Swim Mirror
The swim mirror (AKA swim teaching mirror, swimming pool mirror, underwater swim training pool mirror), made of reinforced polished aluminum is one of the best investments that I’ve ever made for my swim school. If I could, I would line the entire bottom of my pool with mirrors.
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Best way to teach the front float is with a swim mirror
When floating on your front, your head needs to be in a neutral position, in other words, eyes on the bottom. When the swim mirror is in place, it makes it so much easier for young swimmers to float, since all they have to do is look at themselves in the mirror. And for most kids, this is their favorite pastime. So, it’s a win-win.
Great for gliding and kicking too
The only problem is when they glide past the mirror, up goes the chin. Hence the need for a mirror bottom pool or at the least multiple swim mirrors.
See it in action
And last but not least, the swim mirror is an essential tool for formal swimming strokes
The swim mirror gives instant visual feedback. One of my very young students, Jolie is currently learning the arm stroke for the front crawl. She was a little over eager at first with the arm action; her whole body was flipping around in all directions; flailing like a fish of water.
So, I held her in place over the mirror and had her look at herself while she practiced the arm stroke. Jolie was instantly able to self-correct once she could see what her arms were doing. The improvement of her arm action was immediate.
Not having a swim mirror is like having a dance studio without mirrors. That would be insane.
Side note
I would recommend that you cushion the corners of the mirror with this waterproof tape to avoid scratching the bottom of your pool. I tried duct tape at first, but it ends up falling off since it’s not waterproof.
Promotes: Front float, front glide, kicking and formal swimming strokes
It’s good to know that a swim mirror was such a good investment for you. My wife and I are considering how to teach our daughters to swim. We’re thinking of enrolling them in swim lessons.
If your children are very young, they will probably progress more quickly with a swim instructor. Young children tend to listen better to other authority figures. It can be very frustrating for parents to try to teach their kids to swim.