Floats

Learning front and back floats is important as they help beginners develop a sense of buoyancy, body awareness, and breath control in the water. Locate a shallow area of the pool where you can comfortably practice floating. Take a deep breath before starting. Start near a wall or the side of the pool so you can easily grab onto something if you need to.

Front Float

1. Push Off and Extend Your Arms Forward: Push off from the side of the pool and extend your arms forward while lifting your legs behind you. Keep your head down and your face in the water.

2. Stretch Your Arms Out in Front of You: Stretch your arms out in front of you, bring your legs apart but keep them straight with your toes pointed. Try to maintain a straight line with your body.

3. Use Your Core Muscles to Maintain Buoyancy: Use your core muscles to help you maintain balance and stay afloat. Focus on relaxing your body while maintaining your position.

Front Float Recovery

Focus on pulling your arms back towards your body and bringing your legs together. Bend your knees and rotate your body vertically. Then focus on slowly bringing your body up to a standing position.

As you gain confidence, try to rely less on the wall or side of the pool for support. If you feel yourself sinking, push off from the bottom of the pool and try again. Remember to keep your head down and your face in the water.

Back Float

1. Push Off and Lean Back: Push off from the side of the pool and lean back while lifting your legs towards the water's surface, make sure to do this slowly and not jumping into the air.

2. Extend Your Arms Out to the Sides: Extend your arms out to the sides with your palms facing up. Keep your elbows straight and your fingers slightly spread apart.

3. Keep Your Head Back and Face Up: Keep your head back and your face up towards the sky. Relax your neck and try to keep your ears submerged in the water.

4. Use Your Core Muscles to Maintain Buoyancy: Relax your body as much as possible and use your core muscles to maintain balance and stay afloat. Keep your legs and arms still.

5. Breathe In and Out: To breathe, inhale through your nose and mouth, then exhale through your mouth. Take deep, slow breaths and focus on staying as relaxed as possible.

Back Float Recovery

This is the same as the front float, but you're leaning forward. You need to bring your legs down and rotate your body vertically. This is done by bending your knees and bringing your legs down. Then you need to rotate your body vertically by pushing your arms down and bringing them to your sides, bringing you to a standing position.

Again like with the front float, you want to try to rely less on the wall or side of the pool for support. If you feel yourself sinking, push off from the bottom of the pool and try again. Remember to keep your head back and your face up towards the sky.

Improving Your Floats

Both noodles and lifejackets can be very useful in providing extra support and building confidence while learning to float.

Using a Noodle

Noodle for Front Float

1. Hold the noodle out in front of you and lean forward into a floating position: The noodle should be under your armpits, across your chest.

2. Relax your body, let your legs float up behind you, and try to balance

3. When you feel comfortable, try releasing one hand from the noodle and then the other: Maintain a relaxed body posture and engage your core for balance.

Noodle for Back Float

1. Position the noodle across your back, under your armpits:

2. Lean back onto the noodle, keeping your head back and your body relaxed:

3. As you gain confidence and balance, try releasing one hand from the noodle and then the other: Remember to keep your head back and your body relaxed.

Using a Lifejacket

Lifejacket for Front Float

1. Ensure your lifejacket is fitted correctly and securely - The lifejacket should be snug but not too tight

2. Spread your arms and legs out wide, and keep your face in the water

3. Practice taking deep breaths - Lift your face out of the water to inhale and lower it back into the water to exhale

Lifejacket for Back Float

1. Lean back into the water

2. Extend your arms and legs out to your sides, and relax your body

3. Practice taking deep, slow breaths, keeping your face up towards the sky

Make sure to have a relaxed body position and take slow, deep breaths. As your confidence grows, try to rely less on the flotation devices and more on your own body's buoyancy. Always practice with someone else or under supervision, especially when you're learning.

Photos from Swimteaching (opens in a new tab) and Tessa Rhodes (opens in a new tab)