sculling for swimming and treading water in the pool and pool safety binghamton university

Intermediate Swim Session 2: Mastering Bobs, Sculling, and Dolphin Kicks

In Intermediate Swim Session 2, swimmers focused on enhancing breath control, mastering water feel, and refining body positioning through targeted drills and techniques. The session began with a warmup revisiting foundational skills like standing kicks, streamline holds, and the mushroom top drill, ensuring swimmers developed proper form and alignment. A fast-paced pre-set of 4×25 freestyle intervals added intensity, teaching pacing and endurance. Key drills included bobs and bubbles for breath control, sculling to improve water feel, and treading water for efficient buoyancy management.

The main set introduced the dolphin kick, an essential technique for butterfly and underwater streamlining, emphasizing power from the hips and simultaneous leg movement. Partner-assisted flipping drills prepared swimmers for flip turns, enhancing underwater control and rotation. These exercises built confidence and efficiency, paving the way for advanced strokes and turns. As students progress, they’ll continue to refine these skills in upcoming sessions, laying the groundwork for smooth, effective swimming.

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Mastering Breath Control: Key Drills from Learn to Swim Session 2

In the second session of Learn to Swim, we focused on building comfort with breath control and submersion, essential skills for developing a relaxed and efficient swimming technique. Students began with a warmup of standing and sitting kicks, emphasizing proper form through straight legs and pointed toes. The pre-set challenged participants with interval-based kicking drills, gradually increasing effort while reducing rest, fostering endurance and technique under fatigue. These foundational exercises prepared swimmers for the primary focus of the session: mastering breath control and submerging comfortably in the water.

The drill set introduced students to blowing bubbles, bobs, and combining the two in dynamic exercises to build underwater confidence. Progressions included exhaling through the mouth and nose underwater, forceful breaths, and rapid sequences of bobs and bubbles to simulate the rhythm of swimming. By the end of the session, students demonstrated noticeable improvements, transitioning from basic submersion to integrating movement and breath control with greater ease. This class marked a significant step toward mastering comfort and fluidity in the water, setting the stage for future stroke development.