As you do the hard work of preparing for a new season, we urge coaches to hit the reset button and take a different, technique-first approach. Instead of calculating how you will build yardage, think about how you will build technique. How will you introduce it? Develop it? Demand it at every practice?  This week we turn to Steve Haufler, looking at the first skill he teaches when working on each of the four strokes.

**What to Teach First - Butterfly**

**Step 1 - Butterfly Body Position**

For years, Steve taught butterfly by starting with the kick. He now starts with body position.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/136-butterfly-body-position>

0695 - where we going

2506 - the beginning

4551 - proper positioning

10507 - establish the line

11555 - the goal feel the stretch

14085 - see it

22604 - we don’t get to here

11555 - without here

**What to Teach First - Backstroke**

**Teach Backstroke Body Position**

To teach backstroke body position, Steve has his swimmers start on land.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1267-step-1-teach-backstroke-body-position>

0736 - established the line

2082 - tighten the core

5052 - slightly roll the shoulders

10050 - establish the head position

13056 - take it to the pool

15229 - start the motion

20792 - we don’t get to here

10050 - without here

**What to Teach First - Breaststroke**

**Breaststroke Teaching Progression Step #1:  Teach Breaststroke Body Position**

To teach breaststroke body position, Steve has his swimmers start on land, where he can manipulate the arms, shoulders, head, and torso.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1465-breaststroke-teaching-progression-step-1>

0507 - establish the line

2540 - take it to the pool

4034 - rehearse the line

10185 - like a torpedo

11736 - clean the line

12482 - clean the line

14233 - send for a ride

14887 - submerge and throw

20768 - we don’t get to he 25501re

14887 - without here

**What to Teach First - Freestyle**

**Freestyle #1 - Breath Control and Rhythmic Breathing**

Can every one of your swimmers master this progression of breathing skills? Until they can, they’re likely to swim with tension rather than ease.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1775-lesson-1-breath-control-and-rhythmic-breathing>

1334 - Beautiful breath

3013 - exhale

4165 - starting this process

4848 - feel the air

10344 - establish comfort and confidence

11076 - establish comfort and confidence

11873 - see the air’s power

13018 - feel the air

15161 - feel the pressure

20314 - hear the air

22401 - Play with air

23477 - breathe in while above

23751 - breathe out while below

25501 - we don’t get to hear

22401 - without here

**What to Teach First - Starts**

**Tumbles**

A dive is a controlled surrender of balance. To get swimmers comfortable with this, he starts with tumbling drills on land.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2107-tumbles>

0499 - learn to surrender de gravity

1024 - slight tuck of the head

1468 - aid the swimmer

2074 - make it fun oh 

**What to Teach First - Turns**

**Drills and Tools - To Improve Your Turns**

Swimmers’ turns won’t improve on their own! Turns have to be taught and you need a big toolbox. Steve Haufler has ideas

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/766-drills-and-tools-to-improve-your-turns>

1231 - the rope give a target

4247 - Time the turns use the app

5999 - use fence to increase the speed into the wall

11807 - find a short space and do a lot of turns

13625 - mid pool turns

14460 - timestream lines and breakouts use the app

15306 - mirrors on the bottom

23290 - use creative tools

25893 - distract the students with visuals

32755 - teaching turns by using buoyancy with the hands

32983 - noodles

33455 - pull buoys

34033 - kickboards

35000 - tennis balls

**What to Teach First - All-Strokes**

**What to Teach First… The Progressions**

Body position, kick, arm action, timing, breathing. Steve Haufler’s teaching progression can bring clarity and organization to your efforts at teaching technique.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/419-what-to-teach-first-the-progressions>

1336 - body position first

1927 - teaching kick

2218 - arm action

2593 - timing

3288 - breathing

4955 - demo

10388 - assist the swimmer

11378 - let them try

11800 - give feedback

13279 - repeat the skill

14300 - no when it’s time to switch gears

15166 - do something else

20000 - then come back

Chat:

12:11:50 From Coach Dan . to Glenn Mills(direct message):

Armand Duplantis is one of the best Pole Vaulters ever at the age of 24, when did he start - 4 (maybe ven 3), started as playing around in the backyard

12:12:27 From Coach Dan . to Everyone:

yes

12:19:17 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

Anyone notice how many question there are on the FB forums asking when the new standards are coming out?

12:19:26 From Nicole Linn to Everyone:

Great message!!!!! I would love to have you at our parent meeting!

12:20:30 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

yes and everyone's asking if they'll get slower! the current formula does not allow for that to happen

12:38:59 From Peggy Haykal to Everyone:

I draw on the pool bottom with colored chalk

12:39:48 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

Reacted to "I draw on the pool b..." with ❤️

12:43:06 From Rob McNally to Everyone:

We do front prone float to backwards tuck somersault.

12:44:48 From Wallis Lahtinen-Hicks to Everyone:

where are the mirror instructions., please

12:44:56 From John McGowan to Everyone:

Can we get a link to how to buid the mirror

12:46:05 From Coach Dan . to Glenn Mills(direct message):

Flip turns at a UF practice (14 seconds): https://www.facebook.com/myswimpro/videos/caeleb-dressel-is-a-flip-turn-pro-how-many-could-you-do-before-getting-dizzy-/478102340375298/

12:52:05 From Coach Dan . to Glenn Mills(direct message):

That link is to a practice where they do flip turns, trying to find the link for a different site/page - This is the same video on Dressel's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZK6-KqoVBu/embed/captioned/?cr=1\&v=14\&wp=640\&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fswimswam.com\&rp=%2Fwatch-caeleb-dressel-shows-off-turn-speed%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2595%7D

12:52:31 From Coach Dan . to Glenn Mills(direct message):

Think the distance was about 14 feet

12:53:36 From Monty Krieger to Everyone:

Is there a standard way you can judge when a kid is overloaded with one skill and you should move on to something else?

12:54:33 From Barbara Hummel to Everyone:

For me as a teacher, the tell is when someone Gets It on a 25 and then on the next 25 they lose it. That’s my signal to switch gear or go back in the progression.

12:56:49 From John McGowan to Everyone:

When I taught Physical Eduction majors on how to teach elementary student i told them to use the Seseme Street TV show system. They usually only do 1 letter and 1 number in a 30 mintue show. They only spend 3-5 minutes on a skill and then change to the other skill. They also vary the senses used by doing things like watching, saying and doing (visual, auditory, kinesthetic,).

12:57:22 From Rob McNally to Everyone:

What kind of feedback do you give when they do the skill properly on a Tuesday, then go back to their usual way of doing it the next day? High School team here, so I get them later on in their career.

12:59:07 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

Skills are not learned until they can't do it wrong. At many levels skills must reinforced and repeated daily

12:59:22 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

Reacted to "When I taught Physic..." with ❤️

12:59:34 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

Reacted to "For me as a teacher,..." with ❤️

13:00:13 From Dilip Vaidya to Everyone:

Reacted to Skills are not learn... with "❤️"

13:01:05 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

I switch back and forth amongst skills regularly in order to keep the kids fresh I love the concept of cleansing the palate

13:01:31 From DANA ABBOTT to Everyone:

Reacted to "Skills are not learn..." with 👍

13:01:36 From jason martin to Everyone:

Reacted to "What kind of feedbac..." with 👍

13:01:42 From Kate Le Fevre to Everyone:

Wayne Goldsmith worth looking at on how to engage and develop swimmers

13:01:53 From DANA ABBOTT to Everyone:

Reacted to "I switch back and fo..." with 👏

13:02:41 From Rob McNally to Everyone:

Making changes is difficult. I like that!

13:02:50 From Mark Hesse to Everyone:

Reacted to "Making changes is di..." with ❤️

13:03:21 From DANA ABBOTT to Everyone:

Reacted to "When I taught Physic..." with 👍

13:03:49 From Peggy Haykal to Everyone:

looks like Amazon sells acrylic mirrors

13:03:56 From leon politano to Everyone:

Reacted to "Skills are not learn..." with 👍

13:04:21 From Coach Dan . to Glenn Mills(direct message):

Short pool Flip turn practice at UF with Dressel (his Instagram page) https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZK6-KqoVBu/embed/captioned/?cr=1\&v=14\&wp=640\&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fswimswam.com\&rp=%2Fwatch-caeleb-dressel-shows-off-turn-speed%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2595%7D

13:04:31 From Jennifer Robinson to Everyone:

Would love to see that Paul!

13:04:32 From Monty Krieger to Glenn Mills(direct message):

would you have a minute for a private conversation after?

13:04:39 From Rob McNally to Everyone:

I put a message up on a whiteboard every week. This week's says: The battle isn't in the pool, it's in your mind..

13:04:58 From Greig Cronauer to Glenn Mills(direct message):

Glenn, Can we contact you via e-mail?

13:05:15 From Glenn Mills to Everyone:

glenn@goswim.tv

13:05:24 From DANA ABBOTT to Glenn Mills(direct message):

How to get those cool tshirts???

13:05:51 From Greig Cronauer to Everyone:

Thank you!\\

13:05:53 From Dilip Vaidya to Everyone:

Thanx

13:05:58 From Joshua Preis to Everyone:

thanks!!!!

13:05:59 From Kate Le Fevre to Everyone:

Thanks awesome as always

13:06:03 From Coach Dan . to Everyone:

thank you , bye

13:06:19 From Jeanne DeBonis to Everyone:

Thank you


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Aug. 27, 2024 - Technique First Coaching