Effect of freestyle swimming learning using a visualization model on the development of students' basic movements

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of freestyle swimming learning using a visualization model on the development of students' basic movements at SDN Mekargalih 4. The background of the study stems from the problem of low understanding of freestyle swimming techniques in students, especially related to the coordination of hand, foot, breathing, and body position movements. The visualization model was chosen because it provides concrete examples of movements through videos, images, and visual demonstrations, making it easier for students to understand the techniques more clearly. The study used a pre-experimental method with a one-group pretest–posttest design. The research subjects consisted of 20 students (10 boys and 10 girls). The instrument used was a test of basic freestyle swimming movement abilities which included body position, leg movement, arm movement, breathing, and coordination. The results showed a significant increase in scores. In the boys' group, the average score increased from 11.6 to 12.7 (a difference of 1.1). In the girls' group, the average score increased from 9.7 to 11.2 (a difference of 1.5). The prerequisite test showed that the data were normally distributed, with the Shapiro-Wilk pretest value = 0.170 and posttest = 0.178 (p > 0.05). The data were also homogeneous, with the homogeneity test results of the pretest = 0.716 and posttest = 0.834 (p > 0.05). Analysis using paired sample t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores with a calculated t value = 5.151, df = 19, and Sig. = 0.000 < 0.05. Thus, it can be concluded that learning freestyle swimming with a visualization model has a significant effect on improving students' basic movement abilities. Overall, the visualization model has proven effective in helping students understand freestyle swimming techniques, improving motor coordination, and making the learning process more interesting and easier to understand.