Beginner Swimming II Honor

Recreational Activities

Requirements

Have the Beginner Swimming I honor.
Answer: You need to have completed the Beginner Swimming I honor before starting Beginner II. This ensures that you already master the basic fundamentals such as floating, simple propulsion, and initial breathing, which makes learning Beginner II safe and progressive. — Beginner Swimming I covers the basics: getting accustomed to the water, floating, simple movement, and breathing. Without these skills, attempting Beginner II can be dangerous and frustrating. The progression between honors respects the natural curve of aquatic learning.
Submerge and emerge retrieving an object from the bottom of the pool.
Answer: You take a deep breath, push down with your arms, dive head-first with your eyes open, grab the object at the bottom (usually a weight or ring), push off with your legs and arms against the floor, and emerge holding the object. The breathing must be controlled beforehand and exhaled at the surface. — This exercise trains breath control, underwater orientation, opening the eyes while submerged, and vertical propulsion — essential skills for safe swimming. The submerged object (ring, dumbbell, or rubber weight) is typically between 1 m and 1.5 m deep in the shallow part of the pool.
Demonstrate the various positions in which one can float.
Answer: The main floating positions are: on the back (supine, body extended), on the stomach (prone with the face in the water), in a star shape (arms and legs spread on the back), in a tuck (curled up like a fetus), and upright (treading water, legs pedaling). Each one uses different buoyancy and breathing. — Floating depends on body density and the air in the lungs. Horizontal positions (back, stomach, star) are more stable due to distributed buoyancy. The tuck trains relaxation, and the upright position requires small movements. Mastering various positions increases safety in an aquatic emergency.
Demonstrate alternate breathing in the front crawl.
Answer: You turn your head to the side during the stroke, inhale through the mouth when the arm comes out of the water, dip your face, and exhale through the nose/mouth underwater, alternating the side every 3 strokes (bilateral breathing). This keeps the body symmetrical and balanced in the front crawl. — Bilateral breathing (alternating every 3 strokes) is a fundamental technique in the crawl: it avoids muscular asymmetries, improves lateral vision in open water, and balances the stroke. The inhalation is short and the exhalation is slow underwater — never hold the air inside the lungs.
Front crawl - 50 meters without intervals.
Answer: You push off the wall in a glide, alternate crawl strokes with a constant kick of 6 beats per cycle, breathe to the side every 3 strokes, and maintain a steady rhythm without stopping, completing 50 m (1 or 2 lengths, depending on the size) without touching the walls except at the turn and the finish. — The event requires basic aerobic endurance and consistent technique. The secret is a steady rhythm (not speeding up at the start) and regular breathing to avoid oxygen debt. In a 25 m pool there is 1 turn; in 50 m, it goes straight through. A constant kick keeps the hips high and reduces drag.
Backstroke - 50 meters without intervals.
Answer: You float on your back (supine), alternate strokes in a windmill motion (one pulls while the other recovers), perform a kick of short, continuous beats originating from the hips, keep your face out of the water breathing freely, and complete 50 m without stopping or touching the walls except at the turn. — The backstroke keeps the airway always above the water, which makes breathing easier but requires balance so as not to sink the hips. The kick comes from the hips (not the knees) and the hands enter with the little finger first. The gaze stays fixed on the ceiling to maintain a straight line.
Demonstrate the breaststroke kick without interval and without a kickboard for 25 meters.
Answer: You position yourself prone with your arms extended forward, bend your knees bringing your heels toward your buttocks, turn your feet outward (in a V), make a circular movement with your legs outward and back, bring your feet together in a final push and glide, repeating until you complete 25 m without a kickboard. — The breaststroke kick (called the whip kick or frog kick) is distinct from the others: symmetrical, with knee flexion and an outside-in movement. The thrust comes from the inside of the feet and the inner surface of the legs. Without a kickboard, the arms stay extended forward for hydrodynamics.
Demonstrate the flip turn for front crawl and backstroke.
Answer: Na virada olímpica do crawl, você se aproxima da parede em alta velocidade, faz uma cambalhota submersa girando o corpo, apoia os pés na parede e impulsiona em deslize para a próxima piscina. Na virada de costas, você faz uma cambalhota similar após chegar à parede em posição de barriga. — The flip turn is faster than the simple turn because it avoids stopping. In the crawl, it is a direct forward somersault. In the backstroke, according to FINA rules, you may rotate to the prone position during the approach and do the somersault — after the push-off, you return to the back position underwater.
Stay afloat for 2 minutes with leg and arm movements.
Answer: You stay vertical in the water, perform a bicycle kick (alternating) or a continuous horizontal scissor kick, move your arms in a horizontal sweeping motion to generate buoyancy, keep your breathing calm and regular through the mouth above the water for 2 minutes without touching the walls or the bottom. — Vertical floating (treading water) is an essential aquatic survival skill. The bicycle kick is more economical for beginners; the horizontal scissor kick requires more technique. The arms make a continuous horizontal movement (not vertical) to push water downward and keep the body elevated.
Move through the water for 20 meters without interval, wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
Answer: Você veste camiseta e bermuda, entra na água com cuidado, escolhe um nado confortável (geralmente peito ou crawl lento), faz braçadas amplas e pernada constante para vencer o arrasto extra das roupas e nada 20 m sem parar nem encostar nas bordas, mantendo respiração calma. — This exercise simulates a real situation of falling into the water with clothes on, where the fabric increases drag and weight. It trains the perception of this additional resistance and the ability to stay calm. Loose clothes get in the way more — that is why only a t-shirt and shorts are used, not jeans or a coat.