Roel D.

Cayme BPE-SPE 3D June 7, 2017

Water Safety Precautions

Pool:

Check local ordinances and codes for safety requirements.

Use non-slip materials on the pool deck, diving board and ladders.
The steps of the pool ladder should be at least three inches wide, and
the ladder should have handrails on both sides small enough for a child
to grasp. There should be a ladder at both ends of the pool.
Electrical equipment should be installed by a licensed electrician in
accordance with local safety codes.
Check with a professional pool contractor to be sure the depth is
sufficient for a diving board or slide. Always put a slide in a deep area
of the pool-- never in shallow water.
There should be a fence at least six feet high around all sides of the
pool with a locked gate to keep children out when there is no
supervision and the fence should be constructed so it is difficult to
climb. Lawn furniture, trees and shrubs should not be close enough to
provide an easy boost over the fence. Avoid using a side of the house
in place of fencing to keep toddlers or pets from wandering into the
pool area through an open door or window.
Mark water depths conspicuously. Use a safety float line where the
bottom slope deepens.
Above-ground pools: Install sturdy guard rails around the pool deck.
Look for rolled rims on the metal shell to be sure the rims do not
present a sharp cutting edge if someone falls. The access ladder to the
deck should be sturdy and without protruding bolts or other sharp
edges. The access ladder should swing up to prevent children from
unauthorized entry or should be easily removable for secure storage
away from the pool area.
Check the pool and equipment periodically for cleanliness and good
maintenance. Cover all sharp edges and protruding bolts; repair
rickety or broken ladders and railings. Replace non-slip materials when
they wear out.
Teach children to float or swim as soon as possible.
Always provide competent adult supervision when the pool is in use.
No one should ever swim alone.
Caution children against showing off and playing rough and explain the
dangers of running and diving recklessly.
Never push others into the pool.
 When using water slides, always go feet first.
Before diving or sliding, check to be sure that other swimmers are out
of the way.
Keep rescue devices and first aid supplies near the pool.
Teach children what to do in case of emergency. An alarm bell that
could summon help would be a good idea.
Keep electrical appliances such as radios out of the pool area because
of the hazard of electrical shock.
Never swim after drinking alcoholic beverages, eating, or taking
medications.

Sea / Ocean:

Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast

Guard-approved life jackets in and the around water. No one should
use any other type of floatation device unless they are able to swim.
Dont dive headfirstprotect your neck. Check for depth and
obstructions before diving, and go in feet first the first time.
Pay especially close attention to children and elderly persons when at
the beach. Even in shallow water, wave action can cause a loss of
footing.
Keep a lookout for aquatic life. Water plants and animals may be
dangerous. Avoid patches of plants. Leave animals alone.
If you are caught in a rip current, stay calm and dont fight the
current.
Swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Once you
are free, turn and swim toward shore.
If you can't swim to the shore, float or tread water until you are free of
the rip current and then head toward shore.
If you feel you cant make it to the shore, draw attention to yourself
by waving and calling for help.
Stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties. Permanent rip
currents often exist near these structures.
If someone is in trouble in the water, get help from a lifeguard. If a
lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1.Throw the victim
something that floats a lifejacket, cooler, inflatable ball and yell
instructions on how to escape the current.
When at the beach, check conditions before entering the water. Check
to see if any warning flags are up or ask a lifeguard about water
conditions, beach conditions, or any potential hazards.
Swim in an area monitored by lifeguards and obey all signal flags.
Always swim in groups and avoid secluded beaches
Avoid the water at night, dawn or dusk
 Avoid wearing shiny jewelry in the water
Don't swim in waters being fished or around fishing piers
Don't dive. Go feet first
Know your swimming ability and stay close to shore
Swim with care near sandbars or steep drop-offs
Never leave children unattended.

Beach Safety Flags:

Red Do not enter the water, high hazard

Yellow General warning flag, medium

hazard

Red/Yellow Recommended swimming area,

lifeguard patrolled swimming zone

Orange No inflatable to be used on the

(coned wind sock) water, offshore winds present

Black/White Surfboard and other watercraft

boundary

Red/White Emergency evacuation

River:

Be aware of water and weather conditions:

Unexpected changes in air or water temperature.

Fast-moving currents, waves and rapids, even in shallow water.
Hazards, such as dams, underwater obstacles, or rocks or debris
moving on the surface or along the bottom of the water.
Aquatic life, such as vegetation that could entangle feet or animals
that live in, on or around the water.
 Sudden drop-offs that change water depth.
Other peoples activities in the same waters, such as boating.

Practice water safety:

Ensure that everyone in your family learns to swim well by enrolling

them in age-appropriate learn-to-swim courses.
Swim only in areas that are designated for swimming with buoys and
ropes and are supervised by lifeguards.
Keep children under constant active supervision and remain free from
distractions. Ensure that inexperienced swimmers stay within arms
reach.
Have weak swimmers wear life jackets whenever they are in, on or
around water. Do not rely upon water wings or inflatable toys; they
can enable swimmers to go beyond their ability or suddenly deflate,
which could lead to a drowning situation.

Set and enforce rules:

Always swim with a buddy.

Always enter unknown or shallow water cautiously, feet first.
Dive only in water clearly marked as safe for diving. Diving areas
should be at least 9 feet deep with no underwater obstacles.
Do not enter the water from a height, such as a tree, ledge or bridge.
Be careful when standing to prevent being knocked over by currents or
waves.
Do not use alcohol and/or drugs before or while swimming, diving or
supervising swimmers.

Know how to respond in an emergency:

If a child is missing, always check the water first! Seconds count in

preventing death or disability from drowning.
If present, always alert the lifeguard in the event of an emergency.
Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
Learn how to respond to aquatic and other emergencies by taking Red
Cross first aid, CPR and water safety courses.
Have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment,
a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.

If someone is in trouble in the water:

Reach out to the person using any available object that will extend
your reach, such as a pole, an oar, a tree branch, a belt or a towel.
Brace yourself to keep from losing your balance.
 Throw anything that will provide the victim support, such as a foam
cooler or inner tube. A floating object with a line attached is best so
you can pull the person to safety.
If the water is shallow and calm, put on a life jacket, wade into the
water and reach toward the person with a pole, branch, life jacket or
other object. Do not enter the water if a current or waves make
wading dangerous.
Keep yourself safe. In most cases, only trained professionals should
enter the water to perform a rescue.

Basic Methods of Training for Physical and Psychological in

Swimming

Methods and techniques of instruction in swimming

Aspects of technical training in accordance with psychological

preparation. Psychological characteristics of swimming Epuran, M.; I.
Holdevici; F.Tonia: Performance Sport Psychology: Theory and Practice.
Fest Publishing House, Bucharest derive primarily from the fact that the
work is water, the medium opposing a specific resistance of the body which
is at the same time in a less normal position. The main request is addressed
to feelings of balance and body orientation under water immersion. In the
activity of learning how to swim there are involved some difficulties of
accomodating to the water, specific breathing skills, coordination of arms
movement with those of legs and breathing; it is known that water
immersion adversely affects kinesthetic sense and balance, and so, driving
representations. A particular aspect is jumping from the tower or the
trampoline where, as in gymnastics,it is appreciated the athletes skill in
leading the body to complicated and difficult exercises in terms of
coordination. Specific swimming styles in competitions are the classic ones,
also practised as recreational sports: breaststroke, crawl, back and butterfly.
These, however, involve the formation of complex motor skills. Motor skills
involve internal processes that occur in the central nervous system of the
athlete, Fitts and Posner studied through monitoring performance athletes.
They described three phases of driving skills training: cognitive, associative
and automated. Cognitive stage is characterized by a verbal transposition
activity of execution. This process is characterized by conscious focus of
attention on the details of their movements and at the same time, other
aspects of external circumstances (e.g. the position of opponents in
competition). The dominant sensory system, in cognitive stage, is the vision
that allows control of the limbs learning the new skill. Cognitive phase is
complete when the athletes can perform the technical element as it has been
shown. The instructions in advanced phase of learning serve to support
athletes to maintain their own level and to motivate them to cultivate their
desire to improve performance.

Aspects of physical training in swimming. The design, programming

and planning effort in the preparation phase is necessary to take into
account the minimum effort that involves the disappearance of futile effort,
economy of means, time and energy in the process of training. The law of
minimum effort states that the logic of quantity is in relation to that of
quality; not every training entails the athletes development, only the one
that, through training, is conceived and designed to be carried as an integral
process in action imposed by competition. Psychological substantiation of
physical training, S.J. Bull, (2011), Sport Psychology - Guide to performance
optimization, Three Publishing House, Bucharest of swimmers considers the
relationship between genetic skills background and practice, motor skills,
interests development, overall coordination, kinesthesia, and segmental and
overall coordination. Physical training is related to a psychomotor skills
complex represented by speed, strength, skill, and the representation of the
body scheme, sense of rhythm, space orientation, kinesthesia, balance,
general coordination and segmentation. Each training factor has its
importance in achieving sports performance and is therefore essential that
they do not have gaps in their achievement.

Psychological aspects of swimmers preparing. Mental limits Niculescu,

M.: Sport Psychology (collection of lessons), Ex Ponto Publishing House,
Constance of human possibilities under maximum request are presented as
system boundaries, each component of the mental states being in relation of
dependence to the others and all together constitute the characteristic
syndrome of overworked psyche. It is known that solving new and
challenging situations depends on the activation mechanisms of thought, its
creativity, intelligence level of the athlete. In special situations of sports
emulation, these mechanisms suffer from blockages, crediting the solving of
acute problems to insufficient efficient and adapted stereotypes. Intellectual
barriers come from establishing concepts, beliefs at a certain level of
possible performance. Another aspect is creativity in solving situations.
Currently there is talk of tactical intention of assessing situations and ability
to adapt to them. In these situations there are identifiable barriers consisting
of stereotypes of perception, anticipation and resolution of refusing new
enhanced mechanisms. Emotions and motivation represent some of the
most characteristic aspects of limit situations. Fear that a sportsman lives is
of different origin, as the danger is physical, organic or moral. With heavy
use of the body, fatigue or physical exhaustion allows disinhibition of brakes,
the athletes feelings taking strong aggressive forms, uncontrolled, reducing
thinking and decision capacity. Voluntary control of behavior, as a
constituent of athlete psyche, has its oscillatory or contradictory moments,
being dependent largely on the factors mentioned above and at the same
time, on the degree of self-education and exercise capacity. Capacity of
voluntary effort can be greatly enhanced in training, leading to performance.

Performance capacity, Ibid 2, is set at a certain level above which

there are subjective difficulties, judgment, confidence and conviction. Often
the subjective barrier is unconscious, representing time, either adding
repeated failures or from the acceptance of disincentive ideas. In sports, the
barriers can be designed as:

Limits of a performance level still unreached;

Limits of the performance established of a particular sportsman that
cannot overcome himself, its about fixing the level of aspiration, even
unconsciously.

Mental barriers, Ibid 4, are double conditioned: socially and

individually. From the social point of view, they are determined by the
influence of group awareness and individually, barriers consist of many
limiting factors that lead to the formation of subjective attitudes of distrust,
fear. Mental barriers of limit states are not only affective-emotional or
driving, but intellectual. Lack of imagination and creativity acts as a barrier
that an athlete exceeds it very hard, through the means of an incentive:
encouraging suggestion, motivation, cognitive restructuring, affectivity level
adjustments, restructuring in technique and tactics. Reached a certain level
of performance, the difference is very small between training levels achieved
by these athletes and the most important factor that decides the winner is
the ability of each to face psychological pressure, capacity consisting of
multiple components: motivation, effort, concentration, confidence, and
especially the ability to withstand the stress of competition, in the words of
the famous American economist George P. Schultz, Cited Zbenghe, T. :
Kinesiology - Movement Science, Medical Publishing House, Bucharest, from
the moment you talk about what you will do if you lose,you lose.

mind
Fig. 1. Mind-
- Semnification (speech) body
- Focusing relationship
Emotional state and energy and
psychological
Physiology effects on the
Respiration athlete.

body
Instead of conclusions

As part of the total training, mental training of the swimmer is

particularly important in the formation and education of the spirit of the
performance. According to some authors, the origin of mental training is in
antiquity, being mentioned by Platon. In the last two to three decades, the
mental component is used in most sports, the Special Forces training, and
various fields in the form of coaching or mentoring. Mental training, Grosu,
E., F. : Mental training techniques, edition 2, vol.III, from the Motor action
and mental action GMI Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca is a very important
and complementary means of technical and tactical training of athletes,
supporting or even replacing practical training when it is interrupted for
various reasons: accidents, long trips, etc.. Concentration, confidence,
control and commitment are considered to be the main qualities of the
swimmers performance. Mental training Epuran99 Epuran, M. : Traction and
psyche in bodily activities. FEST Publishing House, Bucharest defines as the
process of maintaining and strengthening the representation of movements
and actions resulting in formations neuromuscular activation, and therefore
practical work efficiency. Michael Fred Phelps is more than a confirmation of
the above notions. American swimmer, he is a multiple world champion and
Olympic to different swimming samples, it is 14 times gold medalist to
Summer Olympics (the greatest number of medals won by any other
sportsman) and is the holder of seven world records. In the spring of 2001,
Phelps broke the world record in 200 meter butterfly (his first world record),
becoming the youngest swimmer in history - 15 years and 9 months! And
this is happening considering that, in childhood, had been diagnosed as
suffering from ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity! Legend of the
Olympics, Phelps wrote the book No Limits, where he talks about himself,
about how he trained, physically and mentally in order to perform
impressively, imposing new standards for success. His book is an inspiration
and motivation to millions of athletes in the world and is also a guide step
by step on the path to success. One of his favorite mottos is performance
can become reality and is typical of the attitude he adopted in the struggle
for breaking world records and winning gold medals.

As an athlete, you spend hours in the pool training. You work out
physically in order to get your body into peak form. Do you use your mind?
Well, you think something. If you have not been taught the best mental
techniques, then you might be training bad habits. Think of it as if you were
never taught good freestyle technique and spent hours upon hours thrashing
away developing bad habits a good coach would cringe at and not getting
any faster. In the same way, if you were never taught the most effective
mental techniques, you might be solidifying harmful thinking at such times
as when you face a challenging set, feel pressure in a meet, or fall just short
of your goals.

For this reason, sport psychology, also called mental training, is

important to implement into your plan for success. At its most basic, swim
psychology is about streamlining your life and your mind by getting rid of
that which hinders your swimming (creates drag) and striving to do only that
which helps your swimming. Whenever you question your swimming
technique or your mental processes, you can try simply asking yourself, "Is
what I am doing or thinking going to help me improve?" Of course, there are
times when you do not know the answer, and there are times when you do
not even know to ask the question.

That's where mental trainers come in. Their job is to point out the
areas where you can improve your thinking in order to perform your best,
and then help you make necessary changes.

Sometimes it helps to go back and review the basics. The basics in

swimming are to blow bubbles, float, breathe, streamline and reach. Let's
take a look at them in terms of the physical and psychological lessons that
can learned from them.

It all started with blowing bubbles:

One of the first skills swimmers learn is how to blow bubbles. Whether
it was "talking to the fishes" or simply watching bubbles rise to the surface,
this was fun. Water is a natural motivator for children. One hot summer day,
just take a moment to watch a group of young boys and girls playing in a
pool, and you will see that splashing, getting out, and jumping in is
exhilarating. It is simply fun to be in the water! Splashing around, swimming
underwater, cannon balls, and rings off the bottom is a great way to spend
an afternoon. Perhaps you remember swimming through hula-hoops or
viewing the sky from the bottom of the pool, holding a "tea party" or talking
underwater. Maybe you pretended you were a mermaid or a dolphin as you
learned dolphin kick. As swimmers grow older, the simple of joy of being in
water tends to be replaced with the pressure of constant striving.

Why do you swim? To answer this question, I have designed a simple

exercise that has been powerful for the swimmers with whom I have
consulted. Take a moment to write down the top five reasons you go to
practice every day. Once you have done that, go through each one and
decide if you would still go to practice if that reason were absent. For
example, you might swim because your friends are on the team. Would you
still go if they were not? This process will help you pick the top 1 or 2
reasons. Go ahead and write down these reasons in the middle of a paper,
and circle them. This is your "bubble of joy" as one swimmer called it; it's
your bubble of love for swimming.

Now take a moment to write all the things that get in the way of
swimming. These are the burdens, pressures, negative thinking, emotions,
fatigue, activities, and situations that interfere with swimming or your joy of
swimming. Write these as daggers pointing toward the bubble. Make a
commitment now to yourself that you are going to protect this bubble. You
might not yet know how, but just the commitment is important.

When you are on the wall in the middle of a tough set in practice and
wondering if all this hard work is worth it, take a moment to bob underwater
and blow out your bubbles. Not only will this lower your heart and get you
ready physically to go again, but you can use it to mentally prepare as well.
With your first few breaths, blow out all the stress and negative thinking.
Then remind yourself of the top reasons why you swim. Remind yourself of
your commitment to protecting your joy of swimming. Rediscover the fun.
By your fourth and fifth bob, blow out bubbles of joy. Do not let anyone
burst your bubble!

Float:

Children are taught to float as a survival skill. Floating on the front is

better than sinking. Floating on the back allows the child to breathe. Once a
child can turn from a front float to a back float, a small kick can be added to
get to the wall.

In order to stay afloat in your life as a swimmer, it is important to

prioritize and decide where you are going to spend your time. Too many
responsibilities can feel like trying to float with weights on your back. You
start to drown with the weight of responsibility. Do you have so much going
on that when it comes to swim practice you are simply trying to make it
through?

Much can be said about time-management, but to get started, take a

look at your priorities. The amount of time that you spend on certain
activities should line up with your priorities. For example, if swimming is
more of a priority than socializing, then social activities might need to be cut
back to spend the time needed on swimming and get enough rest.
Sometimes nothing needs to be cut, and it is a matter of better using time
and not wasting it. For example, if family is more a of a priority than
swimming, then family time might need to be better built into the day,
perhaps by spending the trip to and from the pool engaged in conversation
with Mom or Dad.

Floating is a prerequisite to success in swimming. Staying afloat with

responsibilities away from the pool allows the physical and mental rest
necessary to swim well. Struggling to survive the day leads to mental and
physical fatigue that is hard to recover enough from for optimum
performance.

Breathe:

Breathing is automatic, but one of the toughest skills to learn as a

swimmer. Once breathing becomes part of the rhythm of the stroke, it is
again automatic and easy. Somehow, though, when people get stressed or
nervous, breathing becomes shallow and ineffective. Learning to breathe
deeply can help reduce stress and nerves, and help the body get into the
relaxed and ready state needed for optimum performance.

You can start practicing breathing today. Simply relax your shoulders,
neck, and mouth. Inhale deeply, through your nose or mouth, filling your
lungs from the bottom to the top. Exhale through your mouth. Stay relaxed
during the exhale, allowing your shoulders to fall down away from your
neck, and empty your lungs completely. Try this while driving, while sitting
in your desk at school, just before you start swim practice, and whenever
you feel overwhelmed. You might be surprised by how much it relaxes not
only your body, but also your busy mind.

Streamline and Reach:

These are together because reaching as far as you can on each stroke
helps you streamline. The more you reach from fingers to toes, the more
streamlined you can become.

The first thing you do when you push off the wall is streamline.
Streamlining allows you to move through the water with the least resistance.
In that sense, striving to streamline is necessary all of the time. If your
movements serve to move you forward while preventing drag, then you are
successfully streamlining. Streamlining is important in all you do. Streamline
your life. Cut out what is unimportant or holding you back from your goals.

And reach. As a beginning swimmer, you were taught to reach, reach,

reach. If you did not reach, you were treading in place. Without reaching,
your paddling is merely for keeping your head above water rather than
moving forward. To move forward in life, you now need to reach inside
yourself. Dig inside for that little more.

Ask the question, "Is what I am doing or thinking going to help me

improve?" Do only what helps and not what hinders. Physically, this means
lengthening your body and squeezing your arms and legs off the wall. It
means shrugging your shoulders on a breaststroke pullout and keeping your
shoulders relaxed on all strokes. It means holding your breath off the walls,
keeping your head down into turns, and reaching for the finish. Practically,
this means cutting out what is unimportant, what is causing resistance, or
holding you back from your goals. Mentally, this means learning the best
way to direct your mind to help you succeed.