LEARN TO SWIM: WATER ADJUSTMENT
In Milestone 1 of 4 of the Learn to Swim Program, Students Get Comfortable
Students who reach the Water Adjustment milestone will:
- Understand or be exposed to water safety rules
- Learn to see water as a place to have fun with others
- Be comfortable floating and submerging in water
- Master the most basic water safety skills
The foundation of all swimming (and by extension water safety) is a feeling of comfort in the water. No Olympic swimmer, lap-pool enthusiast, or weekend waterpark-paddler got to where they are without first, at some point, accepting and finding comfort in and around water.
For some people, adjusting to being in and interacting with water comes naturally; for others, water evokes a “fight or flight” response. Wherever a person is on their Swim Path when they first come to FOSS, our Learn to Swim program first establishes and reinforces comfort with the water, a milestone we call Water Adjustment.
Water adjustment can be taught at home at a very early age, starting with the simplest things imaginable. Sitting in a bath, playing with water in a basin – these are things every baby encounters almost from birth. As parents, reinforce this love of water! Your presence, enjoyment, and approval can lay the foundation for things to come.
Fun, Repetition, and Patience: How a Student Learns Water Adjustment
Oftentimes, when we first meet a student, the foundation for water adjustment has already been laid. But not all students join us as babies, and each student is at a different point when they start. Depending on age and comfort, our Swim Path approach engages each student differently; older students usually just demonstrate the most advanced water adjustment skills, without going through each preceding skill.
Water On the Head and Face
It’s the most basic interaction with water and often learned in the bath. In our Backfloat Baby classes, we spend time pouring water as part of games; older students simply get in the pool.
- Student is comfortable having water poured over their head and face
Submersion
On front and back, and for varying amounts of time depending on age, submersion (first assisted, later voluntary) is important for water acclimation.
- Student is comfortable with backward submersion, 3 seconds
- Student is comfortable with forward submersion, 3 seconds
- Forward submersion with assisted start, 5 seconds
- Voluntary submersion of face, 1 second x 5 repetitions
- Voluntary submersion of face and ears, 5 seconds x 5 repetitions
Floating
A first lesson in buoyancy comes when students learn to float on their back, either with support (for babies) or without (for older swimmers). The sensation of water in the ears can be unusual, so we make a game of it to make the experience fun.
- Student is comfortable with supported float on back with ears in the water, 15 seconds
- Float on back with light touch, ears in water, 30 seconds
Waiting for Permission
Babies and toddlers are specifically taught to only enter water when told by an adult it is OK; this comes in the form of games for little children. It’s part of the rules shared with older students.
- Enter the water on cue
Demonstrating a Safety Turn
Learning to turn back to find the wall after entering the water is an important safety skill and one of the first times a student is asked to maneuver in the water.
- Safety Turn from sitting on edge with assistance, x 5 repetitions
Levels where Water Adjustment is taught
Water Adjustment is taught in multiple levels for babies and toddlers, and is part of all levels where a student is learning to swim for the first time, regardless of age.
- Backfloat Baby 1
- Backfloat Baby 2
- Backfloat Baby 3
- Little 1 (3-5 years)
- Middle 1 (5-7 years)
- Big 1 (7-10 years)
- 10+1 (10-17 years)
- Adult 1 (18+ years)
Levels where Water Adjustment is taught
Water Adjustment is taught in multiple levels for babies and toddlers, and is part of all levels where a student is learning to swim for the first time, regardless of age.
- Backfloat Baby 1
- Backfloat Baby 2
- Backfloat Baby 3
- Little 1 (3-5 years)
Backfloat Baby 1
Backfloat Baby 2
Backfloat Baby 3
Little 1 (3-5 years)
Middle 1 (5-7 years)
Big 1 (7-10 years)
10+1 (10-17 years)
Adult 1 (18+ years)
- Middle 1 (5-7 years)
- Big 1 (7-10 years)
- 10+1 (10-17 years)
- Adult 1 (18+ years)
Reaching the Milestone and Moving to Float Up
By the time a student graduates from Backfloat Baby, they typically have achieved the Water Adjustment milestone. If they haven’t, they can continue their development in the Little 1 class. All students must reach the Water Adjustment milestone before they can move from a 1-level class (Little 1, Middle 1, and Big 1).
The next milestone phase of the Swim Path, called Float Up, is about understanding and mastering buoyancy. New skills, abilities, and confidence will move each student along their path to becoming a stronger, more confident swimmer – but it all starts with making that first encounter with water a happy one!
