Swimming Guidance learn/teach skills Module 4 'crocodile walk' .... post 25

The 'crocodile walk' teaches us to move in various directions. With wide open flat hands, asymmetrically, we pull our body forwards from one side of the step to the other. In the same way we push our body backwards without look backwards. This fun skill can be learned and practised in any shallow water  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AxY-lF8utA   http://swimmingguidance.blogspot.com/2013/12/swimming-guidance-learnteach-skills.html post 21

Our legs are relaxed and straight out behind us, our body floats in the water. When we lose our balance while pulling forwards or pushing backwards our reflex is to spread our legs to recover balance. Regular practice of the ‘crocodile walk’ teaches us to use our hips and all the muscles attached to the hips and abdomen to maintain balance. We learn how to feel the core muscles of the body, their action and reaction. We develop the correct body position required for the various swimming strokes and for forward or back floating skills.

In a larger area, move to the right and back again, then to the left and back again. This challenge teaches us to ‘think’ and ‘feel’ our direction of moving to the left and then to the right without looking to the left or to the right.
 

Set a challenge to do the ‘crocodile walk’ in all directions with the eyes closed ....
 

If we tried to be technical, tried to explain all that is learned from this skill we’ll create confusion, not be understood, so we just do not teach the obvious. We keep our teaching methods simple, fun, yet functional. We encourage and motivate
 

The ‘crocodile walk’ stimulates using the palms and fingers of the hands, the arms, the shoulders adjusting balance of the body during the forward and backward movement. Thought, senses and sensations are being developed. We set a short term goal which has a short term achievement
 

Learning and orientation in this safe area builds trust, self confidence and familiarity in water. The unexplained skills and the progressions which follow when we combine other learned skills like blowing bubbles while ‘walking like a crocodile’ will be easy when the basic skill is proficient ....