Learn Freestyle Breathing
At least 10 meters of flutter kick with side breathing. One arm is stretched forward, while the other rests alongside the body. Throughout the exercise, side breathing is performed at least three times. Each side breath involves a shoulder rotation. This exercise helps develop proper freestyle breathing technique.
Preparation Exercises
Hands down / only turn to the side
In this exercise, the body rotates 90 degrees in both directions, both from the prone and supine position. The hands remain at the sides of the body. In a further step, a complete rotation is performed while maintaining the lateral hand position. This makes it easier to correct the water position on the back and return to the starting position after the 90-degree turn. The change of direction during the body rotation promotes body control in the water.
Flutter kick with board
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 enables the learner to return to a comfortable position in the water without any problems after a turn. The board prevents the face from remaining under water after the turn. However, turning onto the back requires a stronger body rotation to turn the board over. This exercise trains this more intensive rotation.
Fins
For significant difficulties with water feel, when the child struggles with the kick despite having straight legs and relaxed feet, I recommend practicing with fins. Fins help facilitate the correct foot position by providing a stronger response from the water. Start with a mat and a kickboard. Use short fins that are only slightly longer than the foot, as the movement with long fins is different and less suitable for this purpose.
Häufige Fehler
Breathing on the side without rotation.
Many children understand that side breathing is essential for this exercise, but they fail to realize that it requires shoulder rotation. As a result, they attempt to breathe by tilting their head to the side without rotating their body, often lifting their head forward slightly and twisting unnaturally to the side. This posture looks awkward and, over time, can harm the spine. Clear communication is crucial here. If the child has successfully completed the preparatory exercises multiple times, they should already have the ability to rotate their body. For this reason, emphasizing the importance of shoulder rotation cannot be repeated often enough.
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Breathing forward
Many children struggle to understand the need for shoulder rotation. Additionally, they are accustomed to breathing forward from previous exercises, such as the "motorboat" drill. This mistake often stems from poor communication, as children may not grasp that side breathing is the key element of the exercise. For this reason, emphasizing the importance of side breathing cannot be repeated enough. Alternatively, it could simply be that they are unable to perform it correctly yet. In such cases, the previously mentioned exercises can help.
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