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Innovative approach to teaching children swimming using the "Back float with 'Noodles' method"

Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Relevance. Teaching children to swim is a pertinent topic with psycho-physiological and socio-cultural implications, especially during the summer period. Swimming, as a skill, holds not only physical value but is also essential for water safety. In modern society, parents and educational institutions predominantly focus on swimming lessons during the summer months. This choice is supported by psychological aspects of children's adaptation to aquatic environments, physiological characteristics of bodily activity during the summer, as well as cultural norms of leisure and health care during this period. Simultaneously, challenges arise in the process of mass teaching children to swim during the summer, given the diverse levels of preparedness. This encompasses a range of difficulties and challenges related to organization, safety, and the effectiveness of instruction. Children joining swimming lessons might possess varying skills and experience in the water. Some may be beginners, while others quickly grasp swimming techniques. Adapting lessons to such a diverse range of swimming proficiency levels can be challenging for instructors. Having a large number of children in the water simultaneously also poses safety risks. Considering the diversity of preparedness levels, achieving specific educational goals can be complex. Effective teaching of children with varying proficiency levels necessitates an individualized approach. However, in large groups, it can be challenging to dedicate sufficient attention to each child, helping them overcome personal difficulties and develop skills. Some children might progress quickly, while others might remain at a certain level, potentially leading to disappointment for both them and their parents. The summer period is typically time-limited, and children might simply not have enough time to make substantial swimming progress. Thus, as previously noted, key and pivotal aspects encompass water safety and developing swimming skills across a varied range of children's preparedness, creating challenges for effective teaching and requiring innovative methods. Nearly all contemporary methodologies involve an initial water acclimatization phase, including various exercises ranging from walking along the pool floor to gliding in the "back float" position. Given the issues of mass teaching and diverse preparedness, this approach is often ineffective, as pool depth might not comply with requirements, and spatial possibilities are limited. In this context, based on our own work experience and extensive pedagogical observations, the use of "back float with 'noodles'" as a means for gradual water acclimatization and initial swimming instruction has been proposed as an effective solution to this issue. Objective of this research: To optimize the process of mass teaching swimming to children aged 7-12 through the utilization of the "back float with 'noodles' method" as an approach for initial instruction. Research methods: Analysis of specialized literature, sociological methods (surveys, questionnaires, interviews), pedagogical observations, testing, biomechanical analysis of swimming skills. Research results. To achieve the set objective, an experimental study was conducted at the State University of Physical Education and Sport pool over a 12-week period during the summer, with three 45-minute sessions per week. A total of 206 children aged 7-12, who had not previously received swimming instruction, participated in the study, with 8-10 individuals per group. The innovative approach in this context involved employing the "back float with 'noodles'" method as the initial exercise for water acclimatization and introductory swimming instruction. Examination of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observations, and surveys revealed several advantages of using noodles for back float exercises. These include the child's ability to hold the noodles at a comfortable distance under their arms, providing a sense of safety, confidence, and comfort by leaning on their back and hands. In this position, a child may not initially achieve a well-extended, horizontal body position in the water. However, they can effortlessly lift their legs off the pool floor and even perform kicking movements while sitting, following the coach's instructions. Given the fact that the composition of children's groups changes or is supplemented with newcomers approximately every two weeks during the summer, this approach enables dynamic, continuous lessons that are comfortable emotionally, safe, and allow for more rapid skill development. As a result, nearly 95% of children at the beginner level were able to move in the water from their first lesson using the "back float with 'noodles'" technique, effectively performing the backstroke kick. Traditional methods often do not achieve such rapid progress. When a group of 8-10 children of the same age enter the pool for the first time and the water reaches shoulder level, each child reacts differently to the aquatic environment, its properties, and the considerable noise, among other factors. These elements often lead to low lesson density. Several children, after a few sessions or more, fear submerging their faces in the water, impacting their ability to float even with assistance from floatation devices. Although supporting tools like waist belts with floats exist, they have drawbacks. Positioned at waist level, they tend to rise under the armpits during water movement, somewhat restricting the child's movement and potentially irritating the skin. The utility of this innovative approach lies in the fact that during swimming lessons, even while apprehensive about immersing their face in the water or relying on flotation devices on their front, children were already mastering the backstroke kick and achieving a relatively horizontal body position. They also developed a certain level of endurance. Conversely, traditional water acclimatization exercises such as "floating," "starfish," "arrow," retrieving objects from the pool floor, and exhaling underwater were gradually introduced in subsequent sessions. Conclusions and practical recommendations: Children with beginner-level proficiency who employed this method demonstrated the ability to move in the water and perform the backstroke kick effectively from their first lesson. This underscores the method's effectiveness in overcoming water-related fears and accelerating swimming skill acquisition. The utilization of "noodles" in the back float position provided children with feelings of safety, confidence, and comfort, facilitating their successful adaptation to the aquatic environment and active execution of swimming exercises. The "back float with 'noodles'" method contributed to the development of proper body positioning in water and breathing, critical for forming quality swimming skills. When compared to traditional methods of initial swimming instruction, children using this technique exhibited higher levels of progress. This affirms the innovation's effectiveness and its significance for mass instruction. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the "back float with 'noodles'" method serves as an effective tool for optimizing the initial swimming instruction of children aged 7-12. This method supports successful adaptation, rapid swimming skill acquisition, and ensures comfort and safety during the learning process. In the context of mass instruction, this approach enables more effective utilization of the limited summer timeframe to achieve substantial swimming results.
DOI: 10.52449/soh23.52
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4411017507
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