Anonymous wrote:Op here. I may have been unclear, the floaters in my thought were to help get him properly floating to get a feel for his positioning. To feel what it’s like to actually try real strokes. He isn’t floating yet. I believe it’s the holding breath to stay up that’s causing it. When he’s on the noodle he is floating but to get the feeling for longer. I assumed these were better. But also cautious that he may assume he can float without them. With his lack of fear, that part scared me and his interest in the deep end.
We moved from group lessons to 1:1 lessons as he has a very high energy level and as mentioned, wants to try his own swim strokes/positions that are not the ones being taught. So there’s trying to align him to actual swimming not necessarily the creative interpretation.
I was thinking floaters would give his instructor and/or I the chance to have him floating longer than on the noodle and work on the breath control.
With the inhaling/breathing - he can take a deep breath but he lets the breath out before we goes under. Then he goes under and she will say did you inhale the water and say “cough cough”, he sometimes will sputter a cough then dive right back under but the breath holding and letting it out and these sputters make us believe he’s not holding the breath. Take the bobs for instance - he inhales, full mouth protrudes out, then he will let that air out so fast then dip under and he’s back up and blows out nose then dips again. It happens so fast that we aren’t sure but suspecting he is but he also has no reaction like we do to inhaling water where you need a moment to collect yourself and cough for longer. There’s the occasional sputter but the same inhale lets it go in that exact moment then dips.
I posted earlier and maintain that using a float device is not recommended, you are going to prolong his growth and learning opportunity here. I have been a swimmer all my life, my kids are year-round swimmers and I have taught lessons. You can work on breath work without the float, have patience and keep up with the lessons. Good luck!