WRITTEN BY NY PRESS ON JUNE 21, 2012. POSTED IN CONTINUING EDUCATION, NEWS OUR TOWN, NEWS OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN, NEWS WEST SIDE SPIRIT, OUR TOWN, OUR TOWN DOWNTOWN, SPECIAL SECTIONS, WEST SIDE SPIRIT.

By Laura Shin

From stress relief to reducing the risk of heart disease, there are many reported benefits to swimming. And on a hot summer day in New York City, it’s also a great way to cool off. These are just a few reasons why some adults who never learned to swim are signing up to learn now.

“Everybody can learn to swim—it has nothing to do with age,” said Lori Pailet, managing director of Aqua Skills, a swim instruction group in Manhattan. “There are so many benefits—it’s great cardio, great for circulation, great for flexibility and it doesn’t hurt your joints.”

Aqua Skills offers group classes as well as private and semiprivate lessons for adults at different locations in Manhattan. It offers a flexible schedule with classes seven days a week and an “Early Bird” class that begins at 6 a.m., said Pailet.

Many other programs also offer beginner swim classes for adults in the city.

“One of our members was 65 when she started taking lessons,” she said. “When she grew up, she didn’t have the finances or time to learn to swim. She wanted to enjoy the water with her grandchildren, so she decided she was going to do it.”

The adult beginner classes cover the basics of swimming as well as addressing any fears that adults may have about being in the water. The class is a good fit for adults who have never swum before or those who can swim a little bit but have not gone into deeper water, O’Donoghue said.

For more information about Aqua Skills, visit www.aquaskills.com or call 212-206-6976. 

Rotating from side to side as you swim is a method that has been around for over 30 years. When Mark Spitz was gaining national recognition in the early 70′s, many critics said his only problem was that he employed a “strange” side-to-side swimming action!

PROPER SIDE SWIMMING TECHNIQUE

Good swimming is about using the core of your body—namely the hips, stomach, lower back and chest. Top swimmers rotate the core of their body from one side to the other, while keeping the head fixed. When you rotate in this way, you move through the water more like a fish, or a boat, reaching further forward on each stroke, and maximizing your efficiency.

PRACTICING THE SIDE SWIM

Here is a drill to begin practicing (you may use fins if you have them):

• Kick on your side with your left hand extended out and your right hand by your side. Keep your head down and locked to your shoulder.
• On the second length, switch sides and extend your right hand, with your left hand by your side.
• When looking down, you should be at about a 90-degree angle in the water.
• When you need air, roll all the way up into more of a 45-degree angle, take a few breaths, and repeat.
• Continue to practice this kicking drill, and add in arm strokes as your side balance improves.

THE BENEFIT OF THE SIDE SWIM

Swimming freestyle on your side may seem like a foreign concept at first. But with consistent practice, you will be able to swim more efficiently, resulting in faster swim times and greater energy conservation.

Although it is commonly thought that everyone can swim, 64% of the adult popultion alone CAN NOT swim and has fear of water in one way or the other and this is in the UNITED STATES ALONE! This statistic does not include the rest of the world. Aquaskills has been reckognized as a place for adults and children to take their first steps to overcoming fear of water,. If you register $98 here is what to expect at your first class...

Lesson Plans for beginners

Fear of Water

After the introductions are made, Goggles and bathing caps purchased, if necessary, the lesson should begin with what is going to happen when the client enters the water. The deck should be used to explain the entire lesson before you enter the water (no more than 5-10 minutes, depending on the clients’ needs). Everything discussed should be demonstrated in the water as well.

Lesson one

     A. Establish your non verbal cues/ demonstrate

1. The importance of straight hands.
2. Gravity and buoyancy./Instructor discusses the body.
3. Safety rules of the facility.
4. Thermal warm-up.
5. Pushing,  pulling and slicing of the water.
6. Breathing techniques. In through the mouth/out through the nose
7. Bobbing and breathing/holding breath/counting exhaling
8. Walking and Breathing/ with a 2 step 3 exhale count
9. How the arms and legs are utilized. 
10. Mid-line.
11. Frontal plane and supine (front and back).
12. Recovery techniques.
13. Short and long term goals.