Independent Floating Skills
What This Means for You: Floating and gliding are the foundation skills that make all swimming possible. Once you master these, you'll have the confidence and ability to learn any swimming stroke. These skills prove that water will support you and that you can move through it safely and efficiently.
Video: An overview of the Steps for floating and gliding
Relaxation is Your Best Friend: Tension makes your body sink. Staying calm allows your natural buoyancy to work for you.
Keep Your Lungs Comfortably Full: Gentle, shallow breaths with your lungs comfortably full will maximize your buoyancy and help you float.
Master Recovery: Learning to confidently return to standing from any float position is essential - this knowledge removes fear and builds confidence.
Accept Your Natural Float: Everyone's body composition creates different floating positions. Most people's legs sink somewhat, and that's completely normal while still maintaining overall buoyancy.
Gentle Movement Helps: Light leg movement helps maintain leg position and overall stability in the water.
Step 1: Face-in-Water Confidence
Before you can float comfortably, you need to be relaxed with water on your face.
Stand in chest-deep water holding the pool wall
Start by putting just your lips in water and blowing bubbles - this should feel playful and easy
Progress to putting your nose underwater while gently breathing out through your nose
Build to putting your full face underwater for 3-5 seconds at a time
Practice a rhythm: take a breath (inhail) above water, put face under and breathe (exhail) out bubbles, come back up
Why This Matters: Being comfortable with water on your face removes anxiety and lets you focus on learning to float.
Practice Goal: Put your face underwater calmly for 5+ seconds while breathing out bubbles.
Step 2: Supported Back Float Introduction
You'll start with instructor support to build confidence before floating independently.
Your instructor will support you with a hand under your neck/shoulders and at your wrist or arm
Position your arms stretched above your head in a Y-shape (this 'counter balance' helps your legs float higher)
Keep your legs relaxed and let them float naturally
From a sitting position, lean your head back and let your body move to horizontal while your feet stay in place
Focus on keeping your body relaxed, ears underwater, head back, eyes looking directly up at the ceiling
Keep your lungs comfortably full with gentle, shallow breathing
Use gentle flutter kick movement if needed to help your legs float
What You're Learning: Your body naturally wants to float when you're relaxed and your lungs have air in them.
Practice Goal: Float comfortably with support for 10+ seconds, feeling relaxed and stable.
Step 3: Back Float Recovery Practice
Learning to return to standing safely builds confidence for independent floating.
From your supported back float, practice returning to standing in a controlled way
Bend your knees toward your chest, bring your chest forward to your kness (like folding a suitcase), then push your feet straight down to find the pool bottom
Practice this recovery several times until it feels automatic and confident
Why This Matters: Knowing you can always return to standing safely removes fear and builds confidence for independent floating.
Practice Goal: Confidently recover to standing from back float position multiple times.
Step 4: Independent Back Float
Now you'll float on your own, building on everything you've learned.
Your instructor will gradually reduce support while you maintain your float position
Accept that your legs may sink somewhat - this is normal and you're still floating successfully
Use gentle flutter kick if needed to help maintain your leg position
Build your floating time from 5 seconds to 15+ seconds independently
Focus on calm breathing and accepting your body's natural floating position
What You've Achieved: You're now floating independently - your body is supporting itself in water!
IImportant Safety Requirement: Back floating is an essential safety skill that you must master without depending on equipment. While you may use a nose clip as a temporary learning aid while developing proper head position and breathing technique, you must demonstrate 15+ seconds of independent back floating WITHOUT a nose clip to complete this safety skill.
If You Need Nose Clip Support While Learning:
You can use a nose clip initially to focus on proper body position (ears underwater, eyes up)
Practice correct head positioning without nose water distraction
Achieving Your Independent Competency:
Gradually practice proper head position without the nose clip
Master gentle positive pressure breathing through your nose
Your competency standard: 15+ seconds back float without any equipment
Why this matters for you: In emergency situations, you need this safety skill to work without equipment that might not be available
Your Head Position for Preventing Water Getting up your Nose
Keep your ears underwater, face pointing straight up at the ceiling
Your waterline should be around your temples/hairline level
Gentle continuous exhale through your nose creates positive pressure
Proper positioning eliminates most nose water issues naturally
Practice Goal: Float independently for 15+ seconds with calm, controlled breathing WITHOUT a nose clip.
Step 5: Supported Front Float Introduction
Front floating adds face-in-water breathing coordination to your floating skills.
Start by holding the pool wall and practicing floating face-down with wall support
Learn to coordinate breathing: lift your head to breathe in, put your face down to breathe out bubbles
Practice holding your breath with your lungs comfortably full for 5, 10, then 15 seconds
Build comfort with staying in face-down position for extended periods
What's Different: Front floating requires breath-holding or lifting your head to breathe, but the floating principle is the same.
Practice Goal: Hold your breath comfortably for 15+ seconds while floating face-down with wall support.
Step 6: Front Float Recovery Practice
Recovery from front float uses the same principle but starts from a different position.
From your supported front float, practice controlled recovery to standing
Bring your knees to your chest, then find your footing on the pool bottom
Practice this several times until recovery feels automatic and confident
Building Confidence: You now know you can recover safely from both front and back floating positions.
Practice Goal: Consistently recover to standing from front float position with confidence.
Step 7: Independent Front Float
You'll now float on your front independently, using all your developed skills.
Progress from supported to completely independent front floating
Build duration to 15+ seconds using either breath-holding or rhythmic breathing (lifting head as needed)
Accept your natural body position while maintaining overall flotation
Focus on staying relaxed and trusting your body's buoyancy
Major Achievement: You can now float independently in both front and back positions!
Practice Goal: Float independently on your front for 15+ seconds with controlled breathing.
Step 8: Wall Push-Off Technique
Gliding turns your floating skills into forward movement through the water.
Learn proper push-off technique from the pool wall
Practice streamlined body position: arms extended above your head, head between your arms
Focus on a strong, controlled push-off that generates forward momentum
Practice recovering to standing at the end of each glide
What You're Learning: You can move efficiently through water using your body's streamlined shape.
Practice Goal: Generate forward momentum with a strong, controlled push-off from the wall.
Step 9: Streamlined Body Position
Maintaining the right body shape makes gliding efficient and smooth.
Practice keeping a tight, streamlined position during your glide - body straight, arms extended
Focus on body alignment to maximize your glide efficiency
Build comfort with extended underwater gliding
Keep your body relaxed while maintaining good alignment
Why This Matters: A streamlined position reduces drag and lets you glide farther with less effort.
Practice Goal: Maintain tight, streamlined body position throughout your glide.
Step 10: Glide Distance Development
Combine your push-off with streamlined position to achieve maximum gliding distance.
Combine strong push-off technique with perfect streamlined position
Build your gliding distance from 5 feet to 10+ feet before needing to stand or stroke
Practice maintaining direction control throughout your glide - travel in a straight line
Focus on efficiency - how far can you glide with one strong push?
What You're Achieving: You're now moving through water efficiently using momentum and body position.
Practice Goal: Glide 10+ feet in a straight line before standing.
Step 11: Glide to Float Transition
This advanced skill combines all your floating and gliding abilities.
Practice transitioning from a glide directly into independent floating without standing
Combine your gliding skills with your floating skills for continuous water movement
Build confidence in sustained water activity without needing to touch the bottom
Major Achievement: You can now move through water and maintain position without standing - this is real water competence!
Practice Goal: Transition smoothly from gliding to floating without standing.
Step 12: Glide to Front Float to Back Float Roll
This advanced skill demonstrates complete water mastery by combining all your competencies into one continuous sequence.
Start with your streamlined glide from wall push-off (from Step 10)
Transition from glide to front float without standing (from Step 11)
From your front float position, carefully roll over onto your back
Maintain independent back float for at least 15 seconds
Complete the entire sequence without touching the bottom or needing support
Rolling Technique:
While in front float, slowly turn your head to one side
Let your body follow your head's movement, rolling gently onto your side
Continue the roll until you're completely on your back in your familiar back float position
Settle into your comfortable back float with ears underwater, eyes looking up
Complete Sequence: Wall push-off → streamlined glide → front float → roll to back float → maintain 15+ seconds
When you can complete all these skills, you have achieved fundamental water competence:
Your Floating Skills:
Independent front float for 15+ seconds
Independent back float for 15+ seconds
Controlled recovery to standing from both positions
Your Gliding Skills:
Streamlined glide from wall push-off
Gliding 10+ feet in straight line before standing
Direction control throughout your glide
Glide on front the roll to a back float
Your Water Confidence:
You know water will support you
You can move efficiently through water
You can recover safely to standing from any position
You have the foundation for learning any swimming stroke
These floating and gliding skills are the foundation for everything that follows:
Your back float confidence prepares you for elementary backstroke
Your front float skills prepare you for elementary breaststroke
Your gliding skills will be used in all future stroke development
Your recovery skills give you confidence to attempt new challenges
You've built real water competence and are ready to progress to your first swimming strokes. The hardest part - trusting water to support you - is now behind you.
