The Learn-to-Swim program through Red Cross officially begins with Level 1. Whether the student is a six-year-old or an adult, the skills taught in Level 1 are the foundations of future swimming skills. Some students may breeze through this level quickly, and some students may take a while to master the skills.
This level is officially called "Water Exploration". Students will not necessarily learn to "swim" by the end of level 1. However, the skills they do master set them up for technique and locomotion in later levels. There are three very important skills that need to be mastered before someone can learn to swim properly, and level one focuses on these skills through different activities.
The first is breath control. This starts with holding the breath, and exhaling into the water or "blowing bubbles". It is also important to work on submerging the face at this stage so that students can experiment with exhaling through the nose as well. I do not allow students to hold or pinch their nose in any of my classes. While this may work to keep water out of the nose doing basic skills, it is completely impractical to swim with one hand holding the nose, to say nothing of jumping or diving in. Instead we practice "nose bubbles" to keep the water from getting into the nose. There may be lots of coughing, sputtering, and blowing snot into the pool at first, but once it becomes a habit, the student will have a much easier time with future swimming endeavors. Please, please, please parents, unless there is a physical reason that your child absolutely cannot get a drop of water up their nose, do not even teach them that pinching their nose is an option. Go for nose bubbles....good habits last a lifetime!
Not only do students need to be able to hold their breath and put their faces in the water, they also need to learn rhythmic breathing. Rhythmic breathing is essential for any strokes in which the face is in the water, such as front crawl and breaststroke. At the basic level, students must learn to breath in while the face is above the water, and exhale underwater. This is why "bobs" or "bob-ups" are so important in the lower levels. Bobs teach rhythmic breathing, but focusing only on submersion and breathing rhythms. Sometimes I see students hold their breath, go under 3 or 4 times in quick succession, stop, catch their breath, and do more bobs without exhaling under water. While the student is "doing bobs", they are not really meeting the objective, which is to learn to control their breathing. I always make sure to teach students to "blow bubbles" underwater and "big breath" when they come up.
The second major skill needed for swimming is body position. The correct body position can make or break a stroke. Floating is the core basic skill for future body positioning. Most small children will float well if they can relax (which is no small task, believe me!). The key is to mold their bodies into the proper position, and them make them feel secure so that they can relax their muscles. Students who are still unable to put their faces in the water cannot float independently on their front, as the act of holding their head up will sink the feet and cause the body to go vertical in the water. These students may be more comfortable doing back floats, as their faces will not go underwater when done properly. Students who are comfortable putting their face in the water will likely learn to float on their front very quickly. As a general rule, back floats are harder for students because they need to learn to trust that the water will hold them up. Many children are also uncomfortable with water going in their ears, which it will in a proper back float.
The third basic skill is a good flutter kick. Small children will instinctively do a "frog kick" where the legs move simultaneously up to the butt and back out. Flutter kicks require the feet to move alternatively, in an up and down motion. This is a learned behavior. I often see students who have had no formal swimming instruction do a bicycle kick, in which the legs move alternatively, but in a circular motion, similar to pedaling a bike. This kick may move them forward, but uses a lot more energy than is required. It is inefficient. Proper flutter kick requires that the legs be straight with only a slight bend in the knees. It uses the whole leg from the hip, not just the lower leg from the knee. Feet should be "floppy" with toes pointed. The motion is similar to kicking a soccer ball. The feet should be just underneath the water, creating a small splash. If you see a teacher spending what looks like a disproportionate amount of time on kicking, it is because this is a not only a tricky skill to learn, but also a vital part of future swimming abilities.
In a level 1 class held for children, much of the class will be taken up with safety information. Children this age are at a great place to learn about how to stay safe, how to ask for help, and how to help others in the water. The Red Cross places a huge emphasis on safety skills along with stroke development. Wonder why the teacher is having the kids jump in the water and climb back out? Getting yourself out of the water is a safety skill. Why are the kids playing around in life jackets? Being comfortable in a life jacket can keep kids from panicking in the event of an emergency. Teacher walking around on deck with the kids? She might be pointing out safety equipment and where the lifeguards are. One of my favorite "games" to play with kids in all levels is to let them pull each other out of the pool with noodles. While the kids are having a blast, they are learning to help someone in trouble without getting themselves in trouble at the same time.
Here is a basic skills list for Level 1: Water Exploration
- Entering and exiting the water through stairs or a ladder
- Submerge face for 3 seconds
- Blowing bubbles
- Bob five times (do not need to completely submerge whole head)
- Front and Back Floats with support
-Alternating leg action on front and back (flutter kick) with support
-Alternating arm action on front with support
-Simultaneous arm action on back with support (elementary backstroke arms)
-Explore other arm and leg actions on front and back with support (breaststroke arms and legs, scissors kick, etc.)
-Safety information
A word on "with support". Many parents and teachers consider this to mean that the teacher holds the student while they demonstrate the skill. While this is a great option for children who are nervous or "green" when it come to swimming, it is not the only option. I try to use floatation devices as often as possible in level 1. To a child, there is a big difference between floating with the teacher holding you, and floating with a noodle or kick board. I may not pass a student out of level 1 if they are very uncomfortable with the teacher letting go of them for any amount of time. The next level of Learn-to-Swim requires students to start doing skills independently, which may be too large of a jump for students who have never experienced a skill without the teacher.
This level is officially called "Water Exploration". Students will not necessarily learn to "swim" by the end of level 1. However, the skills they do master set them up for technique and locomotion in later levels. There are three very important skills that need to be mastered before someone can learn to swim properly, and level one focuses on these skills through different activities.
The first is breath control. This starts with holding the breath, and exhaling into the water or "blowing bubbles". It is also important to work on submerging the face at this stage so that students can experiment with exhaling through the nose as well. I do not allow students to hold or pinch their nose in any of my classes. While this may work to keep water out of the nose doing basic skills, it is completely impractical to swim with one hand holding the nose, to say nothing of jumping or diving in. Instead we practice "nose bubbles" to keep the water from getting into the nose. There may be lots of coughing, sputtering, and blowing snot into the pool at first, but once it becomes a habit, the student will have a much easier time with future swimming endeavors. Please, please, please parents, unless there is a physical reason that your child absolutely cannot get a drop of water up their nose, do not even teach them that pinching their nose is an option. Go for nose bubbles....good habits last a lifetime!
Not only do students need to be able to hold their breath and put their faces in the water, they also need to learn rhythmic breathing. Rhythmic breathing is essential for any strokes in which the face is in the water, such as front crawl and breaststroke. At the basic level, students must learn to breath in while the face is above the water, and exhale underwater. This is why "bobs" or "bob-ups" are so important in the lower levels. Bobs teach rhythmic breathing, but focusing only on submersion and breathing rhythms. Sometimes I see students hold their breath, go under 3 or 4 times in quick succession, stop, catch their breath, and do more bobs without exhaling under water. While the student is "doing bobs", they are not really meeting the objective, which is to learn to control their breathing. I always make sure to teach students to "blow bubbles" underwater and "big breath" when they come up.
The second major skill needed for swimming is body position. The correct body position can make or break a stroke. Floating is the core basic skill for future body positioning. Most small children will float well if they can relax (which is no small task, believe me!). The key is to mold their bodies into the proper position, and them make them feel secure so that they can relax their muscles. Students who are still unable to put their faces in the water cannot float independently on their front, as the act of holding their head up will sink the feet and cause the body to go vertical in the water. These students may be more comfortable doing back floats, as their faces will not go underwater when done properly. Students who are comfortable putting their face in the water will likely learn to float on their front very quickly. As a general rule, back floats are harder for students because they need to learn to trust that the water will hold them up. Many children are also uncomfortable with water going in their ears, which it will in a proper back float.
The third basic skill is a good flutter kick. Small children will instinctively do a "frog kick" where the legs move simultaneously up to the butt and back out. Flutter kicks require the feet to move alternatively, in an up and down motion. This is a learned behavior. I often see students who have had no formal swimming instruction do a bicycle kick, in which the legs move alternatively, but in a circular motion, similar to pedaling a bike. This kick may move them forward, but uses a lot more energy than is required. It is inefficient. Proper flutter kick requires that the legs be straight with only a slight bend in the knees. It uses the whole leg from the hip, not just the lower leg from the knee. Feet should be "floppy" with toes pointed. The motion is similar to kicking a soccer ball. The feet should be just underneath the water, creating a small splash. If you see a teacher spending what looks like a disproportionate amount of time on kicking, it is because this is a not only a tricky skill to learn, but also a vital part of future swimming abilities.
In a level 1 class held for children, much of the class will be taken up with safety information. Children this age are at a great place to learn about how to stay safe, how to ask for help, and how to help others in the water. The Red Cross places a huge emphasis on safety skills along with stroke development. Wonder why the teacher is having the kids jump in the water and climb back out? Getting yourself out of the water is a safety skill. Why are the kids playing around in life jackets? Being comfortable in a life jacket can keep kids from panicking in the event of an emergency. Teacher walking around on deck with the kids? She might be pointing out safety equipment and where the lifeguards are. One of my favorite "games" to play with kids in all levels is to let them pull each other out of the pool with noodles. While the kids are having a blast, they are learning to help someone in trouble without getting themselves in trouble at the same time.
Here is a basic skills list for Level 1: Water Exploration
- Entering and exiting the water through stairs or a ladder
- Submerge face for 3 seconds
- Blowing bubbles
- Bob five times (do not need to completely submerge whole head)
- Front and Back Floats with support
-Alternating leg action on front and back (flutter kick) with support
-Alternating arm action on front with support
-Simultaneous arm action on back with support (elementary backstroke arms)
-Explore other arm and leg actions on front and back with support (breaststroke arms and legs, scissors kick, etc.)
-Safety information
A word on "with support". Many parents and teachers consider this to mean that the teacher holds the student while they demonstrate the skill. While this is a great option for children who are nervous or "green" when it come to swimming, it is not the only option. I try to use floatation devices as often as possible in level 1. To a child, there is a big difference between floating with the teacher holding you, and floating with a noodle or kick board. I may not pass a student out of level 1 if they are very uncomfortable with the teacher letting go of them for any amount of time. The next level of Learn-to-Swim requires students to start doing skills independently, which may be too large of a jump for students who have never experienced a skill without the teacher.
