Learning/teaching ‘bubble blowing’ skills for swimming .... the challenges, the goals, the value .... post 39

We shall be moving on to a rather advanced swimming skill .... picking up toys with the face in or the head under the water. This new skill has many progressions. Each progression is a short term goal which requires lots of repetitive practices to achieve the short term goals and self confidence of being under the water. There are wonderful little ‘games’, ‘routines’ and challenges that we can learn/teach. One-on-one or within a group our learned skill is an individual ability

The value of our ability, the proficiency of our ‘breath in’ our ‘bubble blowing’ skills requires that we be sure of and honest with ourselves of our boundaries for safety in the water
 

We have learned to blow bubbles onto the surface of the water, out of the mouth then out of the nose then slowly progressed to blowing out with the face in the water, then out through the nose with the face in the water. With these skill achievements we are able to push the whole head under the water with confidence. Through so much practice we too have learned to enjoy being under the water
 

We discovered that with each progression, with each attempt ....first on the surface, then submerging the mouth then the nose then the face then the whole head, that the deeper we push the face and head into the water the greater the resistance. We learn/teach to ‘push’ the face and head against this water resistance which, through repetition, becomes familiar and easy

We learn to hold our head still in deeper water. When our eyes are open we can see how deep we are pushing our head under the water, become aware of the sensations that we feel, the sounds under water which cause us to ‘think’ ....
 

Each and every practice requires that before we ‘blow bubbles’ we are clearly heard to say to count (slowly and rhythmically) and one and two and three open wide big breath, blow ‘moo’ bubbles ....

©     We have practiced lifting the head up to take a breath to then put the face into the water to ‘blow bubbles’ – practice over and over a few times (this breathing technique is used in the breaststroke and butterfly stroke)

Other suggested practices ....  

©     Put the ear in the water, ‘big breath’ in, ‘blow bubbles’ as we roll the neck and head from the ear to the cheek to the mouth the nose and eyes the other cheek to the other ear
 

©     Repeat this practice which is the breathing technique used in unilateral or bilateral breathing for crawl/freestyle or sometimes, butterfly stroke
 

©     A challenging ‘game’ is to scream or sing or talk under the water to test our power of ‘explosive exhalation’. We do not teach the obvious. Focus is on the game which requires a deep breath in to be able to scream or sing or talk
 
©     Use the voice to practice blowing bubbles out of the mouth and nose at the same time

When we reach these ‘goals’ we are surely ready for the next challenging and fun skill which we learn/teach in Module 9 of 16 tutored in post 40 ....