Swimming Basic Skill
Basic Swimming Skills
From your work toward Second Class rank, you know that a rescuer often does not need to enter the water to save someone from drowning. Reaching or throwing rescue devices usually work, but sometimes a rescuer must swim a float to an active victim, or swim out and tow an unconscious person to safety. Such cases require strong swimming skills. First Class rank requirements start you on your way to becoming a good swimmer, but you need additional skills to begin training for the Lifesaving merit badge. You need to master the front crawl, sidestroke, breaststroke, and elementary backstroke. These are introduced in your Boy Scout Handbook and reviewed here, but you will probably need formal instruction to master them. Do not assume that your Lifesaving merit badge counselor will teach you swimming and lifesaving at the same time. Your swimming skills need not be perfect, but you should know the basic strokes before you tackle lifesaving. An excellent way to prepare for the Lifesaving merit badge is to first earn the Swimming merit badge. You also may take swimming courses from the Red Cross, YMCA, or your local parks department. if you are a member of a swim team, you can ask your coach for help with the noncompetitive strokes. You should contact a counselor for the Lifesaving badge only after you are confident that you can perform the prerequisite 400-yard swim with ease. if you can't quite make the distance, get someone to review your strokes with you. At this stage, stamina is probably not as critical as good form. That is, if you know how to do the strokes property, the distance shouldn't be a problem. Review the following stroke descriptions to refresh your memory. More detailed descriptions and illustrations are in your Boy Scout Handbook and the Swimming merit badge pamphlet. Note that lifesaving procedures will require you to modify the strokes to carry equipment, to avoid obstructions, to keep an eye on the victim, and, if needed, to tow
From your work toward Second Class rank, you know that a rescuer often does not need to enter the water to save someone from drowning. Reaching or throwing rescue devices usually work, but sometimes a rescuer must swim a float to an active victim, or swim out and tow an unconscious person to safety. Such cases require strong swimming skills. First Class rank requirements start you on your way to becoming a good swimmer, but you need additional skills to begin training for the Lifesaving merit badge. You need to master the front crawl, sidestroke, breaststroke, and elementary backstroke. These are introduced in your Boy Scout Handbook and reviewed here, but you will probably need formal instruction to master them. Do not assume that your Lifesaving merit badge counselor will teach you swimming and lifesaving at the same time. Your swimming skills need not be perfect, but you should know the basic strokes before you tackle lifesaving. An excellent way to prepare for the Lifesaving merit badge is to first earn the Swimming merit badge. You also may take swimming courses from the Red Cross, YMCA, or your local parks department. if you are a member of a swim team, you can ask your coach for help with the noncompetitive strokes. You should contact a counselor for the Lifesaving badge only after you are confident that you can perform the prerequisite 400-yard swim with ease. if you can't quite make the distance, get someone to review your strokes with you. At this stage, stamina is probably not as critical as good form. That is, if you know how to do the strokes property, the distance shouldn't be a problem. Review the following stroke descriptions to refresh your memory. More detailed descriptions and illustrations are in your Boy Scout Handbook and the Swimming merit badge pamphlet. Note that lifesaving procedures will require you to modify the strokes to carry equipment, to avoid obstructions, to keep an eye on the victim, and, if needed, to tow