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How to get the most from your swim buddy oscar

How to use your Swim Buddy OSCAR and teach your child to swim at home

“Children need to learn to swim at their own pace, rushing through this process can cause stress and trauma. Like starting with a tricycle, then going to training wheels then finally riding a 2 wheel bike - allow the child to learn through play and take their time learning, the results are amazing and last a lifetime.”

Marcia Davis, expert swim instructor, author, Owner/Instructor Angelfish Swim School, former animal behaviorist/zookeeper and inventor of OSCAR

Instructions for OSCAR use, “Your Swim Buddy”:

Secure the Velcro snugly (not tightly) around the swimmer’s mid section with the OSCAR logo right side up on his or her back.
OSCAR is designed to assist the swimmer to be in a HORIZONTAL position in the water. This is vital to learning to swim the correct way. Assisting the swimmer in trying to put his or her face in the water is paramount, blowing bubbles and use of goggles will help greatly. Both arms stretched forward helps to maintain the prone position.
Once your swimmer can move across the water easily, use both arms, kick both feet and has learned to obtain a breath and continue, try removing one float pad from the pocket, leaving only 1 pad. If your swimmer struggles, you can always put the pad back in for additional support. Continue step down of flotation pads until the swimmer no longer needs them.
After the child becomes a safe swimmer, OSCAR can be used to provide comfort for the young swimmer with or without any flotation pads for as long as needed.

Tips for Parents

OSCAR helps you teach your own swimmer!

If you have a pool at home or in your community, your swim buddy OSCAR can help you teach your own little swimmer easily on your schedule and at a pace that is comfortable for the learner.

Our transitional, step down flotation design is recommended for children 2 1/2 years and up, 25 lbs plus and fits waist size up to 27” with extension pieces available for teens and adults.

Of particular comfort to diverse and special needs learners, OSCAR provides a hugging effect, which is known to relieve stress and anxiety. Using assisted buoyancy, float reduction and self-paced learning, OSCAR helps create happy confident swimmers.

Pool tips and games

OSCAR’s design helps keep the swimmer in a horizontal position in the water, called the prone position and is the goal for every swimmer. The most important factor in early swimming skills is breath control, which requires learning how to inhale above the surface and slowly exhale (blow bubbles) while submerged. Using goggles, playing games, like finding toys on the steps, counting fingers and "looking under water" games are very helpful. Our first goal with breath control is face in with blowing bubbles for 3 seconds, working toward seven or eight seconds. Reaching arms forward and splashing feet behind on the surface really help to condition this important position.

It’s fun to be creative with games and interactions for teaching swimming. Here are some ideas I’ve used in class especially with timid students: Plastic eggs filled with small toys, coins, etc. The swimmer must put their face under while blowing bubbles in order to open the egg. Finding sinking toys or coins on the shallow steps together is a fun and excellent game for learning breath control.