The head, which is made of Styrofoam and costs about $10, is a visual aid that makes your demonstrations more effective.  It takes the pressure off of you as the teacher and...surprisingly...takes the pressure off the kids.

This is because kids would rather not look at you.  It has nothing to do with how you look...it’s just that they can listen better when they don’t look directly at you.

If you take The Head in the water...first of all...it’s kind of funny, and it will definitely get their attention.

You can use it to talk about neutral head position on freestyle...and where you want the swimmer’s eyes to be looking.

You can do the same for butterfly and can say something like, “Chris, I notice every time you do butterfly you go way down like this and way up like this and way down like this.

And I move The Head around and they start cracking up and it keeps them relaxed and they pay attention.

So on butterfly, you can show them and say, “I want you to feel like your face is on a skateboard, and as you pull you are moving forward like this...

...and when you breathe on butterfly, let’s try to move forward so you are angled like this and looking at the water.

For backstroke, The Head can show the swimmer exactly what they’re doing wrong and exactly what you’d like them to do.

You can say, “Sandy, every time you swim backstroke and your left hand goes in the water, you are doing this.  Why is that?  And then when you go into the wall…what is all this business?”

You can say all these things because you are talking about The Head, and the kid doesn’t take it so personally, but they get the message and they get a powerful visual cue.  

You can use The Head to teach side breathing for freestyle.

Let’s say you’re working side breathing with a young swimmer and they keep lifting their head to breathe.

You can position The Head so that the swimmer is looking directly at The Head when they turn to breathe.  If they do it right they will start cracking up because they are staring at this guy.  And then when their face goes back in the water they’ll be blowing bubbles automatically because they’re laughing.  

You can show them exactly the position you’re looking for.

You can even give The Head to the swimmer and let them show you the correct breathing positions.   It’s just one more way to reinforce the message of correct technique.

One idea that I got from a coach named Steve Marcelli is to put a pencil in the top of The Head.  There is a feeling about this pencil – this extension – that helps people.

For example, you can tell them to keep the pencil in the water when they breathe.  They immediately get the visual.  They see it.  

How about on butterfly?  You could tell the swimmer, “When you pull, keep your pencil in the water.  Don’t let it tilt UP.  When you pull, the pencil should go straight forward.” 
 
No matter what stroke problem you’re trying to correct, if the swimmer can see the problem, and see what the goal is, they are one step closer to doing it correctly.  

The uses are endless, and you will come up with new ones without too much trouble. Teaching is all about making an impression, and The Head – believe me – makes a very big impression.  


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The Head