Hold On and Kick to Safety
Swimmers practise the survival habit of grabbing something that floats and kicking it back to the side.
- Stages
- Stage 2, Stage 3
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Back Float, Back Kick, Water Safety
- Equipment
- Float, Noodle
- Age
- 5–99 years
- Group size
- 1–8 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Recap / Safe Exit
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Keep within the swimmer's standing depth unless they are already confident in deeper water.
- Throw floats gently and underarm.
What it develops
- Travel about 10 metres on the back
- Know simple ways to stay safe in water
- Use simple water safety skills
How to run it
- A float is thrown or pushed gently to the swimmer a few metres from the side.
- The swimmer grabs it, hugs it to the chest and lies back.
- They kick on the back to the side and hold on.
- Discuss: in open water, what might you hold on to? (A bag, a ball, a bottle.)
Teaching cues
- Grab it and hug it.
- Lie back and relax.
- Kick to the side.
Make it easier
- Use a noodle, which is easier to grab.
- Start close to the side.
Make it harder
- Start further away, in slightly deeper water.
- Swim to the float first, then kick it home.
Common faults
- Trying to climb on top of the float.
- Kicking on the front with the head high.
Corrections
- 'Hug it like a teddy, then lie back.'
- Show that lying back needs far less effort.
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand in the water beside the swimmer as the 'safety buddy' while the teacher throws the float from poolside.