Swimming in Clothing

This video is a three-year-old student who is about to graduate from the ISR program. She is in her sixth week. She is completing a skills test in winter clothing. Posture is very important to us. We teach our students to swim in a horizontal posture with eyes open and face in the water. This makes it easier for them to rollback into the correct floating position. It is a great prerequisite for learning stroke as well, because they have learned the correct swimming postures. Swimming in clothing is difficult because the saturated clothing is heavy and the currents feel different to the student. We always swim the students in their clothes when they are fully skilled to insure that they have become aquatic problem solvers. Because swimming in clothing is difficult, the student may resort to some vertical posture. That is why we will swim the last couple of lessons in regular swim attire to perfect their posture. You would have never guessed that when this little girl first began lessons, she was completely vertical from wearing floaties, and she did not want to open her eyes or get her hair/head wet! She has done marvelous!

Gift Certificates!

Gift Certificates are now available for ISR lessons! Contact your local instructor to find out details. To find your local instructor, go to http://www.infantswim.com/

Disposition

Parents often have concerns about their children crying during the lessons. Each child is different and they all have unique dispositions. Some do cry and some don't. The baby above never cried in his lessons. As a matter of fact, he cried when he got out of the pool! He loved being in the water. However, for those that do cry, we would like to assure our parents that their child is not being harmed in any way. The crying usually occurs the first week or during the first few days of lessons. The crying takes place because the child is learning a new skill, in a new environment, and with a new person. Also, what is happening is not taking place on the child's terms. This could be compared to putting a child in a car seat for the first time. He might cry, but would that keep you from putting him in it? Usually, as the child builds trust with his instructor and begins to learn his new skills, he beams with self-confidence and the crying ceases. Parents play a big part in their child's success by being patient and supportive. Little ones are quite in-tune with the facial expressions on their parents faces. A smile and clapping can go a long way! We strive to make precious children aquatic problem solvers. Nothing is scarier than teaching a child to play in and love the water without supplying them the skills they need to be safe. We want our students to love the water, but more importantly we want them to be able to survive if they were to suddenly face a tragic situation.

How'd he do that??

When babies are about to graduate the ISR program, we conduct a series of tests that simulates what a child would experience if he fell into a body of water. Never do we throw a child in the pool or expect them to perform a task if they are not skilled to do so. All children must pass these small skills tests before they can graduate the program. Once they have mastered the skills they are tested in their regular clothing and regular diaper if not potty trained. The beauty is, that the child is taught to respond to the stimulus of the water and its currents. All teaching methods are backed by scientific theory. It is so interesting and amazing! This video is an 8-month-old who has been in the program for four weeks. In the second video he takes a few seconds to rollback. Reason being, he is looking for and can see his instructor. When he sees that she is out of his proximity he handles his situation appropriately. If he were alone and fell into the water, he would instantly rollback because he would know that no one would be there to help him. Instructors are always watching and assessing the child. We have numerous safety protocols that we enforce to insure our students are taught in the safest most efficient manner.

No matter how many times I see it, it still amazes me!

Welcome!

Welcome to Swim ISR! We are certified instructors who teach aquatic survival and self-rescue instruction to infants and children in the Middle Tennessee area. We have created this blog page to showcase our wonderful students and keep parents updated on the latest ISR news and happenings. For those of you who are not familiar with ISR please check out http://www.infantswim.com/. Infant Swimming Resource is an outstanding drowning prevention program developed by Dr. Harvey Barnett and has earned 100% safety record. Backed by over 40 years of research and development, the ISR program is safe and effective. We are passionate about this program and are eager to share it with our community!