I have a problem – swimming teaching problems and what to try

Confidence & first steps

Nervous in the water – Tense, clingy or reluctant to join in; may cry or refuse to leave the steps.
Won't put face in water – Keeps the chin up and avoids any contact between the face and the water.
Doesn't like water over head – Becomes upset when water runs over the head or face.
Relies heavily on buoyancy aids – Unwilling to try anything without armbands, noodles or floats.
Afraid to let go of the wall – Will move along the wall but refuses to let go of it.
Scared of jumping in – Anxious about entering the water from the side without the steps.
Swallows water or comes up coughing – Breathes in rather than out when the face is near or in the water.
Won't open eyes underwater – Keeps eyes tightly shut under the water, so can't find objects or the wall.

Struggles to float on back – Sits up, lifts the head or grabs for support when lying back.
Legs sink during back float – Hips drop and the body folds into a sitting position during a back float.
Struggles to float on front – Cannot hold a flat position on the front; feet go straight back to the floor.
Cannot recover from float to standing – Panics or rolls when trying to get the feet back onto the floor from a float.
Struggles to travel independently – Needs to hold the wall, a helper or the teacher to move around.
Poor body position – Head high, hips low or body bent, making movement hard work.
Kicks from the knees – Bends at the knees in a cycling action instead of kicking from the hips.
Can't roll between front and back – Stands up, twists or panics when trying to turn from front to back or back to front.
Arms and legs not working together – Stops kicking when the arms move, or the arm and leg actions fight each other.
Poor sculling control – Hands flap or push down instead of making small, steady figure-of-eight movements.

Head lifts when swimming on the front – Lifts the head to look forwards, making the hips and legs drop.
Poor front crawl breathing – Lifts the head forwards to breathe, holds the breath or stops swimming to breathe.
Front crawl: lifts head forwards to breathe – Lifts the head to the front to breathe, so the hips and legs drop and the stroke stalls.
Front crawl: holds breath – Holds the breath under the water then tries to breathe out and in during the short breathing window.
Front crawl: breathes too late – Turns to breathe after the arm has already recovered, so the breath is rushed and the arm pauses.
Front crawl: hands cross the centre line – Hands enter across the head, making the body snake from side to side.
Front crawl: overreaches on entry – Slaps the hand in far in front with a straight arm instead of entering fingertips-first and extending under the water.
Front crawl: legs sink – Hips and legs drop low, often from a lifted head or a weak kick.
Front crawl: little or no body rotation – Swims flat, making breathing and recovery awkward.
Front crawl: stops kicking when breathing – Legs pause each time the swimmer breathes.
Front crawl: breathes every stroke – Needs a breath every arm stroke, often because air is held rather than breathed out.
Front crawl: arm recovery too wide – Swings the arm round wide and low, pulling the body off line.

Hips sink when swimming on the back – Sits in the water on the back, with head lifted and hips low.
Backstroke: knees break the surface – Kicks by bending at the knees so they pop out of the water.
Backstroke: head moves too much – Head rocks side to side or lifts, throwing the body off line.
Backstroke: hands enter too wide – Hands enter out to the side, well wide of the shoulders.
Backstroke: arms cross the centre line – Hands enter behind the head, making the hips swing.
Backstroke: little or no rotation – Stays flat, so the arm action is short and the shoulders strain.
Backstroke: pauses between arms – Waits with one arm by the side instead of continuous, opposite arm movement.
Backstroke: bent-arm recovery – Arm bends as it comes over the water instead of recovering straight.
Backstroke: weak kick – Kick is slow, small or stops, so the hips sink.

Loses streamline on push and glide – Pushes off with arms apart, head up or body curled, so the glide stops quickly.
Weak push from the wall – Push-off lacks power – feet too high or low, or the body is not tucked and aimed.
Poor turns – Stops at the wall, turns slowly or pushes off without a streamline.

Stops and stands up after a few metres – Can swim a short way but keeps standing up to breathe or rest.
Technique falls apart over distance – Good technique over a width, but the stroke shortens and the kick fades over longer swims.
Tires quickly – Starts too fast or swims with too much effort and has to stop.

Breaststroke feet turning inward – Kicks with pointed or inward-turned feet so the breaststroke kick has little push.
Breaststroke: scissor kick – Legs do different things – one sweeps sideways – instead of a symmetrical kick.
Breaststroke: knees too wide – Knees splay far apart so the kick pushes water sideways.
Breaststroke: knees pulled under the body – Draws the knees up under the tummy, creating drag and dropping the hips.
Breaststroke: no glide – Starts the next pull straight after kicking, so the kick's push is wasted.
Breaststroke: glide too long – Glides until almost stopped, then has to restart from nothing.
Breaststroke: poor timing – Arms, breath and legs are out of order.
Breaststroke: kick and pull happen together – Arms and legs work at the same moment, so they cancel each other out.
Breaststroke: arms pull too far back – Pulls down to the hips, then struggles to recover the arms forwards.
Breaststroke: head lifts too high – Lifts the head and shoulders high to breathe and keeps the head up in the glide.

Butterfly: no rhythm – Arms, kick and breathing have no repeating pattern.
Butterfly: only one kick – Kicks once per arm cycle instead of twice.
Butterfly: arms can't recover over the water – Arms drag through the water or stop at the hips on the recovery.
Butterfly: lifts head and shoulders too high to breathe – Lifts the whole upper body to breathe, so the hips sink and the stroke stalls.
Butterfly: poor body wave – Body stays stiff, or the wave starts at the knees rather than the chest.
Butterfly: breathes too late – Lifts to breathe after the arms have started to recover.
Butterfly: hands enter too wide – Hands land wide of the shoulders, weakening the catch.
Butterfly: can't coordinate arms and kick – Kick and arms happen at random times or the kick stops when the arms move.

Finds treading water difficult – Sinks or tires quickly when trying to stay upright in deep water.
Nervous in deep water – Confident in shallow water but anxious when the floor is out of reach.