Bubble Count
Swimmers blow bubbles for longer and longer counts, progressing from mouth to nose to whole face.
- Stages
- Stage 1
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Submersion
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 3–99 years
- Group size
- 1–15 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- No breath-holding competitions – the focus is on breathing out, not holding.
What it develops
- Blow bubbles with mouth and nose in the water
How to run it
- Swimmers hold the wall or stand with hands on knees.
- Breathe in, put the mouth in and blow bubbles while the teacher counts.
- Beat your record: 3, then 5, then 7.
- Progress to mouth and nose in, then whole face in.
Teaching cues
- Big breath in, slow bubbles out.
- Hum to blow bubbles through the nose.
- Come up only when your bubbles are finished.
Make it easier
- Blow bubbles with just the mouth at the surface.
- Use a straw or cupped hands.
Make it harder
- Whole face in with eyes open.
- Bubbles with the ears in the water too.
Common faults
- Blowing all the air out at once.
- Water up the nose.
Corrections
- 'Slow bubbles like a fish.'
- Hum or say 'mmmm' to keep air coming out of the nose.
Assistant / L1 role
- Count out loud for individual swimmers and put your own face in with them.