Bubble Trails
Swimmers leave a continuous trail of bubbles behind them as they travel – breathing out while moving, not just standing still.
- Stages
- Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Forward Travel, Aquatic Breathing, Front Kick, Front Crawl Breathing
- Equipment
- Float
- Age
- 5–99 years
- Group size
- 1–12 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Keep distances short enough to finish without stopping.
What it develops
- Blow bubbles with mouth and nose under
- Kick on the front and back
- Breathe out in a controlled way underwater
- Swim front crawl with side breathing
- Submerge with controlled breathing out
How to run it
- Swimmers kick on the front with a float, face in, blowing bubbles the whole time their face is in.
- Lift (Stage 2) or turn (Stage 3) the head to breathe, then back in and keep the trail going.
- Teacher watches for a steady stream of bubbles, not one big burst.
- Progress to a glide or swim with a bubble trail.
Teaching cues
- Face in, bubbles out.
- Keep the bubbles going.
- Breathe in, then back in.
Make it easier
- Walk with face in blowing bubbles.
- Short distance with just one breath.
Make it harder
- Turn to the side to breathe.
- Swim front crawl with a bubble trail.
Common faults
- Holding the breath, then gasping.
- Blowing everything out in one go.
Corrections
- 'Slow bubbles, like a fish.'
- Hum to keep air coming out.
Assistant / L1 role
- Walk beside a swimmer looking for the bubble trail and tap the float when the bubbles stop, as a reminder.
Helps with
Community feedback
Used this with my Stage 3 group today – shortening the distance for the two less confident swimmers kept everyone moving.