Swimmer Penny Heyns .... Olympic Gold Medalist .... post 52

Every Swimming Champion learned the basic, progressive and advanced swimming skills shared with you on Swimming Guidance for all Ages

During the year 2007 I approached South African Olympic Swimmers for a comment in support of the knowledge shared with you

Penny Heyns Swimmer / Professional Speaker and Zelda van Vuuren Manager, kindly replied to my request. Penny ( http://omnishare.com/home.html )  gave me permission to use the image taken of her during her induction speech at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Ft. Lauderdale Florida USA

 

 

As an international swimmer Penny Heyns established herself as the world’s greatest female breaststroker of all time by becoming the only woman in Olympic history to win both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events and by breaking 14 individual world records during her career. Winner of two Olympic gold medals at Atlanta in 1996 Penny is the first woman in history to hold all three world records in the  50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events

16 August 2007

Dear Arlene    

Please forgive us for our very tardy reply. We travel extensively and thus don’t have much time to peruse websites.

We did however have a look at yours and found it to be very interesting and informative. Water Safety is a fundamental life skill and as such your website serves as a very important resource for all who need instruction and inspiration to be safe and have fun in a healthy way.

Well done and keep up the good work!

Kind regards and God bless,

Zelda van Vuuren and Penny Heyns

www.pennyheyns.com

Swimming Skills – Play & Pick up / Diving for sinkable Toys / some Games .... post 51

We focus on under water skills

The basic swimming skills we have learned, practiced regularly give us opportunity as an individual to take on challenges, participate in games in water as part of a group. We too can create games, set greater challenges for ourselves merely as an individual to develop skills in water sport or activities which are mainly under water

Skills of breath holding, eyes open, efficient kicking, bending and turning the body, standing, recovering the feet from the horizontal body position, using a hand by holding onto a step, side of a swimming pool or onto the ‘broomstick’ are progressive from the basic skills

Be sure that we understand which is left or right or both hands. That the toys to be picked up are familiar, the usual toys we have been playing with can be identified by name, shape and colour. Now suggest one or a combination of the following challenges. When and where necessary support by using the ‘hand holding technique’ first then encourage independent attempts of the skills

©      While in the ‘crocodile walk’ position lying on the step reach forward with the left hand to collect one toy then the next one with the right hand

 

 

©      In the same position take a ‘big breath’, with the face in the water reach with the left hand for a specific colour or shape toy. Repeat the exact action with the other hand

 

©     In the same position take a ‘big breath’, with the face in the water reach forward with both hands to pick up a toy in each hand or pick up one toy with both hands

 

©      Stand in shallow water. Repeat each of the above actions when bending forward

 

©      Move down onto a deeper step to repeat each of the above actions. Progress to picking up one toy with both hands or one at a time pick up a few toys with the face in the water

©      Holding a toy in each hand, ‘big breath’, bend forward with the face in the water, put one toy down onto the bottom then the other

 

©      When diving down to pick up a toy using the ‘hand holding technique’ pick up a toy with the free hand then change over to pick up a toy with the other hand. These practices encourage us to use each side of the body, to turn back either to the left or to the right

 

©      When we stand in deep water that is shallow enough for the head to be above the water surface then bend forward to pick up a toy we push against the depth and resistance of the water which causes us to lift the lower body / hips and legs up to the surface of the water. We are upside down. This technique causes us to dive down deeper. The challenge to pick up the submerged toy teaches us determination, ‘breath holding’, to overcome fear of depth, achievement of reaching a ‘goal’. The challenges set in the previous stages can now be attempted in the deeper water

 

©      Hold onto a step, the side of the pool or the ‘broomstick’, take a ‘big breath’, with the face

      in the water look for then reach for a toy which is on a step. Change hands to repeat this 

      skill 

 

 

 

 
 

During these challenges we will discover many other little games ....