity over time as they master the ability to not inhale the water. Make it fun. Have them pour water on you. Have them give themselves showers. They like that because it gives them control over when, where and how much water goes over their head.
You want them opening their eyes while water is being poured over their faces. But not until they have mastered not inhaling the water. That is the first step. Have someone else distract them while you are pouring water over their head. Or have them look at their toys or a program on their ipad on the bathroom counter. We want them to realize that they can open their eyes with the goggles on and water doesn’t touch their eyes. Once they realize that we can move on to the next step.
In the bathtub have them blow bubbles and pick up sinky toys. We do this in class. The goal is for THEM to get their nose and eyes closer to the water.
Show them my Instagram page “VegasSwimming” Every child on that page is a student of mine. Many were scared to put their face underwater on day one of class and now LOVE going under water because I TAUGHT them how to do it.
If you do these steps at home we will make faster progress in class.
The goals are always to make your child feel safe, build the progression of skills up at their speed and comfort level, and praise them each time they get comfortable and progress to the next level.
