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Getting an independently swim rollover is essential to swimming. While some kids maybe able to swim several feet without taking a breath, they must learn how to get air to be able to swim longer distances and to be safer around the water.
There are four reasons why teaching rollover breath is important for your kids
- First, it is safer than a front breath because it allows your kids to rest in a back float if they get tired.
- Second, it allows your kids to maintain a good horizontal swimming position and forward momentum.
- Third, allows your kids to swim long distance efficiency.
- Fourth, to prepare your kids better to learn strokes.
To mastered the back float is essential to be able to do independently rollover breath, therefore to practice independently back float is important for your kids. Once they mastered the back float, you can continue to teach them the rollover breath with arms movement (reach and pull or windmill arm movement).
To teach rollover breath with reach and pull or elementary arm movement to your kids, you need to practice the arm movement and the rollover breath separately several times, and put the skills together after few exercises.
The rollover breath uses back float, not he back glide, to help your kids to find their buoyancy in the water, especially for kids who their kick is not yet efficiency or coordinated enough for them to be able to use their back glide effectively in a rollover breath.
Some kids are not physically capable of floating because they have lower body fat percentage or more muscle mass. If this happens to your kids, you should teach your kids the back glide earlier since they cannot back float and use the back glide instead of back float.
How to practice to make your kids able to do independent rollover breath
Put one of your hands of their head and another one hand on their chest or shoulder, and flip them into their back, supporting their head in your hand.
Make sure your kids have a correct back float position with their eyes looking back at you and their arms and legs still and underwater.
Watch them to make sure that your kids have taken a breath, say “Ready, go” and flip them back, letting go, and allowing the child to swim independently for foot or so.
It is very important to say “Ready, go”, before flipping your kids back over, because it is the signals to your kids to close their mouth again.
Use your hand on the back of their head to ensure that the head and body rotate right at the surface of the water.
When performing the rollover breath from streamline kick, your kids should let their arms come down to their sides when they begin the roll.
Once your kids are comfortable with your assisting, work to transition them to doing it independently.