Independent Study Project
for
Assistant Water Safety Instructor
______________________________________________
Candidate
Instructor Trainers: Michael Budd; Bryan Herskovits
Due: June 15, 2008
Teaching Methods
Review
Teaching methods are ways in which as an Instructor you introduce and reinforce strokes and skills to
your students. These methods are: (1) Direct / Progressive; (2) Discovery; (3) Games with Aims.
Direct / Progressive
Imagine that you are standing at point “A” on the bottom of
staircase to the right. Your goal is to get to the top of the staircase
(point “B”). It is practically impossible to reach the top stair in one
step. One would have to jump from a trampoline to reach the top in
one step. In order to successfully and easily reach the top, you
take small steps towards your goal. So, how does this relate to
swimming? Think back to when you took swimming lessons. Your
instructor did not expect you to be able to swim perfect front crawl
after performing a front float for the first time. In order to properly
learn a stroke, it must be broken down into much smaller steps.
By breaking a stroke down this way into small steps or
“progressions,” as an Instructor you are ensuring that your students
master each step and skill of each stroke.
For each progression, follow the following steps known as “EGGS”
B
A
E – Explain & Demonstrate (how to…)
G – Group practice
G – Group correction
S – Specific practice and correction
Best Use: Skills with specific steps or procedures (eg: strokes, front dives, rescue breathing).
Can you think of other best uses for the direct / progressive method?
1.
3.
2.
4.
Think back to when you learnt to perform a basic front dive. What were the progressions to learning
to perform the dive.
1: Slip in entry in the shallow end.
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
Teaching Methods
Review
Direct / Progressive (ctnd)
Circle one of the strokes below and create a list of as many progressions as possible (min. of 15).
Front Crawl
Back Crawl
Elementary Backstroke
Elementary Backstroke
Sidestroke
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
11:
12:
13:
14:
15:
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
22:
23:
24:
25:
Progressive instruction is only one method of instruction and can be very successful when used in
conjunction with other methods.
Teaching Methods
Review
Discovery Method
In some cases learners can achieve a goal when given the opportunity to experience something in
particular. With the discovery method, students learn by experimenting, doing and figuring out for
themselves. Discovery forces swimmers to challenge themselves and discover certain skills. The
best way to use the discovery method is to give helpful hints (direction) without showing swimmers
the solution or the correct way. Discovery is always a do activity not a discussion.
Best Use: Skills with specific purpose (eg: stride entry, front float).
Example: “Everyone try to enter the water without getting your head or face wet.”
Complete the table by choosing three skills and what directions you would provide to foster discovery.
Skill
Directed Discovery
Games Method
Games are an excellent method of reinforcing and building a specific skill. However, games are used
to often to pass time and do not encourage learning. Games should be used to develop and build a
specific skill. When selecting a game, ensure that you use Games with Aims.
Example: Water polo where when holding the ball students must perform eggbeater to move them.
Complete the table by choosing three skills and selecting games to go with.
Skill
Brief Description of Game
Purpose of the Game (ie: Aim)
Corrective Methods
Review
Unlike teaching methods which introduce new skills, corrective methods are used to modify,
manipulate and perfect previously introduced strokes and skills. Three corrective methods are: (1)
Shaping; (2) Overcorrection; (3) Physical Manipulation.
Shaping
Shaping identifies errors in skill performance and has the Instructor tell/show swimmers how to
correct them by relating the correction to an object / concept / idea that the student can grasp.
Example: Basic front crawl arms is similar to a windmill.
Overcorrection
Overcorrection requires swimmers to exaggerate a specific aspect of a skill. Although swimmers may
think they are exaggerating their actions may be closer to the proper action.
Example: Chicken wing back crawl to ensure body roll begins from shoulders.
Physical Manipulation
Physical manipulation refers to the Instructor altering and/or controlling the swimmers’ physical
movements to fit the required pattern. Remember that you are moving their body for them – therefore
ensure that you move their body gently and only with their permission.
Example: Rotating a swimmers’ shoulders to force regular rhythmic breathing.
Task: Complete the chart below by writing a use for each of the 3 corrective methods for the following
strokes / skills.
Skill / Stroke
Front Crawl
Elementary
Backstroke
Sidestroke
Front Roll
Treading Water
Shaping
Overcorrection
Physical Manipulation
Understanding Red Cross Swim
The Red Cross and Program Content
On the following 2 pages highlight 1 or 2 key words that explain what is most significant about the
level. On a separate page, explain why you selected the words you highlighted.
Understanding Red Cross Swim
The Red Cross and Program Content
Understanding Red Cross Swim
The Red Cross and Program Content
In the comic strip below fill in the bubbles, add characters, props, captions, and whatever else you feel like to tell a story that includes
part of the history of the Red Cross. Please keep in mind that the comic should tell a story that has a beginning, middle and an end.
You can use the comic outlines in whatever order you wish, just be sure to number than from 1 to 6 so that one can follow the story
from beginning to end. Your story may be funny, serious, adventurous… whatever you desire
Understanding Red Cross Swim
The Red Cross and Program Content
Read below, and complete the triangle.
Understanding Red Cross Swim
The Red Cross and Program Content
Complete the pyramid below by inserting the hierarchical 7 fundamental principles. Define each
principle within the greater context of the Red Cross (ie more General than just swim related)
in the triangle below.
Understanding Red Cross Swim
The Red Cross and Program Content
One of the most confusing parts about working in aquatics is understanding the hierarchy of
certifications and which organization they belong to as well as what they allow you to teach. Although
there are numerous programs for teaching swim in Canada, there are two organizations that are most
commonly used as the base for any swim program. They are Red Cross (RC), and Lifesaving Society
(LSS). Each of these organizations offers a variety of learn to swim, first aid, leadership and
instructors classes. Currently some of these programs are being phased in, while others phased out.
Using the LSS, RC and Shendys.com website fill out the chart below to organize and understand the
hierarchy of levels. You may wish to color code to make it easier to follow. The first line has been filed
out to get you started.
Certification
Society(ies)
Pre-Requisite
Ability to
Currently
offered?
Color Badges
Aqua Quest
Swim Preschool
Swim Kids
Aqua Adults
The Swim Program
Patrol Program
Rookie, Ranger, Star
Bronze Star
Red Cross
None
Learn to swim
No
Bronze Medallion
Emergency First Aid
& CPR B
Bronze Cross
Assistant Instructors
Leaders
Assistant Water
Safety Instructors
Water Safety
Instructors
Swim Instructors
LifeSaving Instructor
National Lifeguard
Service (NLS)
Automated External
Defibrillation (AED)
Standard First Aid
and CPR C
Instructor Trainer
Understanding Red Cross Swim
Progressions
Arm Movement (Assisted)
Back Crawl
Back Float & Recovery
Back Glide (with and without Kick)
Back Glide with Flutter Kick
Back Position (Assisted)
Back Swim
Basic Kick on Front
Boating Regulations
Breaststroke
Buoyancy & Movement
Buoyant Objects
Butterfly Drill
Causes of Boating Incidents
Change Direction / Weight Transfer
Choking Prevention
Cold Water / HELP / Huddle
Complications of Rescue Breathing
Dangers of Open Water
Disorienting Entries
Distance Swim
Dolphin Kick
Eggbeater
Elementary Backstroke
EMS
Exhale Through Mouth and/or Nose
Facility Orientation and Active Supervision
Feet-First Surface Dive
Front Crawl
Front Dive
Front Float & Recovery
Front Glide (with and without Kick)
Front Glide / Side Glide Combo
Front Glide with Flutter Kick
Front Position (Assisted)
Front Scull
Front Swim
Getting Wet (Assisted)
Head-First Surface Dive
Hypothermia
Ice Rescue From Safe Zone
Intro to Synchronized Swimming
Introduction to Sculling
Introduction to Whip Kick on Back
Jump Into Chest Deep Water & Return (Assisted)
Jump Into Chest Deep Water & Surface Support
Swimming
Fitness
Item
Skills &
Water
Safety
Indicate where in the Red Cross Curriculum these items are first introduced (for both the preschool
and kids levels) and under what category they fall.
Levels
Swim Preschool
Swim Kids
Understanding Red Cross Swim
Jump Into Chest Deep Water (Assisted)
Kick on Front with Buoyant Object (Assisted)
Kick on Front with Buoyant Object (Unassisted)
Kicking Drills
Kneeling Dive
Move Backward (Assisted)
Move Forward (Assisted)
Partial & Complete Airway Obstruction
PFD & Me
Play and Songs
Rescue Breathing: Adult & Child
Rhythmic Breathing
Roll-Over Float
Roll-Over Glide
Self Rescue: Fall Through Ice
Shallow Water Entries and Exits
Shallow Water Movement
Show How to Stay Warm
Side Glide with Flutter Kick
Side Glide with Kick
Sidestroke
Sitting Dive
Standing Shallow Dive
Statistically Speaking: Drownings
Stop! Look! Ask
Stop! Throw! Call for Help! Throwing Assist
Stride Dive
Stride Entry
Submerge Head
Submersion
Sun Smart
Supports and Hold Techniques for the Caregiver
Surface Support
Traveling Legs Only
Tread Water
Use buoyant object for support (Assisted)
Vertical Dolphin Kick
Vertical Position (Assisted)
Victim Recognition and Simulation
Whale Kick
When and How to Get Help
When and Where to Go On Ice
When and Where to Swim
Whip Kick on Front
Wise Choices & Peer Influence
Swimming
Fitness
Item
Skills &
Water
Safety
Progressions
Levels
Swim Preschool
Swim Kids
Physical Principles
The Science of Swimming
Read the following and then fill out the chart:
The physical principles of swimming are typically the area students struggle with most in terms of the homework of this
course. The trick to them is actually fairly simple. First – don’t get overwhelmed, and don’t try and complete these
readings and questions an hour before class starts. Give yourself enough time to absorb the information. Next, think of
each of these principles as they apply to you swimming. Memorizing a definition will not ‘get you buy’. To understand
these concepts consider the following for each principle:
1. What is the principle?
2. When I swim, how can I maximize the principle and how can I minimize the principle (ie, for acceleration, how do
you maximize it, how do you minimize it, ie make it harder to accelerate)
3. Consider how each principle relates to another. Does something happen when you maximize drag or resistance?
Would it be easier to accelerate with lots of drag or a little bit of drag.
4. Consider when each principle is most at work in at least one stroke (ie what is the acceleration phase of front
crawl).
If you consider each principle in this manner it will help you understand the technical aspects behind the strokes. This
understanding will help you correct your stroke and help you recognize what is wrong with other’s strokes.
Physical Principles Handout
For more information please see: http://www.artsci.gmcc.ab.ca/courses/pact110ml/aquaticmechanicsv2.html
The physical principles related to swimming are: Resistances (Drag), Lift (Propulsion), Acceleration, and Flotation
(Buoyancy). These principles depend 3 laws of physics including: The Law of Inertia, The Law Of Acceleration, and The
Law Of Reaction. Understanding these laws, and the principles that they apply too allow us to better evaluate a swimmers
strokes.
The Law of Inertia:
I like to remember this law as: “Things like to keep doing, what they are doing.” A more technical definition would be:
“Every body continues in a state of rest, or uniform motion, except if it is impressed by other forces that change its state”.
This law applies best to swimming by way of momentum. As momentum is built up, swimming becomes easier, and we
become more buoyant, but stopping becomes more difficult.
Momentum
The law of inertia tells us that an object that is moving likes to continue moving. This process is called momentum.
Momentum occurs when a force is applied to an object moving it in any direction. It lasts so long as no other force
interferes with it. Think about dropping a penny off of a sky scraper. That penalty will fall, and fall and fall until it hits the
ground. As the penny falls it gains momentum, it thus speeds up (at a certain point it reaches a terminal velocity but for
our purposes we can ignore that). Eventually the penny hits the ground and stops. The ground acts as the force that
stops momentum. If we were to pick that penny up, we would find that it is hot. But why? The penny is hot because of
the forces that were acting on it while it was moving. Gravity applies and reapplies a force to the penny pushing
downward. Meanwhile the air provides resistance (minimal resistance, but resistance nonetheless), against the penalty,
the competing forces expel their energy via heat (just as light bulbs expel extra energy as heat).
With swimming, a force is applied to move the swimmer through the water. That swimmer will move until another force
(the resistance from the water, gravity, an opposite force of any kind) acts against the swimmer. Thus to continue gaining
momentum, the swimmer must continue to apply a force, just as gravity continues to apply a force to a falling penny.
The Law of Acceleration:
This law is: “The rate of change of momentum is proportional to the force applied, the duration of the force, and the
direction by which the force is applies.” This law applies to swimming in that swimmers can varying the speed at which
they move by varying the force and direction of their movements.
The Law Of Reaction:
This law is: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; or the mutual action of two bodies in contact are
always equal and opposite in direction.”
This law applies to swimming as follows. Swimmers apply force in the opposite direction they want to move. For
example, when swimming front crawl, water is pushed behind the swimmer in order to move forward.
Physical Principles
The Science of Swimming
The laws are also all inter-related:
For example, a swimmer to begin swimming must apply a force to the water, the side of the pool etc (Law of inertia). That
force can varying in strength, duration and direction (Law Of Acceleration). The force must be applied opposite to the
direction the swimmer wants to move (Law of Reaction). On the following page Resistances (Drag), Lift (Propulsion),
Acceleration, and Flotation (Buoyancy), are explained, and an in water activity is provided to help swimmers grasp each
concept.
Resistance or Drag:
Resistance or Drag are the forces our body, and the environment naturally apply to us, that must be overcome in order to
generate motion. For example, if the resistance applied to our body is 1 unit, we will need a force greater than 1 unit in
order to create motion. When swimming, we must over-come skin friction, frontal resistance, and Eddy resistance.
Skin friction can be reduced by shaving, and choosing different types of swim wear that reduce friction.
Frontal resistance can be reduced by minimizing width in proportion to length. As swimmers we usually hear the word
“streamline” and we know it to mean bringing our hands above our head in an arrow type formation. Frontal resistance
can also be reduced by rolling the shoulders out of the water, thus reducing the surface in the water creating resistance
(the shoulder out of the water will encounter resistance from the air, but air provides much less resistance than water).
Eddy resistance is almost the opposite of frontal resistance. Think of a boat moving through the water with a flat end.
The wake created by the boat is generally quite large. Now think of a canoe or a kayak. The wake created by these
boats is much smaller, because of their shape. The water displaced at the front of the boat is more easily replaced at the
back of the boat, thus making it more efficient. Remaining streamlined is effective with Eddy resistance too.
Lift or Propulsion:
Lift or Propulsion is the ability of the force applies to move the body from which it was applied. Propulsion can be
increased in swimming by applying a force for a greater duration without increasing drag. Propulsion must be greater
than resistance in order to create motion.
Acceleration:
In swimming our goal is to accelerate to a certain velocity as quickly as possible and maintain that velocity. Because of
resistance our bodies naturally decelerate and thus a constant force must be applied to maintain velocity. Recognizing
when our bodies are decelerating, and learning to apply the force right before that point allows for the greatest efficiency
in our swim strokes.
Flotation or Buoyancy:
All bodies in the water are subject to the forces of gravity and buoyancy. Buoyancy is equal to the mass of the water is
displaced, and the gravity effecting that mass. Thus when considering buoyancy we must consider density too. It is not
simply the weight of an object, but where that weight is located (is it all local, is it spread out…). In swimming buoyancy is
best related to center of gravity, which is different for men and women. In order to float, we must center our buoyancy
around our center of gravity (the part of our body where there is the greatest concentration of weight). We can increase
buoyancy with other buoyant objects (such as a flutter board) or by increasing the amount of air in our bodies, because of
the buoyancy of air.
Law of Levers
Levers are a tool that helps reduce the force required to move a weight over a distance. The typical example is a seesaw.
Levers involve a plank, a fulcrum, a force, a resistive force. When the force and resistive force are equal and are an equal
distance away from the fulcrum the lever is balanced.
Diagram A: Balanced Lever
Force = f
Resistance = R
Distance 1 = d1
Distance 2 = d2
f__________d2_______________________d1_____________r
^fulcrum
in the lever to the left f=r, d1=d2
if distance remains a constant and f is greater than r, f will fall to the ground. The opposite is also true. In order to
balance the lever, the distance would then have to be shortened on the end that has a greater force.
Diagram B: Balanced Lever with unequal forces
2f__________d2_________________d1_____________r
^fulcrum
in the above equation
f is 2 x r
d1 is 2 x d2
The lever is balanced by shortening the distance of the more resistive end.
The lever principle can be applied to front crawl via the bent arm pull. The reason this pull is easier, and more efficient to
perform than a straight arm pull is that the more resistive force, is kept closer to the fulcrum (our shoulders) on the lever
(our arms). Thus we can generate greater power with less force.
Physical Principles
The Science of Swimming
One segment has been completed to give you an idea of what you should be doing.
What is it?
How does it relate to
other principles?
How is it
maximized?
What activities can
improve it?
Increasing speed in a
specific direction
Reduce drag to make it
easier to accelerate.
Apply propulsive force
to create acceleration
Exerting complete
energy in the opposite
direction you want to go
(Reaction)
Strength training
Bent Arm Pull
Glides
Inertia
Acceleration
Reaction
Lever
Resistance
/Drag
Propulsion
Momentum
Buoyancy
Physical Principles Quiz
The Science of Swimming
1. A sponge floating in the water has two forces applied to it. What are they?
2. How does Newton’s law of inertia relate to momentum?
3. How does the lever principle allow one to push water more effectively?
4. How does acceleration differ from propulsion?
5. What does density have to do with buoyancy?
6. Why does a hot air balloon fly?
7. When is the most efficient time to apply a propulsive force in a stroke?
8. What force prevents you from gliding forever?
9. What physical principle is not maximized in a swimmer who kicks from their knees, creating big
splashes?
10. Why is this principle not maximized? How is resistance affected?