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Description

Surface dive into at least 1.5 metres of water and touch the bottom with both hands. Mushroom float for ten seconds. Enter the pool and push off from the side on your front and glide for five metres. From the side of the pool, push off on your back and glide for as far as possible.

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Instructions

Majority of beginners, who do not have much knowledge of swimming, will think that they will start to sink once their feet leave the ground. The truth is that water is more than capable of supporting our bodies. Therefore, it is very easy for us to float without moving our limbs as long as we continue to hold air in our lungs.
Here are the steps to do a mushroom float:

1. Stand in the shallow end of the pool.
2. Breathe in and hold your breath.
3. Submerge yourself into the water.
4. Roll up into a ball, bring your knees to your chest and hold them with your hands.
5. If you need to breathe, unroll and stand again.

Do take note that when they actually follow the steps correctly, they will notice that their head submerges into the water, but they will also float closer to the water surface. If they would like to test out sinking back down, all they have to do is exhale while being rolled up. They will realise that they start to sink due to their lungs getting emptied. This shows them that their lungs serve as the buoys of their body.

This is a great experiment and exercise not just for beginners, but for those who are trying to overcome their fear of water. This will enable them to realise that even though their feet are not touching the ground, they will still be able to float up to the surface effortlessly. By doing so, hopefully it does help to increase their confidence in the water.

Tags

• swimming badge 2
• swimming badge stage 2

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