Things You'll Need:
- Flotation Device: water wings, safety vests, buoy vests, weight belt Supervision
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Step 1
Place floats on appropriate body parts: arms, waist or torso.
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Step 2
Wade into water slowly, allowing yourself to bob up and down naturally as you proceed until you are floating.
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Step 3
Once comfortable floating, place your head under water and allow it to bob up and down with the help of the floats.
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Step 4
Rotate your body from a standing, or floating upright position, to a horizontal position, either back or stomach down. If you are stomach down, begin by kicking your feet to propel yourself forward. Turn your head from water to air, side to side, to practice breathing while in the water. Add your arms by bringing your hand to your shoulder, drop your shoulder and push your arm up over your head. With your arm outstretched, bring it down through the water until it is near your hip. Then repeat the motion, alternating arms.
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Step 5
Turn your body over for the backstroke. Kick your feet again to begin moving through the water with your floats. Add your arms by taking your arm from your side, up over your head with your underarm showing upwards, and back down through the water.
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Step 6
The flotation devices will keep you on top of the water. Adjust floats if needed to change how high or low you float on the water. Floats can be changed by moving them further down your arms, in the case of water wings, removing or adding weight to a buoy vest or belt, and changing the weight of a vest. Being higher on the water will make new swimmers feel more comfortable. After swimming with floats for a while, one may want to adjust them to allow themselves be further down in the water...preparing themselves for eventually swimming without them.
