New Month, New Swim Focus at Watermelon Swim! This month, we’re diving into the 3 B’s of swimming: Balance, Buoyancy, and Breath Control.
These foundational skills help our little melons maintain strong body position, glide more efficiently, and grow into confident, safer swimmers. When the 3 B’s click, everything else starts to fall into place!
Our lower-level swimming classes, Water Babies, Parent Tot 1 & 2, and Learn to Swim, focus on mastering the “Three B’s” of swimming. These give our students the basic skills they need to master more advanced techniques taught in our upper levels. Here’s how Team Melon incorporates the Three Bs into each class.
#1 – Breath Control
Breath control is the first step in teaching children to breathe while swimming. To the surprise of many parents, this is a skill that even their new babies can learn. We often see our littlest swimmers blowing bubbles in the water before they can walk!
We begin by teaching babies and toddlers how to hold their breath when their faces are underwater and how to blow bubbles in the water. This breath control helps them later as they inhale a full breath and exhale underwater as they jump, swim, and explore the water independently.
Did you know this skill can fade if not used regularly? We teach parents and tots simple breath control skills they can practice in the tub or shower. Children breathe when their face is just above the water, then blow bubbles once their face is submerged.
This technique, which we teach in each class, involves a rhythm to avoid taking in water through the nose or mouth.
#2 – Buoyancy
Buoyancy refers to the swimmer’s ability to float in water, even when not moving. Genetics, gender, and body composition can make floating easier for some people than others. For example, lean people with significant muscle mass may find it harder to float than someone with a higher percentage of body fat. Watermelon Swim teaches skills to help anyone float.
We help your child learn to relax in the water, trust their caregiver or swimming instructor, and focus on maintaining their body in a horizontal position on the surface. We also teach your child the proper head position for floating, both front and back.
Over time, your child will learn their natural center of gravity as their natural “float center,” or the position their body naturally falls in to float. We focus on the right breathing patterns and techniques to maintain a float, all delivered in a fun, playful environment.
#3 – Balance
In swimming, balance means learning to control your head, torso, and limbs to swim efficiently. We help your child learn the relative position of each part of the body to others and where different body parts need to be to perform certain swimming techniques.
This creates a foundation of body awareness that they may need to execute each swimming stroke properly.
Why are the 3 B’s so important for children learning to swim?
Swimming fundamentals—buoyancy, balance, and breath control—foster lifelong comfort in the water. Swimming goes beyond simply learning to do the freestyle, backstroke, or butterfly. For Team Melon, “swimming” means safety and knowing what to do if a child unexpectedly falls into the water.
Learning buoyancy helps your child get into a safer floating position until help can come, while breath control helps them understand how to properly breathe or hold their breath in the water. Balance can help your child get ready for the fundamentals of swimming.
Swimming lessons in Tampa
Water survival and drowning prevention are critical, especially if you live in Florida. More than 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water; there’s a 100% chance your child is curious about exploring it. Mastering the “Three B’s” of swimming can help them stay safer around the water.
Call Watermelon Swim today at (813) 229-7946 for a tour and enrollment information!