Becoming comfortable in water can be a lifesaving skill. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are 4000 fatal unintentional drownings each year, that would be an average of 11 drowning deaths per day. There are 8000 nonfatal drownings each year which would be 22 drownings per day. While drowning may not be something you think of every day, learning how to understand the basics in the water can not only help you but also help others if you understand how to help them.
Step 1: Feeling the water
First, work on becoming comfortable in the water. Head to a shallow pool, and bring someone with you to make sure everything goes smoothly. When entering the water move your arms around feeling the best way your hands can catch the water. For example, you should cup your hands so that all your fingers touch, but it’s okay for your fingers to be loosely touching.
After this, take a moment to put your face in the water. Many first-time swimmers find discomfort in getting water up the nose or not being able to open your eyes under water. When learning how to tread water this is the biggest challenge most people face. The key to this is making sure you are always breathing air slowly out from your nose. Taking time to put your face in and practice this technique will make the difference.
Finally, the next portion in getting comfortable is learning how to move your legs properly. To do so, you need to find your nearest wall. Grab onto the wall and push your body horizontally, where you’re floating on the surface. In this position begin to move your legs up and down. When doing so you want to make sure you aren’t moving your legs from the knees. To use your legs efficiently you want to make sure you’re kicking from the hips, using the whole leg and core. When learning how to tread water, learning the leg movements is the second most important thing to master. Understanding these techniques will be lifesaving.
Step 2: Getting deeper
After becoming a little more comfortable in the water, you should make your way to a deeper spot in the pool. A place where you can’t touch but are close enough to the wall or a spot you can jump to touch. Now that you’re there, push your body out from the wall and practice little circles with your arms and moving your legs the same way they did on the wall.
One of the biggest things you must remember is controlling your breath. Constant air flow throughout your body will help you float and keep you from not panicking. If you for some reason are to sub merge and feel as if you cant get up, don’t panic. Panicking will cause you to throw your arms and legs around which will exhaust you as well as stir up the water around you. If this happens you are making your situation much harder to recover from. If you submerge remember the movements of your arms and legs. That initial feeling of panic will be the hardest thing to recover from.
If you attempt this and feel yourself struggling more than you think you should use a floatation device. Anything from a pool noodle, kickboard, or even an extra lifeguard tube if they allow it. Place the flotation device under your arms to allow for full range of motion in your legs. Your legs are the strongest muscle to help you so you want to master that element of floating.
Step 3: Moving to floating
After a while, treading water can be exhausting. The next best thing to keep your head above the water is floating on your back. Now this could be a technique that makes unexperienced swimmers a little more uncomfortable. Floating on your back can assist you in catching your breath and giving you that break you need.
The first step in floating on your back is realizing water will occasionally come up and over your face. Preparing for that will help you greatly. Starting in shallow water, kick up and lay on your back. To be successful you must make sure your head is tilted back so the surface of the water is at the top of your forehead. It will feel like you are reaching far back but really you are not. If your chin is tucked into your chest, it will cause your hips to drop, making it harder for your body to stay on top of the surface.
Once you are on your back with your head tilted back, make sure the tip of your hips is at the surface of the water. This is the position you want your body to be in. From here, focus on your breathing. Slow and controlled breathing will keep you floating the longest. If water does come up and over your face, don’t panic. Remember to breath out slowly from your nose. Eventually the water will fall off and you’ll be able to breathe again.
Step 4: Practice
Just like anything else you must practice to become stronger. When it comes to learning how to tread water, all you really need to do is take one day out of your week to practice. When arriving to the pool set aside an hour. During this hour focus on all the movements we mentioned. From legs, arms, to breathing techniques. Complete sets of 30 seconds treading and 30 seconds resting at the wall. The more comfortable you become in the water the more likely you will be ready for any type of water emergency.
On top of being ready for water emergencies, becoming more comfortable in the water can open up so many new opportunities. You would be able to explore new sports and find yourself having more fun during pool day or beach activities. The water shouldn’t be a scary place.
