Kick and Breathe Sideways
Kicking with a float, swimmers turn the head to the side to breathe instead of lifting it – the first step to front crawl breathing.
- Stages
- Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Front Kick, Front Crawl, Front Crawl Breathing
- Equipment
- Float
- Age
- 6–99 years
- Group size
- 1–10 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Allow stops to breathe whenever needed while learning.
What it develops
- Breathe out in a controlled way underwater
- Kick on the front, back and side
- Show early actions for all four strokes
- Swim front crawl with side breathing
- Front crawl with breathing timed to the arm action
How to run it
- Swimmers hold a float with one hand; the other arm rests by the side.
- Kick with face in, blowing bubbles.
- Turn the head towards the arm by the side to breathe – one ear stays in the water.
- Return face down and repeat every six kicks.
Teaching cues
- Turn, don't lift.
- One ear stays in.
- Blow out before you turn.
Make it easier
- Practise turning to breathe while holding the wall.
- Two floats for more support.
Make it harder
- Breathe every four kicks.
- Breathe to both sides on alternate widths.
Common faults
- Lifting the head forwards to breathe.
- Holding the breath and gasping.
Corrections
- 'Look at your shoulder, not the wall.'
- 'Bubbles out, then turn.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand on the breathing side and give a thumbs up each time the swimmer turns (not lifts) to breathe.