.png)
In addition to the preparatory exercises, some core exercises are required.
The child swims 25 meters of crawl with arms placed on the sides and breathes forward as an exception. This exercise aims to train the strength condition for crawl stroke. The leg stroke is important for longer distances as it brings stability and rhythm to swimming.
This exercise not only rotates with every third arm pull, but with every arm pull. Breathing is also carried out on the back. The exercise helps with correct coordination, as there is a turn with every arm pull and therefore there is no possibility of turning at an inopportune time. It also represents a fun challenge for the children and promotes their water-situation stability.
The child pushes away from the edge of the pool and remains stretched for one to two seconds. This is followed by five crawl moves with a swap impact. This does not involve breathing. The arms can be extended but also slightly bent. This exercise transfers the coordination of the arms from the windmill exercise into the water. Breathing is deliberately avoided, as the child is not yet breathing in a coordinated manner on the side.
For the windmill forward exercise, stand with both arms on the side of your body in the countryside. First, start slowly turning one arm counterclockwise with the palm facing down. This is followed by the other arm and finally by both hands simultaneously, but asynchronously. This exercise promotes arm coordination and helps you understand the basics of crawling. Crawl removal with efficient elbow bends will be further developed in later courses.
When doing this exercise, the body rotates 90 degrees in both directions, both from the prone and supine positions. The hands remain on the side of the body. In a further step, a complete rotation takes place, maintaining the lateral hand position. This makes it easier to correct the water level on the back and return to the starting position after the 90-degree turn. The change of direction when turning the body promotes body control in water.
In this preparatory exercise, the turn is practiced with a swimming board. Alternatively, a pull buoy can also be used. The buoyancy of the swimming board allows the learner to easily return to a comfortable position of water after a spin. The board prevents the face from staying underwater after turning. However, turning on the back requires a stronger body twist to turn the board around. This more intensive rotation is trained through this exercise.
Crawl is rotated with the third arm pull. The body is turned out of the shoulder so that the underwater phase of the crawl is halfway to the end of the back arm move. From time to time, there are children who take both arms backwards or forwards and then turn them without an arm pull. Clear communication usually helps with this. If you swim well enough yourself, you can also show it yourself or show the child the video and point out how to turn the wrist.
Rotation of the back is susceptible to errors, especially if the face briefly gets underwater when turned onto the back. The correct reaction is to stretch your body, put your chin back (look at the ceiling) and move your legs vigorously to get back to the surface of the water. A common mistake is to straighten up, which pulls your hips and chin down. This mistake is sometimes corrected by placing the hands sideways, but the core exercise requires straightened hands to prevent straightening.
