Teaching Swimming to the self taught adult, or Unlearning to Swim

Many swim instructors have been asked to teach a private lesson to an adult who is self taught.
This may be because they have decided to take a police or fire fighter entrance exam, or they are going on a cruise or are taking a vacation around the lake or ocean, or because they live in a community with a pool now, and the grandkids are coming to visit.
They taught themselves to swim and in the process learned a number of bad habits.
Learning the correct correct swimming techniques can mean unlearning many things.

Why the interest in learning to swim?

For every adult swim student, and I would include teenagers here as well, we need to know what that student has in mind. Do they want to go on a snorkeling trip? Do they want to become a strong recreational swimmer? Do they want to be a fitness swimmer? Maybe it is just a fear of drowning. Or maybe they want to get across the pool at the church pool party without being embarrassed.

Goals

Goals should be in alignment with the “Why?”. If someone is afraid of drowning, then we want to concentrate on survival skills first to gain a comfort level. If the student wants to become a fitness swimmer, we need to work on proper stroke technique along with survival skills. They can be done in tandem. If the student just wants to get across the pool at the pool party, they don’t need to learn the butterfly or full backstroke, but do need some fundamentals.

Challenges

Self taught swimmers present challenges in that they have learned habits they need to “unlearn”. Things like swimming with the head out all the time, windmilling the arms, not breathing out under water for fear of water entering their nose or mouth have been learned over a long time. These wont be forgotten overnight.
As they learn new skills, they have to unlearn old practices. In some cases it is almost easier to start with an adult that has no water experience, but with proper instruction, new swim techniques can be learned rapidly.
The secret is to keep those skills they do well, such as having a good kick, and gradually replace the poor swim practices with better ones.

Assessment

Start with assessment. Ask the student to perform a simple front float, then a back float. Demonstrate first. Much can be discovered by seeing their position and comfort in the water. Demonstrate a front glide and ask them to repeat it.
These few ‘test’ activities will tell you a great deal about their skills.
This is the point at which the teaching begins; because by now you have probably noted a number of issues.

Progression

I teach the same skill progression to adults with limited swim skills, as I do to children just learning. Front float, back float, glides, glides with kick, add in arms, front-to-back, rotations.

Correction

Demonstration is the best way to correct a bad habit. The instructor can demonstrate themselves, but more effectively, the instructor can demonstrate using the student’s body. Hold the student in the correct pose. Take their feet and move them in the proper kicking movement. Take their arms and show them the movement you want them to learn. We all learn better by feeling, than by simply seeing or hearing.

Long Term Plan – maybe?

After the first lesson with the adult student, you need to agree on a plan. The plan needs to match up with the “Why”. If the student is only looking for some survival skills they may only need to have a lesson or two. Think of it as more of a workshop.
However if they are looking to become a fitness swimmer, a long term plan of teaching, practice on their own, additional teaching, over the long term is needed. Try to lay out where you expect them to be after the next lesson, the next month, and at the end of the season. A shared goal is more likely to be an accomplished goal.