Travelling Bobs
Swimmers bob across the pool – under to breathe out, up to breathe in – building a breathing rhythm for swimming.
- Stages
- Stage 3
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Submersion, Coordination
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 6–99 years
- Group size
- 1–12 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Keep to water where feet can push off the floor.
What it develops
- Submerge confidently and retrieve objects
- Breathe out in a controlled way underwater
How to run it
- In chest-deep water, swimmers bend their knees to go under, blowing out.
- They push off the floor forwards and up, breathing in at the top.
- Repeat in a rhythm, travelling across the width.
- Teacher claps the rhythm: down-up, down-up.
Teaching cues
- Out under, in on top.
- Push forwards off the floor.
- Keep the rhythm.
Make it easier
- Bob on the spot holding the wall.
- Half the distance.
Make it harder
- Deeper water with a small jump off the floor.
- Speed up the rhythm.
Common faults
- Holding breath under the water.
- Gasping on top because not enough air was blown out.
Corrections
- Hum on the way down.
- 'Empty the bottle before you refill it.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Bob alongside a swimmer, facing them, keeping the rhythm with them.