KS2 · Physical education · Year 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Back paddle and floating
Swimming: an introduction to core aquatic skills and survival swimming
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/11
Your learning goal
I can experiment using different travel techniques to travel on the back through the water.
1 of 11
Back paddle and floating: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
What you’ll learn
I can experiment using different travel techniques to travel on the back through the water.
Key learning points
- Move: travel on the back requires you to kick your legs in a relaxed manner.
- Move: travel on the back requires a simultaneous and continuous sculling action.
- Think: being in a streamlined position aids effective propulsion.
- Feel: attempting different hand positions to feel the effects of sculling requires confidence.
- Connect: working with peers to identify effective body positions shows cooperation.
Words to know
- back paddle
- travel on the back using the arms and legs
- sculling
- a figure of 8 motion with the hands and forearms which aids propulsion and supports your body position
- streamlined
- little resistance to movement through the water, increasing speed and ease of movement
- kicking
- movement with the legs to produce propulsion
Common mistakes
Pupils swim back paddle with a leg kick that is large, with the legs bending and the feet being low in the water.
The leg kick when swimming back paddle should be long and straight with small fast kicks which are near to or at the surface of the water.
For parents, carers and teachers
- Get pupils to practise back paddle leg action at school sitting on a chair, bench or lying on a mat. Pupils pratise the alternating movement with their legs, with their toes pointed whilst watching their knees.