Para Swimming Exercises

Jana Čander for Teaching • June 16, 2017

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  • Jana Čander6 years, 6 months ago

    Marta Bigne, thank you for the first sentence :)
    For children or adults with special needs such as autism, Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, sensory integration disorder, or any number of physical disabilities, swimming lessons are a way to develop confidence, strength, and flexibility, and it often results in improved behavioral outcomes.
    You should know several things about how you approach swimming lessons before you take the plunge: 1. Establishing trust; 2. An individualized approach; 3. Basic water skills are most important; 4. Use of adaptive equipment; 5. Swimming for the first time can be a scary prospect for special needs. You should have the “fun factor” engaged at all times, and giving them lots of praise and encouragement will help to overcome any fear and anxiety associated with being in the water. Most important you have to be a calm person!
    Difficulties: 1. a lot of time needed for an individual, 2. many adjustments - you need a lot of knowledge of swimming, 3. impossible to have more than 5 people in group.
    About gymnastic - we are doing warm up 20min before entering into the water all the time. Competitive para swimmers have fitness 2-3 times per week and stabilization exercises.

  • Jana Čander6 years, 6 months ago

    Dear all,
    thank you for all your questions.First I ll answer to Anna Gelli :)
    My main job is on NPC Slovenia (National Paralympic Committee), so we have that kind of organization in Slovenia. I learn by myself through practice and from coaches around the world. I attended twice - course in Valencia and Sheffield. I ll like to attend also IPC course for Paralympic coaches. This will happen in 2018 I think. About how often to train, I recommend 1 per day, but it depend on specifics of disabilities. I work in 50 and 25m. Sometimes I enter into the water with them, but usually they go by their own - improving autonomy - independence etc.

  • Pia Hočevar Mucić6 years, 6 months ago

    Hi Jana,

    I would love to know how long does it take for you to really know the swimmer and his capabilities?
    Do you prepare a totally different program for each swimmer or do you just make a few adjustments according to their disabilities?

    I would also like to know if you have to create a deeper bond with the swimmers to motivate them and are you also engaged in their everyday life? To what extent do you guide and help swimmer to function in the pool as well as outside of the pool?

    Do you also include mental preparation to your practices for the swimmers?

    Thank you,
    Pia

  • Joao Balsa6 years, 8 months ago

    Hi Jana, all that work looks really challenging and it surely demands a lot of dedication from you all. Congrats.
    My first question is concerning the differences between working with athletes with no disabilities and with athletes who are disabled. Are there a lot? What changes the most, the organisation of the classes, your approach, the goals for you and each athlete or any other competence?
    The second is something i am just curious about it. Most of the disabled people you work with were already born with some disabilitie or they had no disabilities and suffer some accident or had some disease? Do you think it is relevant? Do you notice any diference working with either one or another?
    Thank You
    João Azevedo

  • Marta Bigne6 years, 9 months ago

    Hello Jana, first of all, congratulations for your work.
    I would like to ask you what kind of approach do you use with mental disabilities?
    What are the difficulties that you find often in this type of work?
    Do you also use gymnastics out of the water whenever is possible or just inside the water?
    thank you
    Marta

  • Anna Gelli6 years, 9 months ago

    I have some others questions for you Jana:
    where and how do you learn to teach at disabled people?
    do you have a paralympic swimming federation?
    do you attend specific course to teach disabled people?
    do you think it is important to train and how often?

  • Anna Gelli6 years, 9 months ago

    congratulations for your work and your professional methods to teach Jana.
    Do you work only in 50m or also in 25m?
    Do you enter in the water to help them in the movements?
    how do you try to improve their sensibility in water?
    what is for you the best way to communicate with mentally disabled people?

  • Maja Isakovič6 years, 9 months ago

    Jana Čander has been working with people with disabilities from 2006. She has a degree from Faculty of Sport Ljubljana and now she is doing a 2PHD degree about sports for disabled people. She has the highest certificate as a swimming coach as well as a certificate from the National Paralympic Committee of Slovenia to work as a coach in all sports for people with disabilities. She worked with Darko Đurić, 2013 WC winner (S4) - Paralympic swimmer. She has been a member and also a coach in Riba organisation for 9 years. Now she trains potencial young swimmers with disabilities.