Are there any tricks or suggestions for teaching a child how to somersault in the water? A few of my children cannot perform my flip-turn progressions because they are not proficient at flipping in the water.
Nothing seems to stick despite my attempts to convince them to jump off the wall and flip, the same off the bottom, and my jumping in the water and physically dragging them through the flip.
One particularly challenging group of tweens I coached resisted all my usual strategies that had been effective with previous groups. Despite my efforts, these 11–12-year-olds refused to flip, whether on land or in the water. It felt reminiscent of a failed attempt at reading Green Eggs and Ham. Eventually, two methods broke through: having them stand in shoulder-deep water with a buoy in front, instructing them to use only their chests to push the buoy underwater; and using the imagery of pushing off the wall (away from it) as if going over a waterfall, which naturally led them to tuck their chins and flip. One swimmer even expressed frustration at being tricked into flipping.
I recall learning how to grip those small pool toys like diving rings to keep my hands together and execute a dolphin kick into the somersault. Those were the moments when everything seemed to click, and suddenly I could nail a flip-turn. Before that, it was quite messy and a bit of a struggle, haha . I think I was around nine or ten years old at the time.
For 15 years as a coach, my approach has consistently begun with dry-land straight leg-toe touches. Transitioning into the water, we start with a front float, followed by toe touches and snapping the legs over. This method has consistently proven successful for me.