Survival swimming is different from regular swim lessons and is not a replacement for them. This technique is the bare minimum needed to survive an unexpected fall into water, whether it is a pool, lake, river or other body of water. Once this skill is mastered, then students can build on this knowledge and learn more advanced swimming methods.
Since kids and adults don’t learn the same way, we teach them differently. The younger set are taught to float on their backs first. This gets them used to the water and starts to build their confidence. They find out that they can breathe easily on their backs before learning how to put their faces in the water or to roll over from their stomachs.
Adults, on the other hand, begin by standing in the water. This allows them to get used to the feeling of being in a pool. For some, this is also when they begin to conquer their fear of the water. Once this primary confidence is established, they move on to learning the back float.
At British Swim School, we dedicate an entire week of survival swimming lessons to people getting into the water in their regular clothes. Why? Because chances are good that if someone were to accidentally fall into the water, they would be wearing their everyday clothes. By practicing with regular clothing on, the memory of how different it feels in the water is learned. That memory stays with them, and if the unthinkable happens, the lessons learned will be remembered.Survival swimming is a life skill that everyone needs to learn, just like fire safety. For further information, or if you have any questions, give us a call. We’re happy to help!
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, British Swim School (BSS) is a franchise organization that currently operates in more than 75 pools in nine states in the U.S. and internationally in Turkey. Rita Goldberg founded British Swim School in 1981 and remains the CEO. Goldberg’s methodology has evolved over the last 33 years, teaching water safety survival skills to children as young as three months old. The back float is considered the most important water survival skill, as it enables swimmers to rest, breathe and call for help, alleviating the “silent” danger of floating face down. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children under five. The organization holds more than 7,500 lessons per week and conducted more than 300,000 swimming lessons in 2014. Classes are available for babies, children and adults.
