In addition to the preparatory exercises, some core exercises are required.
This exercise focuses on the normal head jump from the starting block without first going into the specific starting position. After the jump, the swimmer glides through the water without leg or arm movements to get as far as possible. The goal is an ideal dive angle of 10-20 degrees and a powerful jump. The distances traveled should be noted in order to improve them when carried out repeatedly. Optionally, a ring or a swimming noodle can be used as a jumping aid, but there is a risk of injury. The main goal of this exercise is to cover as much distance as possible in a short period of time and this is intensively trained.
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 the swimming noodle. The swimming noodle is pain-free, while a hard ring can be a bit uncomfortable. Just drop the ring in the water if the child gets stuck with their feet. It's up to you to decide which element to use. This exercise is particularly useful if your child still has too much memory of the angular momentum from the forward roll and rolls over when jumping head.
Start building the head jump gradually with an experiment on your knees by placing a board or swim mat under the child's knees and securing it. Start the exercise with arms extended forward, similar to rolling forward into the water, but with a slightly less strong angular momentum. As soon as a body part is immersed in water, the roller is opened and the body almost tilts into a hollow back. The intuitive stretching of the arms supports the correct process. If the child nevertheless does a whole roll with straight arms, this will be corrected in the next preparatory exercise. The exercise is then continued in the chewing position on the feet and finally while standing.
After the exercise on the mat, you should repeat the forward roll into the water. Make sure that your toes are flush with the edge of the pool at the beginning of the exercise. The rolled-up position should not be opened during the entire forward roll and the chin should always be pressed against the upper body. Mastering the forward roll is the foundation for learning how to jump, as you'll see in the next exercise.
Start with the normal somersault on your knees on land. Then practice on a mat placed in water, first on your knees and then on your feet. Use the mat as a soft starting platform at the edge of the pool and practice rolling forward directly into the water, first on your knees and then on your feet. Finally, remove the mat. During a head jump, the feet must reach across the body, similar to a forward roller with less rotation and extended arms. Mastering the forward roll is therefore crucial for headjumping.
Similar to head jumping, many children also tend to take their heads upwards during the flight phase, which results in a shallow impact of the abdomen on the water. If this problem persists, it is recommended that you repeat the preparatory exercises for the head jump again.
