Description
This is award is to show the swimmer is competent in continually treading water for a suggested time of 2 minutes, unaided. The actions should be continual, vertical, and treading water on the spot.
The swimmer can use any leg technique you or the swimmer wish to support, which includes a flutter kick, breaststroke kick or eggbeater. Arms can be used to sustain the positioning.
Treading water is a vital life skill if the swimmer should fall into water and need assistance, therefore this skill is essential for everyone to learn when they are competent in the water.
We would recommend that for part of the duration, that the swimmer brings one or both hands out the water to wave above their head and shouting to practice drawing attention.
Lesson ideas
Many see this skill as a challenge and also fun, so it is ideal to finish their lesson on. Times can be varied how long this skill is required.
You can play a game similar to musical statues, that when you give a sign the swimmers have to stop swimming and tread water until they are told to swim again. This is also good for rotation in the water, going from horizontal to vertical and vise-versa.
Swimmers simply push away from the pool side to perform this skill, in water out of their depth, but close enough that if they need to return easily they can.
You can practice over your lessons the variety of leg kicks available so the swimmer can see which one they find easier to maintain.
As the swimmers confidence increases and their stamina in holding a good treading water position, you can introduce raising hands to get attention as imitating they are in trouble.
For the more competent swimmers this can be included as part of their swim on clothes award. This will give the swimmer an understanding of how wearing clothes can effect the ability to perform this task, if they should ever get into difficulty with clothes on.
