Learn to Swim | Beginner Lesson 1

The majority of toddler and child drownings occur after a fall into deep water, so teaching safe entries and exits will help keep your family safe. Learning to hold their breath properly can buy swimmers more time in the event of a rescue, and is a core skill that all future skills are built on.

The MISWay ensures swimmers are taught these skills and more at the youngest age possible. This instructional video aims to show parents how to teach their kids to safely enter and exit the pool, and how to properly teach your kids to hold their breath as they go underwater. 

The MISWay focuses on the safest possible entry, the slip in where swimmers slide backwards into the pool on their stomach while holding the wall. Similarly, safe exits are taught using the elbow-elbow-tummy techniques, where a swimmer leverages their body weight to climb out of the pool. 

Learning to go underwater is arguably one of the most critical core skills of the Beginner Swimming program. Proper submersion can be taught through a progression of first learning to close the mouth and hold their breath while having water poured over the head and face. Once the swimmer is comfortable with this, progress to actual submersions of increasing intensity (deeper and longer).

These skills should be combined in different ways and with other Beginner Swimmer skills to develop comfort, confidence, and above all independence. These basic movements will create the foundation for successfully learning the basics of the 4 competitive strokes in our Intermediate Swimmer Program. 

Remember beginner swimmers are mostly young children so swimming must always be fun first. Skills can be dressed up as adventures or stories, rewards and motivation should be awesome and inspiring, and above all recognize how amazing your swimmer is just because. Follow the progressions closely, and remember that enthusiasm and motivation is critical for ensuring that your child loves the water from an early age. 

*Remember there is no substitute for having a professional swim instructor teach you, and to exercise water safety at all times when following these videos. Swim safely, everyone!