Treading water is the core self rescue skill: staying upright and breathing in place without touching the bottom. It starts with sculling and the eggbeater kick, then puts the two together. It builds on the floating and kicking skills from earlier lessons.
Step by step
1. Sculling
1
Hand sculling out of the water
- Start outside of the water. Have the swimmer shape both hands into a cup.
- Practice scooping toward the belly, with the palms facing in and the thumbs facing out.
- As the hands meet in the middle, flip them so the thumbs face down and the palms face out, then scoop the water away.
- Combine the scoop in and the scoop out into one repeating motion.
- Keep a slight bend in the elbows to help with the movement.
2
Flutter kick and scull
- Add some flutter kicks while sculling, either on the back or on the tummy.
- Practice staying at the surface.
2. Eggbeater kick
3
Eggbeater kick
- Sit at the pool edge with legs in the water to feel the motion out of context first.
- Make a circular motion toward the belly with one foot at a time.
- Once the swimmer gets the hang of the motion, move into shallow water where they can rest on your knee, and practice the same movement in the water.
4
Eggbeater and scull
- Once ready, combine the sculling and the eggbeater kick.
- Keep the head and shoulders above the water, even when the water is deeper than waist level.
Important
Always practice treading water within arm's reach of an adult, in water where help can reach the swimmer right away if needed.
Tip
Treading water is tiring at first. Even 15 to 20 seconds is a real win for a beginner. Build up time gradually rather than pushing for minutes right away.
Track progress
0 / 4- Hand sculling out of the water
- Flutter kick and scull
- Eggbeater kick
- Eggbeater and scull