What could be the one key factor that separates gifted swimmers from struggling swimmers? Now when I ask this question, I'm not referring to natural talent. I'm talking about the difference between handling the water and not handling the water. It's definitely a clear indicator of aquatics mastery.
The single most important thing you could teach a child is that the safest place to be is underwater! Is it tricky? Heck yes it is! Most swim coaches neglect to teach strategies to keeping water on the outside of the face. And yes, I totally threw unnecessary shade at other swim coaches. I will say that I totally have a point. You can tell your child to not smell the water. It's brutally simple but solves the crucial hurdle of putting the face in the water. At the end of the day, you want your child to have as many options as possible to feeling comfortable in the water.
You can't out-teach fear if a child struggles with it but you can give them strategic skills to learn how to not fight the water. Sometimes relaxation is the big fix for most kids. Getting them to flow with the water is better than getting them to swim through it. As a general rule, if a child pushes their face in the water, their body will rise to the surface.
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