Stamina Skills

[opie]

Can't watch the video. It says embedding disabled by request

 

[maged_mmh]

link: YouTube - How to Teach Kids to Swim : Beginner Swimming Lessons for Children : Teaching a Child to Tread Water : Kids' Swimming Lesson

 

[opie]

Thanks

 

[TMHeimer]

Re the treading water: For the OW course I recall you weren't allowed to float. The 10 min. requirement was quite strenuous. But for DM I read that you can float, and even "fake drowning" (assume that means you can intentionally slip below the surface to rest?). This would seem to make the 15 mins. a piece of cake, even with the last 2 minutes hands out of the water. Any comments?

 

[ScubabunnyCR]

If you are having trouble with the tread part re: keeping your hands out of the water remember that if you tread for the 15min and don't manage to keep your hands out you can still score a 3 and as long as your total is 12 you can pass.
As mentioned previously, with your swim start slow and just try to keep a steady pace. The more you practice, the greater your stamina will be.

 

[DBailey]

Re the treading water: For the OW course I recall you weren't allowed to float. The 10 min. requirement was quite strenuous. But for DM I read that you can float, and even "fake drowning" (assume that means you can intentionally slip below the surface to rest?). This would seem to make the 15 mins. a piece of cake, even with the last 2 minutes hands out of the water. Any comments?

This is where knowledge is power:

For the PADI open water course:

"...students must demonstrate that they can comfortably maintain themselves in water too deep in which to stand by completing a 10-minute swim/float without using any swim aids."

Funny how this is often referred to as the "10-minute tread", but treading is never mentioned in the assessment. Yes, if the student wants to swim for 10 minutes it is allowed.

For the PADI Divemaster course:

"15 Minute Tread

Using no aids and wearing only a swimsuit, the candidate will stay afloat by treading water, drown proofing, bobbing or floating for 15 minutes with hands (not arms) out of the water during the last 2 minutes."

As a divemaster candidate, you should have an Instructor Manual available to your for the course. Find out what is required of you, prior to doing the skill. If you are comfortable with drown proofing, you can essentially rest for 13 minutes, and then tread with hands out of the water for the last two minutes.

 

[Hallmac]

As for the tread,i am a sinker. I can sit on the bottom of the pool with a 3m suit on with all my gear off.

try treading water with that type of effort. Lazy kicks and rubbery arms. Believe it or not, swimming and treading require you to slow down. Fighting the water creates suction and holes in space, thus you have to support yourself. When you quit fighting the movement of water will lift you or push you.

Remember water is denser than air, it too, is always moving even in a pool. You don't fight it, you ride it, allowing it to move around your body instead of pushing it out of your way.

Our kicks are done long legged because it allows us to slice through the medium and send a ripple, water reacts, Thus we ride the wave. The arm strokes are efficient because we cup our hands and drag our upper torso across the sand. If nothing else remember the law of physics. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Since water can't be compressed it fights back. How you use the reaction is the trick.

 

[CDNScubaMoose]

On the swim ... if you don't already have one, get yourself a digital watch that allows you to do split times. Then calculate how what is the interval time for each length/lap in order to get the number of points you are aiming for (I'm assuming you are doing a PADI DM course). For example - lets say you are doing the 400 yard swim and you are aiming for 16 mins (I don't have my manual at my finger tips so I'm just grabbing numbers here) and the pool length is 25 yards then that means you need 16 lengths or 8 laps. So you want to keep an eye on your split times to be around 1 minute/length. If you have trouble reading your watch while swimming then ask your instructor if s/he can call out your time's. I find this approach works great to combat the fast pace that most of us go for at the beginning. I used this technique for my IDC snorkel test and not only did it help me out, I also learned that my CD couldn't count (she missed one lap so I got to do an extra lap).

I can't offer much insight on the tread water as I am a natural floater but students that I have had that tend to sink have been successful with the drown-proofing approach.

One final suggestion ... work on your cardio at the gym. I am by no means a specimen of ideal physical fitness but I do spend 4-5 hours a week on an eliptical machine or in spin classes. Not great fun in my opinion but I have seen my air consumption over the last couple of months.

 

[opie]

Ok what is Drown-proofing?

When i got certified back in 91 or 92 we didn't have to do a float/tread. We done a short swim to a bouy off the beach and that was it.

Hallmac,
I somewhat get what your saying. Although if i quit swimming,i sink. A lifeguard at the pool has had me swimming with just my arms. I put a float between my legs to keep them up. For that is one of my problems,i am kicking so much to keep my legs up that it's wearing me out quicker:confused6:

 

[Sprokit]

Hello All. Very timely discussion in that I am in the middle of my stamina tests now. Last Friday I did the 400 yd swim and the 15 minute float. I tried to do the 800 yd snorkel, but at the halfway point I was cramping (calf and feet) pretty bad and there were other divers that were becoming an obsticle course so I called it off. The recommendations given so far are right on. Either get a watch to time your splts of have someone update you during the swims. BUT, just like diiving, make sure that you and your timer have your signals straight. I screwed up in that at the halfway point my timer was yelling "perfect" rather than letting me know the time and I slowed down too much. I had to pick it up for the last lap to get under the 10min. for the 3 points. The 15 minute float w/hands out of the water for the final 2 minutes is, in my opinion, a gift of 5 pts. As has been said, take a deep breath, head way back and take shallow breaths when the hands are out of the water. I do not know what I am going to do for the snorkel. Need to complete in 17 min or under for the 3 pts. My time @ the halfway point stunk and I felt like I was getting little propulsion, just slapping the water surface. I was using an older pair of AL "Blades" w/booties and while they are great under water, they were useless @ the surface. ScubaMoose is right. You need a certain threshold of fitness to complete these. I am 56 yrs old and workout regularly (however I could never do 4-5 hrs a week on eliptical or spinning!). Even then, I knew that going nto the 800 yd snorkel, I was going to be challenged. Any tips from anyone on how to do the tow adequately in a pool? I think that the turns at the ends will cost a lot of time. Best of luck.