Level 1: Go underwater and stand up on own
Recovering footing and finding balance is crucial.
It is just as important to learn how to regain your footing and stand with stability as it is to put your nose underwater.
Most beginners are terrified of swimming because the loss of support and standing. Going underwater can be scary because they don’t know how to stand up.
Testable goal:
Swimmer goes underwater and either floats or lifts feet off ground. They should stand up finding their own footing.
This should be done repeatedly and not one time in the course of a lesson, or with the instructor.
Bonus Goals:
- Float on their belly or back completely off the ground and then recover to standing.
- Stand upright to lift their heads above the water.
- Be relaxed standing in the pool, lifting off the ground, and placing their feet on the bottom repeatedly.
Activities to achieve this goal:
Get rings from bottom
Get rings with feet, hands, face, elbow, wrist, etc. Have swimmers get rings while floating on their bellies.
Goal is to get from horizontal to vertical position.
After back glide, let the swimmer find the bottom themselves.
Supporting the back of their neck have the swimmer search for the bottom with their feet and reorient to a standing position.
Over time they’ll get more and more comfortable transitioning from a horizonal glide position into a standing, vertical, position.
Go to the bottom
With or without instructor support. Dunk to the bottom and with help jump back to the surface.
Goal is to touch the bottom and blast up into the air. Make this as fun as possible.
Challenges to achieve this goal:
Challenges are like games but with less moving parts and quicker.
Challenge:
Kiss the bottom.
Challenge:
Dunk underwater and touch the bottom with both feet. Have INS help jump you back to the surface.
Challenge:
Do a front float, stand up, turn around, and do a back float.
Challenge:
Lay backwards on the surface with head held in instructor’s hand. Stand up with minimal support.
Final Test: Go underwater and find footing multiple times during lessons.
We want swimmers to feel comfortable standing up after going underwater or falling over.