Jump Head First
The child stands at the edge of the pool in a bent position. The arms are stretched and the gaze is directed towards the ground. The legs are either shoulder-width parallel or slightly offset. Then the child does a headlong jump forward. The head stays down during the entire exercise and the arms remain tucked in. Dip your hands first, then your head and finally your legs into the water.
This exercise is used to prepare for the start of the crawl.
Prerequisite exercises:
Please read the Safety notes before you start.
Starting jump exercises
Roll over mat
First, you should learn the normal somersault on your knees, starting on land. In the next step, two thirds of the mat is placed in water and a somersault is practiced first on the knees and then on the feet. Finally, you can place the mat flush with the edge of the pool and use it as a soft starting platform. From there, the forward roll is practiced directly into the water, first on the knees and then on the feet. Finally, the mat is completely removed.
Just like when rolling forward, the feet must also cross the body during a head jump. You can imagine the basic form of a head jump as a forward roll into water with less rotation and extended arms. For this reason, it is so important to master the forward role.
Roll into water
After the exercise on the mat, the forward roll into the water should be repeated. It is important that the toes are flush with the edge of the pool at the beginning of the exercise. The rolled-up position must not be opened during the entire forward roll. The chin is always pressed against the upper body.
As already mentioned, mastering the forward roll is the basis for learning how to jump. You'll see why in the next exercise.
Slow set-up
Next, the head jump is slowly built up. It starts with an attempt on your knees. To do this, place a board under the child's knees or a swimming mat. Someone should stand on the board or mat to secure it, otherwise it will slide away. That's when the exercise starts. The start is the same as rolling forwards into the water, only this time the arms are stretched forward. The angular momentum of the forward roll remains the same, just a bit less strong. However, as soon as a body part is immersed in water, the roller is opened and the body almost goes into a hollow cross. However, this explanation is more likely to confuse your child; the arms extended forward usually make this part intuitively correct. If the child still does a whole roll with outstretched arms, that is not bad and will be corrected in the next preparatory exercise.
From the exercise on the board, the exercise is tried next in the chewing position on your feet and finally in a standing position.
Over swim noodle or by ring
In this exercise, a ring or swimming noodle is held about one meter in front of the child at thigh height. The child should now head jump through the ring or over this swimming noodle. The swimming noodle is pain-free, a hard ring can hurt a bit. We usually let the kids choose, some like the danger. Just drop the ring in the water if the child gets stuck with their feet. As always, you must decide for yourself which risks you want to take.
This exercise is particularly useful if your child still has too much memory of the angular momentum from the forward roll and rolls over each head jump.
Common mistakes
Open too early
As already mentioned, the bent position is opened as soon as you dive into the water. However, there are children who open the stooped position during the flight phase. You can see this by the fact that the head goes up and the back is stretched during the flight phase. The child then bounces its stomach head-on onto the water, which can result in mild pain. For this reason, it is so important to learn how to jump from the forward roller.