Core Aquatic Swimming Skills
Aquatic Breathing
Swimmers need to be happy with putting their face in the water and blowing bubbles (exhaling). They will learn to be comfortable with water around their face and learn how to breathe correctly.
Streamlining
This is the understanding of how to move through the water with the least amount of resistance, how to achieve streamlined position and why it is important.
Balance and Buoyancy
Achieving the relaxed state of floating in the water as well as what can affect our balance as our body feels very different in water as opposed to on land.
Rotation and Orientation
Learning how to turn around, lie back, lie forward, regain an upright position as well as twist from the back to the front and vice versa. Being able to turn in the water will help with many skills such as breathing, changing direction and travel. It is very important for the learners to be confident with their special awareness within the pool.
Travel and Coordination
Encouraging different ways to create movement – forwards, backwards, sideways. Learning how each individual can travel effectively, using different pulling and pushing of the water.
Sculling & Treading
It is imperative that the learners achieve these skills.
Sculling is a hand technique that allows swimmers to “feel the water” and maintain the ideal hand and arm position to move through the water effectively.
Treading is an essential skill which enables a swimmer to keep their head above water while staying in one place. This is a fantastic strengthening exercise.
Entries & Exits
When learning to swim, each learner needs to know how to get into the water safely. This includes the use of various shapes and sizes of steps, the different sides of the pool, jumps and eventually dives. Similarly, a safe exit is also a core skill when learning to swim.
Water Safety
It is crucial to develop a fairly good understanding of how to say safe in and around different water sources.
Health and Fitness
Each swimmer should have an understanding of why swimming is good for you and the importance of being fit and healthy.