Short Underwater Swim
A controlled underwater swim of a few metres through a hoop, breathing out steadily – never a breath-holding challenge.
- Stages
- Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Submersion, Breaststroke Arms
- Equipment
- Hoops
- Age
- 7–99 years
- Group size
- 1–10 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Short distances only; no competitions for distance or time underwater; never hyperventilate before going under; watch every swimmer surface.
What it develops
- Streamlined underwater push-off with kick
- Turns with streamlined push-offs and underwater phase
- Controlled underwater skills
How to run it
- Place a hoop a few metres out, just under the surface.
- Swimmers push off, swim breaststroke arms under the water and pass through the hoop.
- Breathe out slowly and surface just after the hoop.
- One swimmer at a time.
Teaching cues
- Push, glide, pull.
- Slow bubbles.
- Up after the hoop.
Make it easier
- Hoop closer to the wall.
- Glide only (Tunnel Glide).
Make it harder
- Dolphin kick through the hoop.
- Recover a sinker on the way.
Common faults
- Holding the breath and bursting up.
- Going deep.
Corrections
- Hum or trickle out through the nose.
- Keep the hoop close to the surface.
Assistant / L1 role
- Hold the hoop and watch each swimmer come up before the next starts.