Manor House Barn

🦋 It’s Butterfly Week at MHB! 🏊

Watch our instructors Izzy perform butterfly stroke and look out for the key parts of the technique.

Butterfly can be a tricky stroke to master, and these are some of the common mistakes we often see with our swimmers:

🐬 Legs – the legs should stay together, creating a dolphin or mermaid-like movement as they flick up and down. There are two kicks to one arm cycle.

🌊 Body position – butterfly uses an undulating movement, with the body moving smoothly through the water like a mermaid rather than staying flat or becoming too upright.

🙌 Arms – we often see bent elbows during recovery. The arms should come straight and round over the surface of the water.

💦 Timing & glide – like breastroke, swimmers can sometimes rush the stroke and miss the glide between each cycle. Glides are at least 2 seconds long.

😮‍💨 Breathing – lifting too high can interrupt the rhythm and body position.

With our younger swimmers, we often start with dolphin first. Once they’ve developed a strong, flowing dolphin technique, we can gradually introduce the arms and build towards the full butterfly stroke. 🦋💙

Ever wondered what happens after the whistle? 🏊‍♀️

Watch one of our instructors, Gina, demonstrate a breaststroke start! 🏊‍♀️

A strong breaststroke start helps swimmers carry speed from the wall, maintain a streamlined position and make the most of the underwater phase before beginning their stroke.

The stages:
1️⃣ Push and glide underwater in streamline position
2️⃣ Keyhole pull
3️⃣ Breastroke kick to the surface
4️⃣ Into full stroke

Mastering these steps helps swimmers swim more efficiently and can make a big difference in both training and races! 💪

Stay safe this summer ☀️

This one of our parent and baby lessons in action and this 6month old is practicing her rotation skills 👶

Why This Super-Skill is a Game-Changer! 🌟

Life-saving safety 🛡️: Drowning is a leading cause of accidental injury in toddlers.

Flips to breathe 🔄: Rolling onto the back keeps the mouth and nose clear of water.

Buys vital time ⏱️: It allows a baby to breathe comfortably until help arrives.

Saves precious energy 💤: Floating takes very little effort compared to struggling.

Beats heavy clothes 🧥: This skill works even if wet clothes are weighing them down.

Fights off panic 🧘: It teaches babies to stay calm if they fall in unexpectedly.

Ultimate peace of mind ❤️: It adds a critical extra layer of safety for your family.

🤿 DIVE PROGRESSIONS 🤿

Diving is an important skill that helps swimmers develop confidence, coordination and a safe, efficient entry into the water. While a racing dive can look advanced, it starts by mastering the basics first! 💪

🎥 Our very own Gina demonstrates the progression:

🔹 Sitting dive

🔹 Kneeling dive

🔹 Standing dive from a streamlined position

🔹 Standing dive from a track start

By breaking skills down into smaller, manageable drills, swimmers can build confidence, improve technique and develop a safe, powerful dive into the water. 🌊✨

Remember, every great dive starts with the fundamentals! 🏊‍♀️🤿