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Mirrors

If I had to choose just one teaching tool, it would be mirrors. They are the best thing ever -- better than any amount of underwater video analysis -- because they give instant visual feedback. With a mirror, swimmers see what you see, and can correct their mistakes instantly. Besides that, mirrors are fun, and they work for every level of swimmer... from six-and-under kids... ...to accomplished age-group swimmers... ...to Masters swimmers. Swim mirrors are very safe because they’re not made from glass. They’re made from aluminum or acrylic plastic, and they go on the bottom of the pool and are very durable. The mirrors that I use are eight feet long and four feet wide, and weigh about 25 pounds. You can position them anywhere on the bottom of the pool, and their weight keeps them in place. At our pool we have 9 mirrors. On some days, we put a mirror in each lane. On other days, we put six, seven, or eight mirrors in one lane and we go down and back looking at our strokes right over the mirror. The swimmers see their exact stroke and can make corrections as they swim. The cost of a mirror is just over 100 dollars, but its value as a teaching tool is priceless. A single mirror will transform your ability to teach, especially at the developmental level. We have them in place during all of our lessons. The kids get used to them really fast and love them. And the teachers love them because they get results. When teaching with mirrors, the most important thing to remember is that this is a tool for visual learning. As a teacher or coach, your job is to tell the swimmer what they should see as they pass over the mirror rather than what they should do or feel. Let’s see how this works for teaching streamline, and for teaching the four strokes. RESOURCES Swim Mirrors Check your local Yellow Pages for plastic stores and ask for clear acrylic mirrors. Or contact: Multi-Craft Plastics, Inc. 7298 SW Tech Center Drive Tigard, OR 97223-8046 USA Tel 503-352-0970 Toll Free: 800-488-9030 Contact: Jennifer Fogarty Ask for clear acrylic mirrors. www.multicraftplastics.com Finis 4647-B Las Positas Road Livermore, CA 94551 USA Tel: 925-454-0111 Toll Free: 925-454-0066 www.finisinc.com Clear acrylic mirrors are usually 8 feet X 4 feet and 1/8 inch thick (2440mm X 1220mm X 3mm). Don’t buy the thicker mirrors (1/4 inch or 6 mm). These are too heavy and too expensive. The plastic shop should be able to cut the mirrors to any size. The average price is about $150 US for the standard size (8 feet X 4 feet X 1/8 inch). For safety and to prolong the life of your clear acrylic mirror: 1. Apply 2 coats of Kilz2 water-base latex sealer/primer/stain blocker to the back side of the mirror. Wait a day, then... 2. Apply 1 coat of exterior-grade 100% acrylic semi-gloss house & trim paint. Wait a few days, then... Cover the corners of the mirror with duct tape. Your mirrors are ready to go into the pool. Painting the back of the mirror is not necessary if the bottom of your pool is smooth, but it will keep the coating on the back from getting scratched. Duct tape at the corners is always recommended. Heads, Hands, and Feet Store Supply Warehouse Toll Free: 800-823-8887 www.storesupply.com Does not ship outside USA/Canada. Ask for: Display Head 70121 Style: male suntan Approx. price: $8.95 Women’s Sandal Foot Form 72202 Approx. $5.19 Men’s Hand Form 70203 (left hand) or 70204 (right hand) Approx. $16.95 Swim Doll Check local art-supply stores or search online for artist manikins made from wood. Another option is a plastic doll called LIV Making Waves Jake, available online for about $13.

Freestyle - Position-11 with Mirrors

With a new/old facility, we've tried to make some small adaptations to make sure the swimmers have every opportunity to learn better swimming. Why do it: The focus on this drill is to get the swimmer to understand the complete extension of the lead arm, and to drive it forward while maintaining their kick. How to do it: 1 - Put as many mirrors on the bottom of the pool as you can. We've lined up all six of ours in one lane to give the most viewing opportunity possible. 2 - Use a snorkel if you can, but if not, have the swimmer push off short and swim with the eyes down, not breathing for a few strokes. 3 - Have the swimmer perform Position-11 Freestyle, pausing in Position-11 to see BOTH arms fully extended and straight. 4 - When they take a stroke, have them focus on a continuous kick to DRIVE the non-pulling hand forward. How to do it really well (the fine points) Have the time spent in Position-11 reduce, to the point it feels like normal swimming. During this time, tell the swimmers to focus their eyes on the LEAD HAND. Does it push forward more? Does the arm bend or does it stay STRAIGHT? The IMMEDIATE feedback of the mirrors will save the coach time in explaining concepts, and will empower the athlete to the discovery and feel of what great swimming is.

Mirrors for Freestyle

How do we use mirrors for freestyle? Simple. Start with body position first, and teach “Position Eleven.” The key words and phrases are... “Look straight down at the mirror so you can see directly into your goggles.” “Turn your arms into “railroad tracks.” They should be straight and parallel.” “Get your palms flat, and point your fingers directly forward.” “Be as straight and tall as you can be, with long legs and toes pointed.” Once they get the basic freestyle body position, they add the kick, moving from the hips. From there, we teach a big rainbow-type stroke with a straight-arm recovery that comes back like this to a full Position Eleven. When you teach the pull, have them look for the forearm to go vertical as the elbow pops up... ...or for the hand to press water back toward the edge of the same leg. In the mirror, swimmers can see the hip roll out as the hand approaches it. And they can see their arm as it recovers big and straight over the water.” To keep their stroke nice and extended, tell them to keep an eye on the lead arm and make sure it continues to glide right near the surface...until the pulling arm gets back to Position Eleven.” When it comes to teaching freestyle breathing, mirrors are totally fun and very effective. Tell them to look straight at the mirror and watch for bubbles coming out of their nose. Make the bubbles come out in a long steady stream. When they add the arms, the visual cue is... “See your arm come past mid-way before turning your body and head to breathe.” “See your face back in the mirror before you see the pulling arm enter the water.”

Mirrors for Butterfly

For teaching butterfly, we start over the mirror and we start with the butterfly float. Mirrors will help your swimmers achieve this position in record time. Some key phrases are... “Look straight down and see your eyes.” “Adjust your arms till they’re straight and extended forward just outside your shoulders.” “Get your arms higher than your ears. You want to SEE your ears.” “Hold your legs together and keep them LONG.” When you teach the pull, get them to look for the diamond... ... the “angel”... ...and for nice straight arms as they swing around just above the water. And, yes, they can see them over the water. When you start to teach body dolphin, start with hands at the sides. Keep the swimmer looking into the mirror so they can see their face at all times as they press and release. Tell them to watch for their legs to stay together, and for their feet to stay under the water with toenails pressing down. When they progress to arms in front, they look for the same things -- face always visible, legs together, feet in the water. The mirror keeps them engaged through the whole process and, if you are precise with your instructions and can tell them exactly what to look for, you’ll get very fast results.

Mirrors for Streamline

Mirrors are essential for teaching streamline. Place your mirror on the bottom of the pool, several yards from the wall where the swimmer will push off. Explain the streamline position that you want to see, and get the swimmer to demonstrate this position while standing near the wall. Now describe what the swimmer will see when he pushes off and glides across the mirror. Don’t overload them. Pick just one or two things at a time. You might say, “I want you to see your eyes and your entire face as you glide over the mirror.” Or...”Watch for one hand flat on the water, because the other hand should be on top of the other hand.” Or... “See your arms squeezing tight against the side of your head.” Or... See your legs long and extended, with feet together and toes pointed.” Whatever your definition is for a perfect streamline, tell them what they will see, and phrase it in positive terms, rather than saying “Don’t do this...or don’t do that.” Remember: Mirrors reinforce visual learning, so give instructions that tell your swimmers what to see and what to watch for.

Mirrors for Backstroke

Mirrors are great for fixing one of the most common stroke problems in backstroke: over-reaching. To fix this, stand at the end of the lane and hold a mirror so the swimmer can see into it as they swim. They may need to tilt their head forward a bit to see the mirror, but what they see will usually amaze them. Most swimmers don’t believe they are over-reaching, but when you can prove it to them with a mirror, it makes a big impression. If you have a smaller mirror, you can hold it over the top of the swimmer as they swim along the edge of the pool. Just be careful about falling in. Every coach and swim instructor needs at least one mirror. They may seem a bit odd at first, but I guarantee that once you start using them, you’ll wish you could cover your entire pool with them. Mirrors are the most effective tool you can use in teaching kids and adults...and getting them to learn things fast. We store our mirrors in a sheetrock rack that was donated to us by a construction worker. He painted it and put some padding on it, and we stack them up. You can also lean the mirrors against a wall, but mainly you will want them in the pool as part of every lesson or practice.

Mirrors for Breaststroke

When I teach breaststroke, I always start with body position, and mirrors are a super tool for getting fast results. We start in the breaststroke float position, and we call it the missile position, which is different from streamline. Your key phrases for teaching this are... “See your palms flat, with index fingers and/or thumbs touching, and fingers pointed straight ahead.” “See your arms squeezing the side of your head...eliminate any water space between your arms and head.” “See all of your face in the mirror.” “See your legs long and extended, with feet together and toes pointed.” When you teach breaststroke kick, get them to look for the feet to do the same thing on both sides... ....or for the knees to stay in the same place as the feet circle and squeeze.... As you progress to the pull, then breathing and timing, your cues and instructions should always be visual. For example: “Turn your whole body into a “Y” by pressing out with your arms.” “Scoop in with your arms and watch the thumbs attack your face.” “Watch for your arms to be back in the missile position, before you finish your kick.