Swimming Merit Badge Requirements:

Swimming Merit Badge Requirements: Updated Requirements as of January 1, 2009 1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while.swimming, including hypothermia, dehydration, heat reactions, muscle cramps, stings and bites, cuts and scrapes, spinal injuries, and hyperventilation. 2. Do the following: a. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person. Explain how to recognize such conditions b. Demonstrate proper technique for performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor. 3. Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete Second Class rank requirements 7a through 7c and First Class rank requirements 9a through 9c o *Second Class rank requirements:  Tell what precautions must be taken for a safe swim.  Successfully complete the BSA beginner test.  Demonstrate water rescue methods by reaching with your arm or leg, reaching with a suitable object, and by throwing lines and objects. Explain why swimming rescues should not be attempted when a reaching or throwing rescue is possible, and explain why and how a rescue swimmer should avoid contact with the victim. o First Class rank requirements:  Tell what precautions should be taken for a safe trip afloat.  Successfully complete the BSA swimmer test.  With a helper and a practice victim, show a line rescue both as tender and as rescuer. (The practice victim should be approximately 30 feet from shore in deep water). 4. Demonstrate survival skills by leaping into deep water wearing clothes (shoes, socks, swim trunks, long pants, belt, and long‐sleeved shirt). Remove shoes and.socks, remove and inflate the shirt, and show that you can float using the shirt for.support. Remove and inflate the pants for support. Swim 50 feet using the inflated.pants for support, then show how to reinflate the pants while using them for.support. 5. Swim continuously for 150 yards using the following strokes in good form and in a strong manner: front crawl or trudgen for 25 yards, back crawl for 25 yards,.sidestroke for 25 yards, breaststroke for 25 yards, and elementary backstroke for 50 yards. 6. Do the following: a. Float faceup in a resting position for at least one minute. b. Demonstrate survival floating for at least five minutes. c. While wearing a properly fitted personal floatation device (PFD), demonstrate the HELP and huddle positions. Explain their purposes. d. Explain why swimming or survival floating will hasten the onset of hypothermia in cold water. 7. In water over your head, but not to exceed 10 feet, do each of the following: a. Use the feetfirst method of surface diving and bring an object up from the bottom. b. Do a headfirst surface dive (pike or tuck), and bring the object up again. c. Do a headfirst surface dive to a depth of at least 5 feet and swim underwater for three strokes. Come to the surface, take a breath, and repeat the sequence twice. 8. Do ONE of the following: a. Demonstrate snorkeling and scuba diving knowledge: i. Demonstrate selection and fit of mask, snorkel, and fins; discuss safety in both pool and open‐water snorkeling. ii. Demonstrate proper use of mask, snorkel, and fins for underwater search and rescue. iii. Describe the sport of scuba diving, and demonstrate your knowledge of BSA policies and procedures relating to this sport. OR b. Demonstrate the following competitive swimming skills: i. Racing dive from a pool edge or dock edge (no elevated dives from racing platforms or starting blocks) ii. Racing form for 25 yards on one competitive stroke (front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, or butterfly) iii. Racing turns for the stroke that you chose in 8b(2), OR, if the camp facilities cannot accommodate the racing turn, repeat 8b(2) with and additional stroke. iv. Describe the sport of competitive swimming. 9. In water at least 8 feet deep, show a headfirst dive (kneeling start, bent‐knee start, or standing dive) from a dock or pool deck. Show a long shallow dive, also from the.dock or pool deck. If a low board (not to exceed 40 inches above water at least 9.feet deep) is available, show a plain front dive. 10. Do the following: a. Explain the health benefits of regular aerobic exercise, and explain why many people today do not get enough of the beneficial kinds of exercise. b. Discuss why swimming is favored as both a fitness and a therapeutic exercise. c. Write a plan for a swimming exercise program that will promote aerobic/vascular fitness, strength and muscle tone, body flexibility, and weight control for a person of Scout age. Identify resources and facilities available in your home community that would be needed for such a program. d. Discuss with your counselor the incentives and obstacles for adherence to the fitness program you created in requirement 10c. Explain the unique benefits that could be gained from this program, and discuss how personal health awareness and self discipline would relate to your willingness and ability to pursue such a program. Syllabus: Prepared for Summer 2010 Monday REQ#2 (instruction/check off)‐ ask for notes from scoutmaster showing they have completed CPR, or instruct them to go to PW during free time and complete it. REQ#3 (instruction/check off)‐ check for note from scoutmaster or check their book for 2nd/1st class requirements; if not completed instruct them to come at designated time(approved by director). *try to have all boys come same day/time. REQ#10a‐d (instruction)‐ explain health information, then tell them about the writing project they must complete by THURSDAY, (there will always be some Friday) REQ#1 (instruction)‐ explain first aid, good way is to see what they know about the stuff already. REQ#5 (instruction)‐ Instruction and demonstration of strokes, show each stroke both in and out of the water, then allow scouts to attempt the strokes and critique them on accuracy. Note: today is not the 150 yards, just instruction Tuesday REQ#10a‐d (instruction) remind scouts of their assigned paper. REQ#6d (instruction)‐ explain the requirement. REQ#4 (instruction)‐ mention to the scouts that tomorrow will be clothes inflation, we will provide clothes, but they can use their own if wanted REQ #6a‐c (instruction/evaluation)‐ get life jackets before entering swimmers area, explain/show survival methods then have scouts do them while you time. REQ#9 (instruction/evaluation)‐ demonstrate the three different dives required, then have scouts attempt the dives. REQ#5 (instruction)‐ continue practicing stokes with the remaining time. Wednesday REQ#1 (Evaluation)‐ quiz scouts on first aid learned Monday REQ#10a‐d(instruction)‐ collect/remind scouts of their assigned paper REQ#4(instruction/evaluation)‐ demonstrate clothes inflation, then have scouts attempt it REQ#5(instruction)‐ spend rest of class working on stroke technique Thursday REQ#10a‐d(evaluation)‐ collect reports from the scouts REQ#8a(instruction/evaluation)‐ get snorkeling stuff from boat tower, demonstrate snorkeling stuff, then have scouts do it REQ#7a‐c(instruction/evaluation)‐ demonstrate surface dives then have scouts do them REQ#5(instruction)‐ spend rest of class working on stroke technique Friday REQ #6d(evaluation)‐ quiz scouts on the requirement REQ#5(evaluation)‐ have scouts swim the 150 yards doing all five strokes (25 of front, breast, back, side; 50 of elementary to finish) Use remaining time to catch up any scouts on requirements that they missed Breakdown of Requirements REQ. #1‐ see first aid section on pages REQ. #2‐ ask for notes from scouts, signed by scoutmaster, also may be on their blue cards, otherwise send scout down to personal wellness during his free time REQ. #3‐ ask for notes from scouts, signed by scoutmaster, also may be on their blue cards, otherwise set up a time where they can come during free time, confirm with director it’s alright REQ. #4‐ (Clothes inflation) Explain and demonstrate this skill before you have the scouts do it. Do not make the scouts wear the belt, shoes or socks; they should only wear pants and a long‐
sleeved shirt over their swim trunks. If some scouts forget to bring clothes, you can have them share clothes or use the WF spare clothes. Button up the shirt and tuck it into your pants. Jump in the water. Take a breath, duck your head beneath the water, and blow into one of the gaps between buttons in the shirt. This will put air into the shirt near your shoulders, and it will give you some additional flotation. Now take off your pants. Be sure that you do not pull them inside‐out. Pull out the pockets. Take a breath, duck your head beneath the water and blow air up into the pockets. This will prevent the pants from sinking. Now tie the legs of the pants together with a square knot. Be sure that the fly is zipped up and the button is buttoned. You have three options to get the pants inflated. The first method is to grab the pants by the waist, take a breath, duck your head beneath the water, and blow air up into the pants. You must close the pants waist together with your hands after each breath. Keep doing this until the pants are full of air. The second option is to hold the pants behind your head, quickly throw them over your head, which will fill the pants full of air. If you use this method, you must be sure to grab the pants by the waist, and then quickly close your hands together before the waist of the pants hits the water, or else the air will escape. The third option is to hold the pants waist with one hand, and with the other hand splash water away from the pants. This will generate a vacuum of air which will fill the pants. Keep splashing until the pants are full, and then close off the waist of the pants with your hands. Once the pants are full of air, place the the square knot on the back of your neck so that you are wearing the inflated pants like a Class II PFD. Swim 50 feet while using the pants for support. Be sure to keep the waist of the pants closed so that no air escapes. Air will escape the pants once the pants begin to dry, so be sure to continually splash water on the pants. You can easily reinflate the pants if they start to lose air by using any one of the three methods. HINT: Most scouts find the blow air up into the pants the easiest method. Some scouts get nervous or anxious when doing this requirement, and will struggle and tire quickly. Scouts are not allowed to hold onto the dock to rest at all during this requirement. If a scout begins to tire, have them float on their back motionless or do survival floating for a minute to relax before continuing with the clothes inflation process. REQ. #5‐ (150 yard swim) for this requirement you must teach 5/6 stokes to the scouts; they consist of front crawl, back crawl, breaststoke, sidestroke, elementary backstroke, and opt. trudgen. Explain each stoke to scouts, demonstrate them, then have them practice. Don’t let them check off this req. until Thursday or Friday when they have enough practice. Front Crawl This stroke is sometimes mistakenly called the freestyle stroke. Freestyle is an event, not a stroke. The correct name is front crawl. STEP 1: Visualize a line running down the center of your body from your chin to your chest. This line is the axis upon which your whole body should pivot, and it should extend horizontally in the direction you are swimming. STEP 2: Keep your legs straight, but not rigid, with your toes pointed out, and kick up and down. Continue kicking the entire time. This is called the flutter kick. STEP 3: Move your arms in a windmill motion opposite each other. While one arm is extended completely out, the other should be all the way back, almost against the side of your body. STEP 4: Cup your hands and pull the extended arm through the water beneath your body. Bend your arm at the elbow and draw your fingertips along the imaginary line down the center of your body. STEP 5: Lift your other arm out of the water and move it all the way forward as the first arm is pulling beneath you. Bend at the elbow and drag your fingertips along the surface of the water. Penetrate the water with your fingertips and completely extend the arm. STEP 6: Breathe on one side by turning your head to that side as the arm comes out of the water. Illustration 1: The right arm is in the Illustration 2: The right arm is beginning to recovery position, extended to begin a make a stroke. The left elbow is leaving new stroke. The left arm has just the water, to return the left arm to the completed a stroke; the left hand is recovery position. near the hip. (head should be in the water not forehead sticking out) Illustration 3: The left arm has Illustration 4: The left arm is beginning a returned to the recovery position. The new stroke. The right elbow is leaving the right arm has almost completed the water, to return the right arm to the recovery stroke. The head is turned to the right position. The head is turning back into the for a breath. water after the breath has been taken. Breaststroke This stroke is done in the prone position. It can be a relaxing and gliding swim stroke, or it can be a quick, intense motion for racing. It's accomplished by a strong kick and pull, then a long glide. STEP 1: Keep your legs close together and pull your knees up toward your chest. At the same time, hold your palms together and up against your chest, as if in prayer. STEP 2: Kick with the whip kick. Start with your ankles apart. In one quick motion, extend your legs and bring your ankles back together. Make sure your knees are together throughout the entire kick. After the kick, streamline your body by pointing your toes and extending your arms completely. STEP 3: Glide for a moment with your arms fully extended, then turn your palms outward and pull with both hands out and around in a circular motion, so that they end up in their original position, together against your chest. Bring your knees back to your chest as you bring your hands to your chest. STEP 4: Use the thrust of the pull with your hands to pull your head up and out of the water to take a breath. As your head goes back down, your arms should be just beginning to plunge forward with the next kick. STEP 5: Glide for a moment, and then repeat the entire motion. Illustration 1: The recovery position, Illustration 2: The hands move in a during the glide. Both arms and both circular motion, back to the chest. The legs are fully extended. knees are bent and pulled up towards the chest. Illustration 3: The hands come together, and the head comes out of the water for a breath. remain together throughout stoke) Illustration 4: The arms are extended and the legs begin the whip kick, back to the recovery position. (unlike in picture knees should Sidestroke This stroke is done on your side. Like the breaststroke, it features a long glide. It can be a very relaxing stroke to swim. Breathe normally as you swim. Your head remains out of the water, floating on its side with one ear underwater. STEP 1: Lie in the water on whichever side feels more comfortable. The lower side of your head is in the water, your legs are close together and extended, and your toes are pointed. STEP 2: Holding your feet together, draw your heels up toward your butt. Move your top leg forward and your bottom leg backward with your knees bent, so your lower legs resemble scissors opening up. Snap your legs together in a scissor kick. When your legs meet they should be extended as in the recovery position. STEP 3: Extend your bottom arm ahead of you, palm down beneath the surface of the water. Your top arm lies alongside your top leg. Sweep your bottom arm from its extended position down through the water. When it's pointed nearly straight down, bend your elbow and sweep your hand up to your chest. STEP 4: Slide your top hand sideways through the water from your thigh to your chest. Sweep your top arm back down to the recovery position, pushing water down toward your feet, while extending your bottom arm forward again. STEP 5: Synchronize the timing of your arms and legs so you're snapping your legs together at the same time you extend your arms. Glide at the end of each stroke. Illustration 1: The recovery position: both Illustration 2: The right hand legs extended, left arm extended, right moves toward the left shoulder as hand at the hip, left ear facing downward. the right hand pulls through the water. The knees are drawn towards the chest. Illustration 3: The arms are brought together in front of the chest as the top leg moves forward and the bottom leg moves backward. Illustration 4: The legs kick back together as the arms return to the recovery position. The body glides through the water. Elementary Backstroke This stroke is done in the supine position. Like the breaststroke and sidestroke, it features a long glide. Breathe normally as you swim. This is a great relaxation stroke, not a race stroke. Take your time with it. STEP 1: Float on your back, with your arms and legs at your side in the recovery position. STEP 2: Drop your ankles and keep your knees together. At the same time, draw your arms up along your sides, bending them at the elbows so that your hands are almost in your armpits. STEP 3: Kick with the whip kick. Sweep your ankles outward, apart from each other. In one quick motion, extend your legs and bring your ankles back together. Make sure your knees are together throughout the entire kick. Your legs should end up straight, with your toes pointed. STEP 4: Do not extend your arms. Keep your hands next to your armpits, then push your hands downward alongside your body, so that you are pushing water straight down your sides. STEP 5: Coordinate your arms and legs so that your arm stroke and your whip kick occur at the same time. The result should be a burst of motion through the water. STEP 6: Glide and repeat Illustration 1: Recovery position: The legs are extended and remain together. (breaststroke the arms are at thekick) Illustration 2: Side view: The ankles drop, and the hands come up to the armpits. Illustration 3: The ankles sweep outward, and the knees remain together. Illustration 4: The ankles come back together as the legs are extended in the whip water downwards along the body, back to the recovery position. Back Crawl This stroke is similar to the front crawl, except that it is in the supine position rather than the prone position. STEP 1: Floating on your back in a horizontal position, kick your legs up and down using the flutter kick. Keep your legs straight, but not entirely rigid. Your toes should be pointed out. Try not to make a big splash with your kick; just churn the surface of the water. STEP 2: Pivoting slightly at the waist and rotating your shoulders, windmill your arms. Keep one arm straight as you raise it out of the water from your waist to a fully extended position. At the same time, the other arm should be bent and pulling a cupped hand along your side in the water, from the extended position back down to your side. Your hand should enter the water pinky‐first. STEP 3: Keep your head floating back in the water, with your eyes looking up. Breathe normally. Illustration 1: The right arm is leaving the water. The left arm is just entering the water, at the recovery position. Illustration 2: The left arm is beginning a new stroke. (as hand reaches ear flip hand so that it enters pinky first) Illustration 3: The left arm is almost Illustration 4: The right arm has returned done with the stroke. to the recovery position to begin a new stroke. (Make sure the kids know how to float on their backs well, keeping hips up arms out if necessary) Trudgen This stroke is done by rotating from the prone position to your side. It is done by combining the arm motion of the front crawl with the leg action of side stroke (scissor kick). STEP 1: Start in a face‐down glide position. STEP 2: Begin the crawl stroke with just your arms: Swing your arms from your shoulders, first one, then the other, with one arm recovering while the other strokes. Each hand knifes through the water, then sweeps down and back to your side, pushing water toward your feet. STEP 3: Straighten your arm to push water back, then bend your elbow to lift and swing your arm back to the forward position. STEP 4: Roll your lower body slightly, letting one hip drop below the other (whichever side feels more comfortable to you). If your right hip drops, breathe on the left side, and vice versa. STEP 5: As your left arm leaves the water, take a breath. STEP 6: Snap your legs together, like the scissors kick, as your left arm reaches your hip. STEP 7: Keep your legs together and motionless as your left arm sweeps through the water. Bring your legs apart to prepare for another scissor kick as your left arm leaves the water. (Front crawl arms, with scissor kick legs) Illustration 1: The trudgen recovery position is exactly the same as the sidestroke recovery position. Illustration 2: The left arm leaves the water as the right arm sweeps through the water to the hip. Illustration 3: The left arm enters the water as the legs prepare for the scissors kick. Illustration 4: The left arm sweeps down to the hip as the right arm is pulled out of the water and extended back to the recovery position. The legs snap back together. The head rolls to the side to allow for a breath. REQ#6a: (Backfloat) Demonstrate this requirement before you have the scouts do it. The key to a successful backfloat is relaxing. Lay on your back, tilt your head back, and spread your arms out. If you take in a deep breath and hold it, the air in your lungs should be enough to keep your body afloat. Try breathing normally, and if that doesn't work, take deeper breaths. You should be motionless as you float. (as mentioned in backstroke, make sure hips are raised). REQ#6b: (survival float) AKA dead mans float; survival floating can help you survive long periods in water. Take a deep breath than submerge your head with feet dangling and arms out (level with the water). The air in your lungs will keep you a float. When requiring a new breath simply raise your head out of the water, get a new breath and then submerge it again. (another method is to take a breaststroke stroke then submerge your head again). REQ#6c: (HELP and HUDDLE positions) If you fall into the water and are far from shore, don't attempt to swim to shore. The body loses heat to the water about 30 times faster than in air. Even a strong swimmer would not be able to swim more than one kilometer in calm water. Cramp and hypothermia develop more quickly; usually a victim becomes semiconscious and is likely to drown. Swimming, drown proofing and treading water will all lead to rapid heat loss. If you are wearing a PFD, assume the HELP or HUDDLE positions. Do not remove your clothing, it will help retain heat. If you are alone, assume the HELP position (Heat Escape Lessening Position). For the HELP position, keep your arms close to your chest, cross your legs, and pull your knees up. If you are with others, group closely together in the HUDDLE position. (basically hugging each other, young children and pregnant mothers would go in the middle) REQ#6d: Swimming and survival floating hasten the onset of hypothermia in cold water because they are both activities in which you are expending energy. Swimming increases heat loss by about 30‐35% in cold water. This is why you should always have a PFD on when in water far from shore, so that you don't have to do survival floating and can use the HELP or HUDDLE positions. REQ#7a: (Feet first dive) This is also known as the “T‐dive.” (Similar to pencil dive, except starting from the water) A surface dive does not involve jumping into the water in any fashion; you start the dive in the water from the surface of the water, hence the name. For the feet first dive, begin with your legs apart, one in front of you and one behind you, similar to the preparation of a scissor kick. Stick both arms out so they lay across the surface of the water, putting your body in the shape of the letter T. Snap your legs together and pull your arms to your sides at the same time. This will propel you out of the water vertically. Once you reach the apex of your jump, take a breath and turn your palms upward and swing both arms upward so that your arms are fully extended above your head and your hands are touching.(after snapping legs make sure they stay together or you will slow your decent greatly) This will propel you downwards. Hold your arms in the extended position above your head and keep your legs straight, and you should be able to sink down 10 feet easily. (watch, and have kids grab sand or a rock while down there to complete the req.) The feet first dive is used when you are in unclear water or are unsure of what hazards are below the surface of the water. REQ#7b: (Headfirst surface dive) This is also known as the tuck or pike dive. Take a breath. Bend at the waist until the upper part of your body is perpendicular to the surface of the water. (similar to entering into a flip turn) Extend your arms above your head, and straighten your legs above you. The weight of your legs will push you downward. Once your feet are below the surface of the water, you can kick your legs and swim with your arms. The headfirst surface dive can also be preceded with a few strokes of front crawl to give you some momentum before you bend at the waist. REQ#7c: A self explanatory requirement. Use the pike dive and take three underwater strokes (breast stroke arms and flutter/whip kick works well), return to the surface for a breath, repeat sequence twice. REQ#8a: (Snorkeling stuff) For requirement 8, do option a. (Equipment is found a. snorkels and masks in the boat tower b. fins in the swim tower) Part i: make sure the scouts fit their equipment correctly. Explain Open‐water diving should be done in an area deemed safe by rescue personnel. You must also have a dive flag and a rower standing by, with a spare PFD available for each diver. Part ii: For search and rescue, the divers should form a line extending from the shallow end to the deep end of the swimmer's area. Then all the divers will dive at the same time, and swim along the lake bottom to search for the submerged victim. Then the divers line up and repeat. (One person, generally another waterfront member, will be available, ask them ahead of time to help by leading the drill on the dock). It’s also good to explain that while waiting for others to arrive to the scene you would want to have someone check under the docks and beginners, non‐swimmers areas. Part iii: Discuss SCUBA diving, and discuss SMALLBAD and how the guidelines of SMALLBAD relate to the sport of SCUBA diving. If you like take a trip over to SMALLBAD sign to discuss this requirement. REQ#9: (Diving) First of all, explain that you should never dive in a shallow area or a no diving zone. STEP 1: Begin by teaching to dive from one knee. Kneel on one knee at the very edge of the pool. Point your arms straight over your head, with your shoulders by your ears. Put your chin to your chest and lean forward from the waist, trying to touch your fingertips to the water. Keep leaning until you are almost falling, and then push off with your leg and follow your fingertips into the water, diving in gently. STEP 2: Demonstrate this first, then have the scouts try it. Have them do it several times until they become comfortable diving in head first. STEP 3: Demonstrate the same steps from a standing position, bending at the waist and following your fingers into the water. Keep your head between your arms and tuck your chin to your chest. If you do it correctly, your body should enter the water in successive progression, from your hands down to your feet. Your fingertips should enter the water first, followed by your elbows, then head, shoulders, hips, knees and finally your toes. None of those body parts should be hitting the water at the same time. If you place a leaf in the water about ½ to ¾ of a body length and have the boys aim for it, it gives them a good estimate of how far to jump out. Ex. Kneeling dive Ex. Standing dive REQ#10a: There are many benefits from regular aerobic exercise, including: INCREASED METABOLISM (calorie burning, weight control): Exercising muscles results in an increased metabolic rate and calorie burning, which continues for several hours after the workout is completed. INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR RATE: The muscles demand more energy and oxygen due to the increased work load, causing the heart rate and respiratory rate to increase in order to provide the required additional fuel to the muscles. In addition, the entire circulatory system works more efficiently due to vascular dilation and cholesterol reduction. Increases strength of your heart; lowered heart rate. LOWERED CHOLESTEROL ("fat" in the blood): Exercise has an extremely positive effect on cholesterol levels. “Bad” cholesterol is lowered, “Good” cholesterol is increased. MUSCULAR STIMULATION: Putting an increased load on (exercising) a muscle has several effects. The circulation to that muscle increases, the muscle becomes stronger, the connective tissue becomes stronger, and the muscle‐nerve interaction improves. SKELETAL STRENGTH: Research shows that bones become weaker if they are not stressed and that exercise helps prevent bone calcium loss. REDUCED STRESS: Exercise is an excellent stress reducer. Stress manifests itself in the form of muscular tension. Exercise releases the tension in muscles. REQ#10b: Swimming is a good form of exercise because it places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs, and uses almost all of your major muscle groups. Swimming is also popular with people who are overweight, pregnant, aged, or suffering from some kind of injury. It is a good form of therapeutic exercise because it does not place a lot of stress on your body like impact sports, such as running or basketball. REQ#10c: Have the scouts come up with a swimming exercise plan. Swimming for about 30 minutes every day would be a good exercise program for a boy of Scout age. Also have them state where they could complete this exercise plan, like at a local pool or swimming area for example. REQ#10d: A fairly self‐explanatory requirement. Just discuss the benefits of the exercise plan they came up with, and the benefits that would result from this plan, such as the benefits listed in part 10a. Swimming Tips and Tricks 
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Requirements #1, #6d, and all of #10 are explanation or discussion requirements. That means they cannot be completed in one day. They must have instruction on one day, followed by an evaluation on a different day. You should set aside a little time each day to practice the strokes in requirement #5. You should not do the actual 150 yard swim until Thursday or Friday. If one or two scouts have multiple requirements to catch up on, on Friday, ask your director if you can dismiss all but those scouts that aren’t finished, so you can devote all your energy into passing those scouts. Be patient and encouraging for clothes inflation. Many scouts get nervous during this requirement. If you have the scout rest by floating several times during the clothes inflation process, the scout will not waste energy by treading water and be more likely to complete the requirement. You should not be completing all of the requirements before Friday. However, if you have a very small class and get through the requirements ahead of schedule, here are a few swimming games and activities you can do: o Teach the variations of the Trudgen, such as the Double Trudgen Stroke, Trudgen Crawl, or Double Trudgen Crawl. You can also have the scouts practice doing the Trudgen and Sidestroke on their weak side. o Play a game of water basketball or water volleyball. o Play a game of capture the flag in the swimmer's area, with each team protecting a side of the swimmer's area. o Practice surface dives by having a contest to see who can collect the most items off the lake bottom within a certain time period. o Practice survival floating by having a contest to see who can do it for the longest time. o Practice standing dives by putting a hula hoop in the water and hate the boys attempt to dive through it at various distances.