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Learning to swim promotes lifelong engagement in aquatic physical activity. Such engagement is defined as one of the six interventions identified by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) and is frequently considered to be prominent among those (Brenner et al., 2006; Stallman et al., 2014; WHO, 2014). The WHO emphasizes the importance of swimming and water safety, highlighting the alarming statistics of 320,000 drowning deaths annually making it the '3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide' (WHO, 2020a). Experts, in fact, estimate that the real annual drowning incidence may be 2-3 times greater, or even more i.e., perhaps over one million (Peden et al., 2008), more than the annual burden of death by HIV related causes (WHO, 2020b) and nearly the same as the number of traffic deaths (WHO, 2018). Education is an integral part of learn-to-swim. Children's books in general share everyday knowledge and can, therefore, help to partly educate our children, since the connection between learning to swim and reading is greater than expected. Strouse et al. (2018, p. 4) suggest 'particular features of picture books [...] may influence children's tendency to learn and to transfer the educational content to real-world situations', which will be examined by this study. Learning to swim is a common subject of children's books. How the reader is influenced in what should be learned, is objective of this article. Thus, this pilot study aims (a) to assess to which extent children's books convey the chosen criterion (i.e., Water Competence (WC)), (b) to evaluate which of the essential elements are most and least often included in the selected books, (c) to explore how both text and illustrations are used and (d) an attempt to create a model from which future research may be more broadly and inclusively conducted. By means of a descriptive analysis, the content of children's books is compared with criteria from expert literature. The tentative results suggest that books show a great variation among criterion, if included, in text, illustrations and added material. The knowledge about swimming mediated by this genre may not be sufficient to educate safety and prevention to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this two-part project is to answer the rhetorical question of which strokes should be taught first, and which later (Langendorfer, 2013, Stallman, 2014a). As you have seen in Part One, we emphasize (as have many others) the need for a firm foundation before any stroke is introduced. When the learner is ready for propulsive motor competencies, there is no stroke which suits all as their first. In Part One we explored the "beginning strokes" all of which are candidates for any given learner's first stroke. We also argued that after mastering their very first stroke the learner should learn the other, "first strokes." This also broadens the base for the learning of other strokes as the learner advances to intermediate and advanced levels. Here in Part Two, we explore additional strokes, chosen as essential because of some unique quality which makes them the best solution in some specific, potential risk situation. They should, therefore, be included in any comprehensive, proactive aquatic educational program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to address the familiar question "Which swimming stroke should be taught first?" The discussion is usually focused on breaststroke versus crawl. Provoked by these naïve discussions of which stroke should be taught first (as if stroking equals swimming, which it emphatically does NOT), the question was answered metaphorically in an earlier article "No Stroke First - All Strokes First" (Stallman, 2008a). Here in Part I we identify and describe six strokes, all of which might be a candidate for any learners 'very first' stroke. We describe them as beginning strokes. Having identified and learned which one that a learner finds to be their easiest, the learner should then acquire the others. This strategy not only places the learner's easiest stroke first but adds the other "beginning strokes" and launches an all-around foundation upon which all other strokes can more easily be learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's insights about the crisis in the aquatics professions. Topics discussed include the supply and demand aspects in the profession, the global drowning rate and the importance of teaching people how to swim, and the average career of swimming instructors in high-income countries (HICs).

In this article, the author discusses the basics of swimming. Topics discussed include mechanics of swimming strokes, skills for learning swimming, and demerits of using artificial flotation devices in teaching swimming. Also mentioned are other topics such as meaning of stroke in swimming, swimming instructions, and breathing techniques in swimming.

Little is known about the transfer of swimming skills from indoor, flat, calm conditions to outdoor, wavy, unsteady conditions. The aim of the current study was to examine the differences in swimming, floating, and entry skills in children between calm and simulated open water conditions. Sixty-six children, 11 years of age, were tested on two occasions, once in calm water and once in simulated open water conditions. Testing consisted of a 200 m time trial, a 3 min back floating test, a diving entry, and a rolling entry. The results show an 8% decrement in performance on the 200 m swim between calm and unsteady conditions for those who completed the 200 m under both conditions. When weaker swimmers, who only completed 50 m of the 200 m test distance were tested, the performance decrement rose to 14%. The diving entry, the rolling entry, and the floating test had decrements of 16%, 21%, and 24%, respectively. We concluded that 11-year-olds should not be expected to reproduce swimming skills they have performed in calm water with the same proficiency in unsteady conditions during an emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the relationship between real and perceived water competence among youth in the context of drowning prevention or of their perceptions of their risk of drowning. This study reports the findings of an international project entitled Can You Swim? Collegiate physical education students (n = 373) were assessed in a two-part study using an initial questionnaire survey to provide self-estimates of water competency and risk perception, followed by six practical tests in the water. Correlation coefficients between perceived and real swimming (rs = 0.369) and floating (rs = 0.583) skills were significant but only moderate in strength. No significant gender differences in real or perceived water competency were found. Significantly more males than females estimated lower risk of drowning associated with a series of aquatic scenarios (p = 0.016). The implications of these findings on drowning prevention and the need for further investigation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes that the teaching of beginner swimming should be organized according to the causes of drowning. We surveyed drowning reports, interviewed drowning survivors, and observed simulated drowning victims to determine common characteristics associated with drowning. We also reviewed 25 swimming instructional programs offered by well-recognized national programs from 18 separate countries and identified 8 common beginning swimming skills. These skills could be closely connected with the causes of drowning. We proposed a definition for being able to swim that should be given common international acceptance so that learning to swim can actually provide skills needed for preventing drowning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to compare drag in swimming children and adults, quantify technique using the technique drag index (TDI), and use the Froude number (Fr) to study whether children or adults reach hull speed at maximal velocity (vmax). Active and passive drag was measured by the perturbation method and a velocity decay method, respectively, including 9 children aged 11.7 ± 0.8 and 13 adults aged 21.4 ± 3.7. The children had significantly lower active (kAD) and passive drag factor (kPD) compared with the adults. TDI (kAD/ kPD) could not detect any differences in swimming technique between the two groups, owing to the adults swimming maximally at a higher Fr, increasing the wave drag component, and masking the effect of better technique. The children were found not to reach hull speed at vmax, and their Fr were 0.37 ± 0.01 vs. the adults 0.42 ± 0.01, indicating adults' larger wave-making component of resistance at vmax compared with children. Fr is proposed as an evaluation tool for competitive swimmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the two branches of the aquatic research family, such as the aquatic movement researchers and the drowning prevention researchers. It notes that all aquatic activities have specific elements of risk, some common to all and some unique to the specific activity in question. It mentions that all research disciplines ought to have a moral obligation and not only do all aquatic activities.