All About Self-Rescue Swim Skills

I’m sure you’ve seen the videos on social media of babies and toddlers “swimming” by rolling themselves onto their backs to float. While this is a great safety skill, it’s not the same thing as swimming. Submerging underwater and recovering to a back float is one of a few self-rescue skills. These self-recue skills can be taught to a child who is too young to swim, or a child who hasn’t fully learned to swim yet, so they can get to air should they end up in water.

Self-Rescue vs Swimming

Self-rescue skills are the safety skills required to recover after submerging in the water. They are a sequence of actions that start with a submersion (or jump) and end when the child is able to breathe while resting with nose and mouth out of the water. Swimming focuses on forward motion in the water, but self-rescue skills are done in place. Self-rescue skills are normally taught before swimming skills, or in conjunction with beginner swim skills.

Jump, turn over, back float

This is probably the most well-known skill, often featured in many social media videos of babies “swimming”. It is the most versatile, working anywhere in the pool and at any depth. However, many older children have a harder time learning to float, so other self rescue skills may be easier for them to learn first.

Jump, turn around, grab the wall

This may seem like an obvious skill, but unless taught, kids rarely instinctively know to turn around after they jump. While children tend to learn this quickly, it does require them to be able to resurface independently after a jump. Also, this skill is only helpful in pools and near the wall and wouldn’t help in situations like falling off a dock or a boat.

Jump, resurface, tread water, …

While treading water isn’t exactly “resting” most kids older than a toddler tend to resurface in a “treading water” position before moving onto another resting position. This few seconds of treading water allows them to get their bearings and decide what to do next. It’s great for the little one who is starting to get confident in the water, but hasn’t yet mastered the beginner skills.

Jump, orient, stand up

The ability to stand up in chest-deep water is a great skill for non-swimmer tweens and teens. Its likely the easiest skill to learn for taller beginners and is a great confidence boost once mastered. But this skill only works in water no deeper than chest height, which younger children may not encounter regularly.

Which one is best?

There’s no single answer to this question. The most suitable skill depends on the individual child and the pool environment. The best skills are the ones that the child can confidently and consistently perform. I recommend starting with the one they are most likely to master easily and would be beneficial in the pool they’re most likely to encounter. So go ahead and try a few, and then use your best judgement to determine which is best for your child.