Floating - why is it important?
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Not only do we live in the Midlands, but Northampton town is 100+ miles away from the sea. So why is water safety important to us? We have rivers, lakes, reservoirs and canals all on our doorstep. Do these require knowledge on water safety and being able to swim? Yes! Whether you can swim or not the highest danger to all of us in these cold winter months is cold water shock. This occurs when we enter water through choice or by accident of 15 degrees or lower. The first symptoms of cold water shock are gasping for breath and rapid breathing causing hyperventilation. However cold water shock can lead to more serious reactions such as hypothermia and unconsciousness.
To maximize your chances of survival in cold water you should float on your back. Not only does this allow for air intake but it also means you are able to shout for help, further increasing your survival rate.
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Hide AdNext time you are in the pool, find a quiet spot in the slow lane and float. Allow your body to feel the weightlessness of being in the water. If you find this challenging try with a pool noodle, and then progress to having a go without. This will help you with your body awareness in the water. Top tip – when floating, tuck your chin in to your chest to easily regain your feet back to the pool floor.


When floating on your back it is important to ensure that your head is in the correct position, looking up at the ceiling (or sky if you are lucky enough to swim outside!) and with your ears relaxed into the water. If you are relaxed in this position your hips should be sitting high and your stomach should be near to the water surface too.
Floating is implemented for safety but it is also used in the day-to-day skills of learning how to swim. We teach beginners of all levels to float, but why? Being able to float in the water means that we have adopted the correct body position for swimming, this can either be prone (face down) or supine (on our back). Having the correct body position being flat at the top of the water, allows us to move through the water faster as we have less drag. When our body is low in the water with sinking hips, this means we have an increased surface area and drag so it takes more effort to move through the water as we have greater resistance.
Next weeks topic will be psychological barriers in swimming. If you have any relatable questions based on this topic or not please email [email protected] and I will answer them in the next column.