How to Tread Water for Beginners in 10 Minutes - Easy and Effective Technique

Summary

In this instructional video, Johnny Rocket teaches the essential skill of treading water with detailed underwater shots for leg movements. He outlines three key steps: effective arm movements to create a whirlpool effect for buoyancy, the eggbeater kick for legs, and maintaining a low body position to conserve energy. The video also emphasizes that while treading water is fun for casual use, it's not recommended for survival situations due to its exhausting nature, suggesting the back float instead. Tips for beginners and the importance of practice are highlighted.

Takeaways

• 🏊‍♂️ **Arm Movement**: Treading water starts with arm movements that push water downwards to lift you up.
• 🤲 **Hand Technique**: Use your forearms and hands to 'skull' the water, keeping your elbows close to your body.
• 🌀 **Creating a Whirlpool**: A whirlpool effect indicates effective arm movement, created by pushing water back and forth quickly.
• 🦵 **Leg Movement**: Use a one-footed breaststroke kick, or 'eggbeater kick', with flexed feet and knees close to the body.
• 🧍 **Body Position**: Keep your hips under your body to stay in one place; lean forward slightly to reduce leg strain.
• 👀 **Moving While Treading**: To move, look in the direction you want to go, and your body will rotate to follow.
• 🚫 **Not for Survival**: Treading water is not recommended for long-term survival situations; use the back float instead.
• 🌊 **Gravity in Water**: Stay low in the water to reduce the effort needed to tread; coming up too high is tiring.
• 💦 **Avoid Splashing**: If you're choking on water, lower your hands and shoulders rather than lifting your head higher.
• 🏅 **Skill Importance**: Treading water is a required skill for water sports, Boy Scout tests, and other certifications.
• 👋 **Instructor Contact**: For personalized swim lessons, contact the instructor directly or sign up on the website.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Johnny Rocket's video?

The main focus of Johnny Rocket's video is to provide detailed instructions on how to tread water, including underwater shots for the legs.

What are the three steps to treading water according to the video?

The three steps to treading water are: 1) arm movement to redirect water downwards, 2) one-footed breaststroke kick (eggbeater kick) with legs, and 3) maintaining body position with hips under the body and leaning forward slightly for beginners.

How should you position your arms while treading water?

Your arms should be close to your body with elbows in a little bit, using mostly forearms and hands. You don't need to use your whole arm or move your arms too far from your body.

What is the goal of the arm movement in treading water?

The goal of the arm movement is to redirect water downwards to boost the body towards the surface.

What is the term for the kick used while treading water with legs?

The kick used while treading water with legs is called a one-footed breaststroke kick, also known as an eggbeater kick.

What should your feet position be during the eggbeater kick?

Your feet should be flexed, knees close to your body, and feet kept wide during the eggbeater kick.

How does the eggbeater kick help in treading water?

The eggbeater kick helps in treading water by trapping water between the heels and shins and redirecting it down towards the bottom or center of the body.

What is the recommendation for staying in one place while treading water?

To stay in one place while treading water, you should keep your hips underneath your body and lean forward slightly to take pressure off your legs.

How does treading water feel like when moving around?

Moving around while treading water is compared to riding a hoverboard, where looking in the direction you want to move causes your body to rotate and travel towards that direction.

What is Johnny Rocket's advice for survival in an ocean or after falling off a boat?

Johnny Rocket recommends using the back float for survival in an ocean or after falling off a boat, as treading water can be exhausting and is a temporary solution.

What is a common mistake beginners make when learning to tread water?

A common mistake beginners make is trying to come up too high out of the water, which increases the effort needed to stay afloat.

Why is it advised to stay low in the water while treading?

Staying low in the water reduces the gravitational effect on the body parts out of the water, making it easier to tread water.

Outlines

00:00

🏊‍♂️ Treading Water Techniques

In this video, Johnny Rocket demonstrates how to tread water effectively. The first step involves arm movements to redirect water downwards, using mostly forearms and hands. The technique is likened to frosting a cake or directing a choir, with the goal of creating a whirlpool. The second step is the eggbeater kick with the legs, which requires flexed feet and kicking to trap water between heels and shins. Tips for staying in place and moving while treading water are also given. The video concludes with a note that while treading water is fun, it's not recommended for survival situations, suggesting the back float as a better alternative.

05:07

📢 Engage with Johnny Rocket

Johnny Rocket invites viewers to engage with the content by liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and considering membership. He encourages viewers to explore the digital store for merchandise and to follow the channel on various social media platforms for additional tips. He also provides a direct means of contact for those interested in private swim lessons, either in person or online.

Keywords

💡Treading Water

Treading water is the act of staying afloat in water without moving through it. It's a fundamental skill for swimmers and is crucial for safety in water-based activities. In the video, it's the main focus and the skill being taught, with detailed steps and techniques provided to help viewers master it.

💡Arm Movement

Arm movement is a critical part of treading water, used to redirect water downwards to keep the body buoyant. The video emphasizes the importance of using forearms and hands, rather than the whole arm, to create a whirlpool effect that aids in staying afloat.

💡Whirlpool

A whirlpool, as mentioned in the video, is a spinning body of water created by the arm movements while treading water. It's an indicator that the arm technique is effective, as it shows water is being pushed downwards, which helps to keep the swimmer afloat.

💡Eggbeater Kick

The eggbeater kick is a specific type of kick used in treading water, resembling the motion of a one-footed breaststroke kick. It's named for its resemblance to the motion of an eggbeater. The video explains that keeping the feet flexed and knees close while kicking helps to trap water and redirect it downwards.

💡Breaststroke Kick

The breaststroke kick is a swimming kick technique used in the eggbeater kick while treading water. It involves kicking with the legs in a way that propels water backwards, which is adapted in treading water to help maintain an upright position.

💡Survival

Survival in the context of the video refers to staying afloat in water for an extended period. The video contrasts treading water with the back float, suggesting the latter as a more energy-efficient method for long-term survival in water.

💡Back Float

The back float is an alternative method of staying afloat that is recommended for survival situations over treading water. It involves lying on one's back with the face up, which uses less energy and allows for deeper breaths, as explained in the video.

💡Gravity

Gravity is discussed in the video to explain why it's more energy-efficient to stay low in the water while treading. The script mentions that being out of the water increases the effective weight of the body part due to the water's resistance.

💡Water Sports

Water sports are activities that take place in water and often require the ability to tread water. The video mentions that many water sports, as well as certain certifications like Boy Scout tests, require proficiency in treading water.

💡Certifications

Certifications in the video refer to formal qualifications or的认可 that one has achieved a certain level of skill or knowledge. Treading water is part of some certifications, indicating its importance in water safety and competence.

💡Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency in the context of the video pertains to the conservation of physical effort while staying afloat. Treading water can be exhausting, so the video suggests techniques that use less energy, such as the back float.

Highlights

Introduction to the video on how to tread water with more detailed instructions.

Three steps to treading water are discussed.

First step focuses on arm movement to redirect water downwards.

Using forearms and hands is key, not the whole arm.

Elbows should be kept close to the body for effective arm movement.

Creating a whirlpool with arm movement is a sign of good technique.

The second step involves a one-footed breaststroke kick, or eggbeater kick.

Feet should be flexed and knees close to the body during the kick.

Trapping water between heels and shins is crucial for the eggbeater kick.

Maintaining hips under the body helps to stay in one place.

Leaning forward can help reduce leg strain for beginners.

Moving while treading water is compared to riding a hoverboard.

Treading water is fun but not recommended for survival situations.

Back float is recommended for survival as it uses less energy.

Beginners often make the mistake of coming up too high out of the water.

Staying low in the water reduces the effort required to tread water.

Treading water is required for many water sports and certifications.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content.

Transcripts

Hey guys, Johnny Rocket here with another video.

In this one, we're going to talk about how to tread water.

A lot of you guys have been commenting even

on the treading water video that already exists

about needing more detail and underwater shots for the legs.

We're going to give you that in this video.

Let's dive right into it.

[Music]

There are three steps to treading water.

The first step is all about the arms.

We're going to get the water redirect

downwards, which will boost us up towards the surface.

That's the ultimate goal.

Now, in order to do this really well, you want to skull the water with your hands.

You don't need to use your whole entire arm and you

don't want your arms to be too far from your body.

Keep them kind of close to your body.

Keep the elbows in a little bit.

It's okay if the elbows wiggle a little bit, but

you don't need to be using your whole shoulder.

It's mostly in the forearms and the hands.

The frosting a cake or directing a choir.

At first, you'll notice water just kind of moves back and forth,

but pretty soon, if I do this well enough, there will be a whirlpool that forms.

Some of you are asking how to form that whirlpool.

Well, you're going to have to keep pushing

water down to the bottom, back and forth.

Keep your fingers kind of loose.

Keep your hand kind of loose and then start putting more pressure on the water

and moving it a little bit quicker.

Pretty soon, a whirlpool will form.

Check this out.

There's a big whirlpool over this hand right here.

And if you feel your shoulders starting to get sore or even your hands get sore,

that's completely normal.

You're redirecting water straight down to the bottom of the pool that way.

That water sloshing back and forth and then getting pushed down

is what's causing that whirlpool.

It's a fun scientific experiment.

It's also the tell that you have a good arm

movement in your treading water technique.

Step number two is the legs.

When you're treading water with your legs,

you're doing a one-footed breaststroke kick,

also known as an eggbeater kick.

An eggbeater kick, your feet need to be flexed.

You're going to keep your knees close to your

body and you're going to keep them kind of wide.

When you do the breaststroke kick, when you do each kick, each eggbeater kick,

you're trying to trap water between your heels and your shins

and you're redirecting it down towards the

bottom or towards the center of your body.

So it'll look like this.

Now, in order to stay in one place, you'll

have to keep your hips underneath your body.

But if you're trying this for the first time,

I also recommend sometimes leaning forward a little bit.

It helps take the pressure off your legs,

puts it more on your arms and your arms can last a lot longer than your legs.

As you get really good at this and you want to start to move around,

it's kind of like riding a hoverboard.

If you've ever been one, one of those, I've nearly broken my leg on one.

But if you want to move around while treading water,

it's best if you just look in that direction, your body will rotate,

and then get your hips behind you a little

bit and continue doing the arms and the legs

as you travel towards the direction that

you're looking for as you go towards your goal.

Treading water is something you can do when

you're just trying to have fun with friends

or you have a drink in your hand and you

want to be able to talk and breathe easily.

However, I don't recommend it if you're trying to

survive in an ocean or if you've fallen off a boat

because treading water can be exhausting very quickly.

If you're doing this for survival, let me recommend the back float instead.

The back float uses far less energy, allows you to

take deeper breaths, and you can last a lot longer.

One of the mistakes I see beginners make when they're learning to tread water

is that they'll try to come up too high out of the water.

In water, there's almost no gravity.

There's some, especially if you let out all your

air, you'll notice your body sinks to the bottom.

But there's very little gravity in water.

So every inch of your body or centimeter of your body that's out of the water,

it has taken on 12 times its weight.

So an arm in the air is 12 times heavier than an arm in the water.

So when you tread water, stay low.

It's okay if your chin is right here near the surf.

Some of you guys are splashing too much and then therefore you'll choke on water.

If that's what's happening, your solution is not to come up higher,

but rather to get your hands lower, to

bring your shoulders down into the water maybe.

It's okay to stay low.

The lower you are, the easier you will have to work.

You won't have to work very hard.

Once you're up here, that's much harder.

That's like water polo status right there.

A lot of water sports do require a form of treading water.

Even Boy Scout tests and other certifications do require

you to be able to tread water for about a minute.

So it's okay to get good at this and work on it.

But again, don't treat it like it's a survival skill

because it really is a very temporary

solution if you're trying to use it to survive.

[Music]

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