When learning body balance and swimming, one of the most important skills to learn is how to stand up from the floating position.

There are a couple of key things to remember, your eyes and your feet.

Lifting the head first will cause your hips to sink, and cause imbalance making it more difficult to get your feet to the bottom.

To do this correctly, keep your eyes on the bottom of the pool, and tuck your knees toward your chest.  As the knees come forward, the hips and torso will slide backward over the knees.  When the body rotates back toward the knees, continue to keep your eyes looking down. 

Only when you SEE your feet touch the bottom of the pool, do you stand up.

Remember, eyes down and tuck the knees under you.  Keep your eyes down until you SEE your feet touch the bottom of the pool, then stand up.

This simple skill can save new swimmers from the instinctual struggle of getting to air safely.

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Stand up from a front float