Back paddle and floating
Lesson details
Learning outcome
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.
Keywords
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 misconception
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.
Teacher tip
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.
Equipment
1 x ball per pupil, 2 x floats per pupil, 1 x noodle per pupil
Content guidance
Additional qualification required
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is it called when we move through the water on our fronts using our arms to pull?
Q2.What is needed when helping others with improving their technique.
Q3.What is it called when we move the water backwards with our hands to travel forwards?
Q4.Which of these is not important when kicking in front paddle?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Where do you look when you swim on your back?
Q2.What figure do you perform with a sculling action?
Q3.How do you kick your legs when swimming back paddle?
Q4.What is required to work effectively with others to identify different swimming positions?
To help you plan your all physical education lesson on: Back paddle and floating, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your all physical education lesson on: Back paddle and floating, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 2 physical education lessons from the Swimming: an introduction to core aquatic skills and survival swimming unit, dive into the full physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.