Jellyfish exercises on land for children. Exercises for teaching low water swimming to preschool children. Exercise “Rain in the forest”
Initial training
Initial swimming training involves mastering preparatory exercises for mastering the water and easier swimming methods.
Teaching preparatory exercises for mastering with water.
Training those who cannot swim begins with preparatory exercises for mastering the water. Their main purpose is to familiarize themselves with the properties of water, to develop the skills of correct horizontal body position in water and exhalation into water.
Preparatory exercises for mastering the water consist of seven groups of exercises and are studied in the following sequence: elementary movements of the arms and legs; movement along the bottom; dives; breathing exercises; floating; lying, sliding.
Elementary movements with arms and legs. When performing exercises in this group, the limbs should be positioned so that in one case, when moving in the water, one could feel great resistance and the necessary support of the limb on the water, and in the other, the least resistance and free movement of the limb in a given direction. All movements are performed in the following sequence: with tense limbs (first slowly, then quickly); with relaxed limbs (first slowly, then quickly). Such movements familiarize students with the magnitude of muscle efforts that arise depending on the position and degree of tension in the muscles of the limbs.
Elementary movements (circular, pendulum-shaped, rowing, pushing, etc.) are performed in water in all directions. They help to position the limbs correctly when subsequently mastering swimming techniques.
Exercises: standing at full height, make movements with straight, relaxed (relaxed) arms to the left, right, forward, backward, simultaneously and alternately, secretly, changing the position of the palms (palms inward, outward, turned toward the body); the same movements in the forward tilt position; crouching down to chin level, stretching your arms to the sides and placing them on the water, turn your body in different directions, keeping your arms straight, tense and relaxed, and changing the position of your hands; standing, hands on your belt, perform swing movements with your left (right) leg forward, backward, to the sides, in front of you, changing the position of the foot.
Movement along the bottom. The exercises in this group are aimed at further familiarization with the properties of water. Movements are performed in different positions (chest, back, left or right side forward), at different speeds and with changes in the direction of movement (first forward, then back, in different directions, etc.). When performing exercises, the simplest methods of movement are used: normal steps, cross steps, side steps, running, jumping, etc. These methods can be used in various combinations: change the direction and method of movement, change the speed of movement and the position of the hands, change the movements of the hands ( alternating to simultaneous and vice versa) and direction of movement or speed, etc. During stroke movements with the hands, the hand should take a vertical position.
Exercises: walking along the bottom at full height with the chest, back, left (right) side forward in various steps in a column, in a line, in pairs and in other formations; running in various positions and formations; movement by jumping in various positions with changing directions and changing speed of movement.
Dives. Exercises in this group allow you to acquire the skill of complete immersion in water and feel the buoyant (lifting) force.
At first, it is advisable to perform dives without holding onto support: after taking a small breath, calmly dive into the water. As you master these exercises, the duration of your stay under water increases. It is necessary to hold onto the support with your hands, preventing floating.
Participants must be taught to be in the water with their eyes open. However, you need to open your eyes after immersing your face in water, otherwise the surface layer of water will greatly irritate the cornea of the eyeball, causing redness of the eyes and pain.
Exercises: standing in a forward leaning position, take water in your palms and lower your face into it; lean forward and calmly lower your face into the water; immerse yourself in water up to the level of the neck, chin, eyes and head; lower your face into the water and open your eyes; dive into the water with your head and open your eyes; Repeatedly dive into water with your head.
Breathing exercises. Breathing exercises are the most important group of preparatory exercises for mastering water and the main means of learning to exhale into water.
Under normal conditions, the act of breathing in a person is performed without any visible delay between inhalation and exhalation and exhalation and inhalation. It is on the basis of this continuous biological act that respiration in water should be studied. Immediately after immersing your face in the water, you must exhale vigorously, but evenly and completely, without puffing out your cheeks and releasing air through pursed lips. In order for the practitioners to feel the need to take another breath, they need to exhale completely into the water. Only in this case, by raising your face out of the water and opening your mouth wide, you can take a quick, deep breath without any difficulty.
There are two main types of breathing - continuous and explosive. The essence of the first is that after inhalation, following the immersion of the face in the water, exhalation begins, the duration and intensity of which is determined by the time the face is in the water, which in turn depends on the tempo of movements. Explosive breathing differs from continuous breathing in that after inhaling and immersing the face in the water, the breath is held, the time of which is determined by the duration of the face’s stay in the water. Before raising your head from the water, exhale very quickly and actively, but always into the water, then inhale, etc.
You need to start studying breathing only with the continuous version; the second is used only by qualified swimmers. The correctness of complete exhalation into the water must be monitored: by the active release of air bubbles to the surface of the water and by the exhalation of the remaining air after the mouth appears above the water (this is a typical example of incomplete exhalation into the water). Exercises: bend over and blow on the water, “like hot tea,” trying to form small waves; lowering your mouth into the water, exhale actively; lowering your face into the water, exhale through your mouth, through your nose; Having immersed your head in the water, actively exhale through your mouth and nose; Repeated exhalations into the water through the mouth and nose.
Floating. This group of exercises teaches students that if they take a deep breath and dive headfirst into the water, the buoyant force of the water will quickly lift them off the bottom, lift them to the surface of the water, and hold them in that position. One of the main conditions for correctly performing the ascent exercise is the ability to hold your breath after taking a deep breath.
Exercises: take a deep breath, sit down and plunge into the water with your head, then spread your arms and legs to the sides and straighten up, relax and in this position float to the surface with your back up; raising your hands up, take a deep breath and sharply lean forward and down, lower your head into the water, touch the bottom with your hands and in this position
float up with your waist to the surface of the water (“jellyfish”); take a deep breath,” plunge headlong into the water, group tightly, clasping your ankle joints with your hands, and in this position emerge (“float”).
Lying down. The main task that the exercises of this group solve is the formation of the skill of horizontal body position in water. In order to prepare students to master swimming methods, it is necessary to teach them to lie freely on the surface of the water on their chest and on their back with different positions of their arms and legs. Limb movements help to acquire a strong skill of lying on the surface of the water.
Exercises: from the “float” or “jellyfish” positions, float to the surface of the water, spread your arms and legs wide, press your chin to your chest and hold your breath (“star”); in the “star” position, sequentially bring and spread your arms and legs, simultaneously bring your arms and legs together and fix this position; bring your arms and legs together alternately, slowly and with acceleration; lie on your back, spread your arms and legs wide and look up (“star on your back”); perform alternating, sequential and simultaneous reductions and extensions of arms and legs in a supine position; rotate from a position on your chest to a position on your back and vice versa.
Slips. The exercises in this group are aimed at acquiring a strong skill in giving the body a position after the start and turns that provides it with the least water resistance and the highest forward speed. In addition, with the help of these exercises, you develop the ability to correctly take the starting position for subsequent movements in each method of swimming. Slides are performed on the chest > On the back and on the side with different positions of the arms, pushing from the bottom or wall of the pool. Before the push, a deep breath is taken and the breath is held until the end of the exercise. You need to glide at the surface of the water until it comes to a complete stop. Slides should be performed with different positions of the arms and head, which helps to master the skill of balance and teaches those involved to correctly regulate the horizontal position of the body in the water. The correctness of the exercise is determined by the position of the head, torso, arms and legs (the head is lowered into the water, the torso is straight without bending, the arms and legs are straightened and connected), as well as the strength of the push with the legs and its direction (the push should be directed along the longitudinal axis of the body).
Exercises: perform a slide on the chest, hands in front, head between the hands, breathing held; perform a slide on the chest, right (left) hand in front, the other pressed to the body; the same, but the arms are pressed to the body; perform the indicated slides on your back and side.
At the first swimming lesson, an introductory conversation is held in which the leader tells the children about the importance of swimming, about swimming hygiene, about the program and order of classes. The leader introduces the children to the measures to ensure the safety of classes and pays special attention to the need to observe strict discipline during the swimming lesson.
Exercises for mastering in water
1. Dive headfirst into water
At the command “inhale” the guys take a deep breath, at the command “sit down”, squatting, they plunge headlong into the water. The exercise should be performed calmly, at a slow pace.
After inhaling, you need to close your mouth. You cannot cover your face with your hands when plunging into water. Children should get used to the fact that water flows from their faces and not brush it off with their hands. To do this, the exercise should be carried out so that the guys, straightening up, lower their hands to their belts and remain in this position until the next dive.
2. Diving headfirst into water and exhaling underwater(Fig. 5)
The number of dives gradually increases.
Familiarization with this exercise should begin on the shore. It is important to teach children to exhale completely. For this, a special exercise is introduced. On command, a deep breath is taken and exhaled, and the command “exhale” is greatly stretched. (When giving it away, you need to count to yourself to ten.)
Having taught children to take a deep breath and exhale, you can move on to familiarize yourself with the exercise as a whole. Getting acquainted with this exercise on the shore, the guys, at the command “inhale,” inhale the air deeply, at the command “exhale,” they squat on their toes (knees together) and exhale at the same time as they squat. It is necessary that the beginning of the exhalation coincides with the beginning of the squat. Inhalation is done through the mouth, exhalation is through the mouth and nose.
In water, the exercise “exhale into the water” is learned under the command: “inhale” - take a deep breath, “exhale” - the guys, squatting, plunge into the water and exhale through the mouth.
If the exercise is performed correctly, bubbles will appear on the surface of the water. The guys should open their eyes under water and watch whether they exhale into the water correctly. You need to dive into the water and straighten up slowly.
Children 8-9 years old, before starting the exercise “immersing your head and exhaling into the water,” must do the following exercises in the water:
1) standing at the bottom, lean forward, touching the water with your chin, and blow on it so that a small wave leaves your lips; 2) sit down, lowering your lips into the water and leaving the rest of your face above the water, exhale into the water through your mouth so that foam forms; 3) crouching, lean forward and lower only your face into the water, exhaling through your mouth, which causes bubbles to form; 4) dive headlong into the water and exhale under water.
3. Floating up(Fig. 6)
Before learning the “floating” exercise in the water, children on the shore become familiar with the correct tuck position. In the water, at the command “inhale,” a deep breath is taken, at the command “sit down,” the person is immersed in the water and the position of a tight group is assumed. In order for the guys to wait until the water pushes their body to the surface, the leader gives them a task; Count to yourself to fifteen and only then lower your legs. The leader must warn the guys that at the moment the body lifts off the bottom and floats up, it seems to the person as if he is tipping upside down.
When performing the “floating ascent” exercise repeatedly, you should alternate it with the “exhale into the water” exercise.
4. Sliding on your chest(Fig. 7)
On the command “inhale” a deep breath is taken, on the command “forward” a slide is made on the water. While sliding, the head is squeezed between the hands, the hands touch the ears. Children who cannot swim first perform this exercise, moving towards the shore. In the future, the exercise “sliding on the chest” can be carried out in the form of a competition.
If at first the guys perform the slide while holding their breath, then in the future they need to ensure that the slide occurs simultaneously with exhalation into the water.
Particular attention should be paid to this exercise, since with its help children learn to exhale into the water in the position in which they will have to perform it when swimming crawl and breaststroke.
5. Looking at objects in the water(for non-swimmers).
Finding objects at the bottom (for those who can swim)
When performing the exercise “examining objects in water,” children are divided into pairs; Each pair does the exercise independently. One of the guys plunges headlong into the water, opens his eyes there and counts the fingers that his friend shows him. Then they change roles. The manager checks by questioning whether the exercise was completed correctly. For children who know how to exhale into the water, the leader should warn that when opening their eyes under water, they should not exhale into the water, since in this case, due to the bubbles rising upward, it is impossible to see anything. As they master this exercise, you should ensure that the children learn to dive with their eyes open, and not only open them under water.
The exercise “searching for objects in water” is carried out as follows. Having taken the stones, the guys enter the water, line up facing the shore at a distance of 1.5-2 steps from each other and, at the command of the leader, throw stones into the water. Throwing stones is only allowed towards the shore, as otherwise you can throw them where the depth is too great. After the stones are thrown, the leader gives a command, according to which the guys dive into the water and look for them. The repeated command to “throw stones into the water” can only be given after all the guys have surfaced. It is necessary to explain to the children that when performing this exercise, the strictest discipline must be observed in order to avoid accidents.
6. Straightening from the “float” position
(for ages 13-15 years) (Fig. 8)
Relaxation exercises need to be known and applied in practice in order to manage the processes of arousal in children under emotional stress, when they have excessive tension in certain muscle groups. Children cannot get rid of this tension on their own; they begin to get nervous, which leads to tension in new muscle groups. Therefore, the teacher must help the children.
To control excitation processes, it is necessary to teach children to relax their muscles. It is also necessary to teach them to feel tension and relieve it by relaxing certain muscle groups. Muscle relaxation exercises help prevent diseases of the circulatory system, normal functioning of the digestive system and facilitate breathing. This is why relaxation exercises are very important, especially at primary school age. They can be carried out in any lesson, during recess for 35 minutes.
Exercise “Swimming in the clouds”
Target:
Teacher:
“Lie down and find a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Breathe lightly and slowly. Imagine that you are in some beautiful place. Warm, quiet day. You are pleased, you feel good. You are absolutely calm. You lie down and look up at the clouds - big, white, fluffy clouds in a beautiful blue sky. Breathe freely.
As you inhale, you begin to easily rise above the ground. With each breath you slowly and smoothly rise towards a large fluffy cloud. You rise even higher, to the very top of the cloud, and gently sink into it. Now you are floating on top of a big fluffy cloud.
Your arms and legs are spread out freely to the sides, you don’t want to move. You are resting. The cloud slowly begins to fall lower and lower with you until it reaches the ground... Finally, you found yourself on the ground, and your cloud returned to the sky. It smiles at you, you smile at it. You are in a great mood. Save it for the whole day."
Exercise "Balloons"
Target:
Teacher:
“Sit back, close your eyes... Imagine that you are balloons, very beautiful and cheerful. You are inflated and you become very light. Your body becomes light and weightless. Both the arms are light and the legs are light. Balloons rise higher and higher.
A warm gentle breeze is blowing, it gently blows on each ball... It is very pleasant to fly. It's easy and calm for you. You fly where the gentle breeze blows.
But now it's time to return home. Smile at this breeze. And here you are again in this room. Stretch and on the count of three, open your eyes.”
Exercise "Turtle"
Target: relieve psycho-emotional stress, get rid of general tension.
Teacher:
“The exercise is done while lying on a desk. Imagine that you are little turtles lying on yellow sand or soft grass near a clear stream, river, lake or sea, wherever you like best. The sun is shining, the turtle is warm and happy. The arms and legs are relaxed, the neck is soft... Suddenly a cold cloud appeared and covered the sun. The turtle felt cold and uncomfortable, and she hid her legs, arms and neck in her shell. Tighten your back, arching it slightly - this is your shell. Tighten your neck, arms and legs. Try to pull them under your shell.
The cloud is flying away! The sun came out again, it became warm and good again. The turtle has warmed up. Her neck, arms and legs became warm, soft and slowly appear from under the shell.”
Exercise “Shake the water off your fingers”
Target: get rid of tension.
Teacher:
“We take the starting position: arms are bent at the elbows, palms down, hands hanging down. By moving the forearm, we throw the hands down several times, as if shaking water from our fingers.”
Before exercises, it is useful to invite children to tightly clench their hands into a fist so that the difference in the tense and relaxed state of the muscles can be more clearly felt.
Exercise "Starfish"
Target: relieve emotional stress, stimulate the imagination.
Teacher:
“Close your eyes and imagine the place where you most like to relax. You always feel good and safe there. Imagine being in this place and doing what you want.”
At the end of the exercise, ask the children to open their eyes, stretch several times and take deep breaths.
Exercise "Medusa"
Target:
Teacher:
“While sitting on a chair, make smooth movements with your hands, imitating a jellyfish swimming in the water.”
The exercise is best performed with calm music.
Exercise “Wooden and rag dolls”
Target: relax.
Teacher:
“Movement helps you become aware of the tense and relaxed states of the body's muscles. Therefore, now we will depict wooden dolls. Tighten the muscles of your legs, core, and arms slightly extended to the sides. Make a couple of sharp turns of the whole body, keeping your neck, arms, and shoulders motionless. The feet are firmly and motionless on the floor.
Now let's imitate rag dolls. Relieve tension in your shoulders and core, let your arms now hang like rags.”
In this position, children turn their body with a quick, short push, either to the right or to the left. At the same time, the arms fly up and wrap around the body.
Exercise “Lazy People”
Target:
Teacher:
“Today you practiced and played a lot. You're probably tired. I suggest being a little lazy.
Sit back, close the gas... Imagine that you are real lazy people. Lounge on the soft, plush carpet. Everything around is quiet and calm, you breathe easily and freely. A feeling of pleasant peace and relaxation covers the entire body. You rest, be lazy, bask, enjoy the peace. Relax your arms, legs and whole body...
Pleasant warmth covers the entire body. You are too lazy to move, it feels good. Your breathing is completely calm. Arms, legs and whole body are relaxed. A feeling of pleasant peace fills from within. You rest, you bask. Pleasant laziness spreads throughout the body.
You enjoy complete peace and relaxation, which brings you strength and good mood. Stretch, shake off your laziness and, on the count of three, open your eyes. Now you feel rested. You feel more energetic, don’t you?”
Exercise "Waterfall"
Target: relieve emotional stress, stimulate the imagination.
Teacher:
“Imagine that you are standing near a waterfall. Wonderful day, blue sky, warm sun. The mountain air is fresh and pleasant. You can breathe easily and freely.
But our waterfall is unusual; instead of water, soft white light falls in it. Imagine that you are standing under this waterfall. Feel this beautiful white light flowing through your head. You feel it pouring over your forehead, then over your face, neck... White light flows over your shoulders, helps them relax...
This amazing waterfall of white light flows around your entire body. You feel calm. Now stretch and on the count of three, open your eyes. The magical light filled you with fresh strength and energy.”
Exercise “Naughty cheeks”
Target: show that breathing is a way to relax and find peace.
Teacher:
“Get air, puffing out your cheeks. Hold your breath and slowly exhale, as if blowing out a candle. Relax your cheeks. Then close your lips with a tube, inhale the air, sucking it in. The cheeks are drawn in. Then relax your cheeks and lips.”
Repeat the exercise 56 times.
Exercise “Mouth shut”
Target:
Teacher:
“Purse your lips so that they are not visible. Imagine that it is as if you are closing your mouth. Then relax them.
Now let's do the exercise again, repeating after me: "I have my own secret, I won't tell it to you, no(purse lips) . Oh, how hard it is to resist saying nothing(4 – 5 s) . I’ll still relax my lips, but I’ll leave the secret to myself.”
Exercise “Curious Barbara”
Target relax, get rid of the feeling of discomfort.
Teacher:
“We take the starting position: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms down, look straight ahead. Turn your head as far as possible to the left, then to the right. Inhale and exhale. We repeat the movement twice in each direction. Then we return to the starting position and relax the muscles. Let's do the exercise again, repeating after me: “ Curious Varvara looks left, looks right. And then go ahead again, rest a little here.”.
We raise our heads up and look at the ceiling as long as possible. Then we return to the starting position and relax the muscles. Let’s perform this movement again, repeating after me: “ And Varvara looks up the longest and farthest! We come back and relax nicely.”
Slowly lower your head down, pressing your chin to your chest. Then we return to the starting position and relax the muscles. Let’s do the exercise again, repeating: “ Now let's look down: the neck muscles have tensed! Let's go back and relax nicely».
Exercise “Precious”
Target:
Teacher:
“Imagine that you are holding something very valuable and dear to you in your fists. And someone wants to take it away from you. You clench your fists tighter and tighter. Even my bones hurt and my hands begin to tremble...
But the offender left. You unclench your fists, your fingers become relaxed, your hands rest calmly on your knees... Relax...
But someone again wants to take away what is in your fist. He shouldn't notice that there is anything there! Grip your jewel tightly. Now relax, the danger is over. You have managed to protect your treasure again!”
Exercise “Rain in the forest”
Target: relieve emotional stress, stimulate the imagination.
Teacher:
“Stand in a circle behind each other and imagine that you are turning into the trees of the forest. The sun is shining in the forest, and all the trees stretched their branches towards it. They stretch their branches high so that each leaf is warm (children rise on their toes, raise their arms high, fingering them).
Suddenly a strong wind blew and began to sway the trees in different directions. And the trees are held tightly by their roots, stand steadily and only sway (children sway to the sides, straining their leg muscles).
The wind brought rain clouds, and the trees felt the first raindrops (the children touch the back of the friend sitting in front with their fingertips). The rain is knocking harder and harder (children increase their finger movements).
The trees began to feel sorry for each other, to protect each other from the strong blow of the rain with their branches (the children run their palms over each other’s backs).
Hooray! The sun has appeared! The trees were happy and shook off the extra drops of rain from their leaves. They feel energized, fresh and joyful.”
Exercise "Birds"
Target: relieve emotional stress, stimulate the imagination.
Teacher:
“Imagine that you are little birds. You fly through a fragrant summer forest, inhale its aromas and admire its beauty. You sat down on a beautiful wildflower and inhaled its light aroma, and now you flew to the tallest linden tree, sat on its top and felt the sweet smell of a flowering tree.
A warm summer breeze blew, and the birds, along with its gust, rushed to the babbling forest stream. Sitting on the edge of the stream, they cleaned their feathers with their beaks, drank clean, cool water, splashed around and rose up again.
Now let's land in the most comfortable nest in a forest clearing. You relax and feel great!
Rested, full of strength and energy, we continue to work.”
Exercise “Magic Dream”
Target: relax, feel peace, gain the ability to control your thoughts.
Teacher:
“Lie down on the floor. Hands along the body, eyes closed. The game "Magic Dream" begins. But you will not fall asleep for real, you will feel and hear everything, but you will not talk, move or open your eyes until you wake up. Listen carefully and repeat my words to yourself. Rest easy. Let everyone have a good and kind magical dream.
The eyelashes droop and the eyes close. We rest peacefully and fall asleep in a magical sleep. We breathe easily, evenly, deeply. Our arms are resting... Our legs are also resting... They are resting, falling asleep... They are resting, falling asleep... The neck is not tense, but relaxed... The lips part slightly, everything is wonderfully relaxed. Everything is wonderfully relaxing. Breathe easily, evenly, deeply. The tension has flown away and the whole body is relaxed. It's like we're lying on the grass, on green, soft grass. The sun is shining now. Our feet are warm. Breathe easily, evenly, deeply. We are all warm and lethargic, and not at all tired. We rest peacefully and fall asleep in a magical sleep.
It's good for us to rest, but it's time to get up. We clench our fists tighter and raise them higher. Stretch! Smile! All! Open your eyes and stand up."
Exercise “Butterfly Flight”
Target: relieve emotional stress, stimulate the imagination, relax, feel peace, and acquire the ability to manage your thoughts.
Children lie on the mats on their backs, arms extended along the body, legs straight, slightly apart.
Teacher:
“Close your eyes and listen to my voice. Breathe easily and calmly. Imagine that you are in a meadow on a beautiful summer day. Before you is a magnificent butterfly, fluttering from flower to flower. Follow the movement of her wings. They are light and graceful.
Imagine that you are a butterfly. You have beautiful and big wings. Feel your wings moving slowly and smoothly up and down. Enjoy the feeling of slowly and smoothly floating in the air.
Look at the colorful meadow you are flying over. Look how many bright colors there are on it. Find the brightest flower with your eyes and gradually begin to approach it. Now you can smell the scent of this flower. Slowly and smoothly sit down on the soft, fragrant center of the flower. Inhale its aroma again... open your eyes. Tell us your feelings too.”
Exercise “Relaxation at sea”
Target: relax, get rid of the feeling of discomfort.
Teacher:
“Lie down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and listen to my voice. Imagine that you are in a beautiful place by the sea. Wonderful summer day. Blue sky, warm sun. You feel absolutely calm and happy. Soft waves roll to your feet, and you feel the pleasant freshness of sea water. There is a feeling of a light and fresh breeze blowing across the whole body. The air is clean and transparent. A pleasant feeling of freshness and vigor covers the entire body: forehead, face, back, stomach, arms and legs.
You feel how your body becomes light, strong and obedient. Breathe easily and freely. The mood becomes cheerful and cheerful, you want to get up and move.
We open our eyes. We are full of strength and energy. Try to maintain these feelings throughout the day."
Exercise "Deck"
Target: relieve muscle tension, bring the nervous system and psyche to a state of peace.
Teacher:
“Imagine yourself on a ship. The ship is rocking. To avoid falling, you need to spread your legs wide, press them to the floor, and clasp your hands behind your back.
The deck rocked! Transfer your body weight to your right leg, press it to the floor. Your right leg is tense, and your left leg is relaxed, slightly bent at the knee and the toe touching the floor. Straighten up and relax your legs.
It swung the other way! Press your left foot to the floor. It is tense, but the right one, on the contrary, is relaxed, slightly bent at the knee and touches the floor with its toe. Straighten up. Take a deep breath and exhale.”
Repeat the exercise several times. You can repeat the following: “The deck has begun to rock! Press your foot to the deck! We press our leg tighter and relax the other.”
Exercise “Playing with sand”
Target: relieve psycho-emotional stress, get rid of tension.
Teacher:
“Imagine that you are sitting on the seashore. Inhale and pick up sand in your hands. Holding your breath, clench your fingers tightly into a fist and try to hold the sand. Exhale, sprinkling sand on your knees, gradually unclenching your fingers. Relax and lower your arms along your body.”
The exercise must be repeated 23 times.
Exercise “Smile”
Target: relax, get rid of the feeling of discomfort.
Teacher:
“Imagine that in front of you is a drawing of a beautiful sun smiling widely. Smile at the sun! Feel how the smile goes into your hands, reaching your palms. Smile several times, each time smiling wider. Feel your lips stretch and your cheek muscles tense...
Breathe and smile... Your arms and hands are filled with the smiling power of the sun.”
Exercise "Swing"
Target: relieve psycho-emotional stress, get rid of general tension.
Teacher:
“Imagine a warm summer day. The gentle sun strokes you, you feel its touch on your skin. Butterflies fly by. They decided to network on your eyebrows! They probably want to have fun and swing on your eyebrows like on a swing. Well, let! Move your eyebrows up and down.
The butterflies have flown away. Once again you feel only the warmth of the summer sun on your skin. And then you hear a flock of dragonflies flying. Probably, the butterflies told the dragonflies that they can swing on your eyebrows, like on a swing, so they flew in to have fun and sit on your eyebrows. Help them by moving their eyebrows up and down!
But then the dragonflies flew away. The rays of the summer sun pleasantly touch your face. Remember how the butterflies and dragonflies had fun and smile.”
Ekaterina DAVIDOVSKAYA,
Fears and self-doubt are constant tension. And, as you know, a healthy mind in a healthy body! If a child knows how to both relax and keep himself in good shape, he will easily gain self-confidence. And it is water that can have a strong positive effect on a person’s feelings.
Oksana Igorevna Chernukha, family psychologist, child psychoanalyst, employee of the center for professional psychology "Vert", mother of four children
Water is the native element for humans. The development of a child occurs in the womb in this environment, so bathing and staying in it brings positive emotions. Swimming in the pool is beneficial for both the mental and emotional state of a person: the nervous system is normalized, a feeling of calm and harmony appears, sleep and appetite improve.
In these exercises, the main goal is to relax the body as much as possible so that the water itself holds the child. If a little swimmer has managed to master this technique, we can consider that he has “made friends” with water.
Important: In both exercises, correct execution does not involve touching the bottom, even if it is performed in “shallow” water.
Diving: learning courage
To overcome fears and develop perseverance, it is best to dive - for objects, for a while or for a distance (the longer and further, the better).
Diving reveals all the buoyant force of the water, and the child must show determination as he sinks to the bottom. To do this, you need to dive while holding your breath, gradually releasing air from your lungs in order to allow your body to sink to the bottom faster and easier.
Swimming on your back with alternating arms. Everything is the same as in the previous exercise, but the hands are involved in the work - one stroke with the right, one with the left. But you can work with only one hand, depending on how the spine is curved (a specialist will tell you);
Swimming on your back with simultaneous use of your arms. And in this exercise, both arms must make synchronous movements, due to which the muscles of the back and arms work symmetrically. If you exclude leg movements from the exercise, the load on the muscles of the arms and back will increase.
Swimming with fins: be determined!
For greater confidence in the water, it is good to use fins. They increase the speed of movement, which helps the child feel his strength and increase his physical capabilities. And fins also add variety to ordinary swimming - swimming in them is much more interesting and dynamic!
At the same time, you can additionally develop crawl and dolphin swimming skills, which has a very good effect on the mobility of the lumbar and thoracic spine and involves the leg muscles in the work.
The two most important exercises when learning to swim. Dear swimming lovers! Remember! There is nothing more important than these two exercises for a beginner who has decided to learn how to swim correctly! Because it is with their help that you will train your body to take the only correct position in the water, in which the resistance in the water will be minimal. These exercises have “telling” names: “Sausage” “Arrow” With the help of the first exercise – “Sausage” – we will learn to relax in the water, merge with it, lean on it. The “Arrow” exercise will help you develop the skill of taking the only correct body position in the water when swimming crawl, breaststroke or butterfly.
Exercise "Sausage". Standing in waist-deep water, you need to inhale, relax and plunge into the water face down. And then hang in the water while holding your breath. At the same time, it is important that your whole body relaxes completely!!! Your legs should hang in the water like whips; under no circumstances lean on them! But it is especially important to keep your neck and head relaxed! After hanging like a “sausage” in the water, after 20-30 seconds, gently rise to your feet and lift your head out of the water. The point of this exercise: You must get two points of support (attention!) in the water: the first point is your face, the second is your chest. With these two points of support, you will be comfortable making movements with your arms and legs, no matter what style you swim in the future. Because these two points of support are stability, your “foundation” is in the water! And don’t think just yet, how will I inhale?! We'll look at breathing while swimming later!! A typical mistake of an adult learning to swim: the inability to relax the head the first time when immersed in water. What is the reason? Working day at the computer, regular long-term stress, fear of water since childhood. Therefore, devote as much time to this exercise as it takes to successfully complete it. When performing “Sausages”, the neck, arms, head, eyes and even eyebrows should be relaxed. Another important point: the eyes must be open. It has been empirically tested many times: with closed eyes the exercise is performed much worse than with open ones.
Exercise "Arrow". Important! The swimmer's position in Strelka is the basic body position in the water when swimming crawl, breaststroke or butterfly! There is no point in learning any other elements from these styles if you have not learned how to perform the “Arrow” correctly. All other movements from the listed swimming styles seem to be “glued” to this basic position. So, to perform this exercise you need to stretch your arms in front of you. It is better if the arms are spread parallel to each other, especially if the exercise is performed by a beginner. In this position, both hands rest on the water. You can imagine your hands as a pair of skis, located parallel to each other and resting on the track, in our case, on the water. Hands must be kept on the surface of the water, without lowering them under the water and without lifting them completely out of the water. In this case, one leg is initially bent and rests on the side. Take a breath, lower your head into the water “sausage-wise”, look at the bottom. And only after we lie with our chest and head on the water, pull the other leg to the side and make a soft, elastic push. And then slide like this until you come to a complete stop. What is the point of this exercise? This position of the body in the water causes the least resistance! This means that the more often you bring your body to such a reference position while sliding when swimming breaststroke, crawl or butterfly, the more energy you will save! But if you begin to strain your neck and raise your face, your body will immediately begin to sink into the water and settle “astern.” And in such a semi-vertical position it is much more difficult to swim. If the head not only sinks into the water, but also relaxes, then the chest begins to float up. With a relaxed face, we lean on it. In this horizontal position, which is the basic position, it is much easier to swim. And this is what we need!
Three mistakes when performing the “arrow” Often, after mastering the “arrow”, beginners, especially children, make the mistake of jumping while diving. What is the risk of such a mistake? After such a jump, the head immediately goes under the water. And at the same time, firstly, water can get into the nose, and secondly, having fallen through after jumping under water, the beginner instinctively wants to raise his head up. But swimming in Strelka with your head tensely raised is wrong for the reason that we described above! With the correct approach, you need to inhale, gently place your face on the water, without jumping, and then push off with your other leg, first pulling it to the side. The second mistake is spreading your legs while sliding, because they will cling to the water and slow down your progress in the water. After pushing off the side, keep your feet together and point your toes. The third mistake is not very fundamental, but it is still worth paying attention to: a beginner often, when performing the Arrow, keeps his arms in front not straight, but half-bent. When learning front crawl, it is important that your arms are straight as you move them forward into a preparatory position for the stroke. And if, when learning the “Arrow”, your arms are not straight enough, then the same thing will happen when swimming the crawl: you will bring them forward half-bent, and this will make the length of the stroke short, insufficient for good and correct gliding. That is why the “skis” at the “arrow” must initially be straight. Keep your arms straight!!
Repetition is the mother of learning. If you have the opportunity to take your smartphone with you to the pool, and, having chosen a safe place for it, watch the materials of this video lesson online again, then the effect of the lessons will be even greater. And it will be very cool if, while you are doing the exercises, someone can make a video recording of them. After reviewing the recorded material, you will be able to eliminate mistakes much faster and learn how to correctly perform the Sausage and Arrow. Two main exercises when learning to swim. And then – move on! On to our next lessons!!