True Comfort — The FLOW Way
At FLOW Aquatics Swim School, we do things a little differently. In addition to teaching our students the most advanced and innovative swimming techniques, we help them find true comfort in the water. Please let us explain…
We have a saying: some kids are “cats” in the water and some kids are “dogs.”
These pictures make it easy to see the difference!
Even children who enjoy the water, are not afraid to go underwater, and/or can swim from point A to point B, may not be truly comfortable in the water.
Children can learn to swim without feeling truly comfortable, but if they are taught ways to address fears and move through the water with ease, the journey is more enjoyable for them.
What does True Comfort Look Like?
Children who are truly comfortable in the water are calm, relaxed and move slowly. Fast movements, such as pulling and kicking with lots of splashes or powering through the water, do not reflect true comfort. Instead, these responses reflect a human instinct (or “land animal instinct” – as we like to call it) when in the water. Children may think: “If I don’t move, I’m going to fall. I have to power through this to get where I want to go!”
At FLOW, we use our favorite water animal, the turtle, to teach about true comfort. We explain to the kids: if you move slowly like a turtle, keep your body soft and learn to hold your breath like the turtle, you will be able to move through the water with ease – like the turtle. The children learn to swim mindfully (with awareness and focused attention) rather than mindlessly (with panic and/or fear).
Foundations of True Comfort
Over the next several weeks, as part of our Fish Out of Water Program, we will provide you and your “Turtles In Training” with activities to practice the 3 foundational concepts for our True Comfort approach:
Body Awareness
Breath Awareness
Calm Body
We are excited to share this program with you so you and your children can practice our True Comfort swimming skills at home!
The True Comfort approach is the FLOW Way…
