[blindkid] Swimming help

Richard Holloway rholloway at gopbc.org
Sat Nov 8 01:15:32 UTC 2014


We have never done swim team for our daughter (her choice), but we have had swim lessons and learned all the main strokes for many years. 

We’ve had the best luck with one-on-one swim lessons with lots of hands-on teaching with a very patient teacher, moving Kendra through the strokes, and also feeling the strokes demonstrated by our instructor. Group lessons were (for us) entirely useless. 

Our biggest challenge remains going straight because unless you pull your strokes and kick EXTREMELY symmetrically, you’re going to veer without some sort of guidance, and even if you go really straight when you swim, you have to start dead straight on the dive from the block (or kick-off really straight from the wall on backstroke) too. 

I understand it is common to run to one side and in some way graze or keep track of a lane line, but we’ve never tried that part since we don’t use lane more than casually for lessons at times (we’re not trying for speed so much— as for fun). There are also some common solutions where one swims under an overhead tactile marker to show you’re approaching the wall— I assume like sights swimmers look up for the row of pennants where we swim. Perhaps others can offer more detail. In our lessons, her instructors taps her head just in time that she knows to stop and not crash into the wall. 

Not related to the OP, but just a thought from a parent of a blind child who has been swimming for at least 7 years (I can’t even remember how long ago she started for certain). A really neat thing about getting blind kids in pools is that you have a sort of built-in cushion effect if your child wants to jump and cavort with a bit of a more safe feeling than maybe jumping all over on land. Surely all of our kids can jump about and do whatever they like, but our daughter seemed to feel especially comfortable  (particularly when she was really young) with the sense of freedom of motion she got in the water. 

On Nov 7, 2014, at 4:42 PM, Karen Meyers via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> What is she struggling with? I was a swim instructor and have worked with swimmers with visual impairments before, maybe I can help. 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Nov 7, 2014, at 4:32 PM, Traci W via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> My almost 10 year old is on a swim team but we are still struggling to perfect some of the strokes.  I wish I knew a way for her to "get" what we try to explain. I know they need to get in the water more with her for hands in instruction. But is there anyone, blind teen or adult who swims, who can provide any tips? I know it will all come in time but she is also frustrated to be with younger kids because she isn't at a level to move up to more similar age kids because of her needing more work. 
>> 
>> Thanks!
>> Traci
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone please pardon bad spelling!!
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