This HEART-STOPPING footage shows babies being thrown into water and left to recover totally unaided.
The Swim Survival Technique, which originated in America, has recently hit the UK, reports The Sun.
Silvia Garcia and Miguel Jerez, both 34 and hail from Spain, are International Swimming Academy instructors and lifeguards. They insist the practise is safe.
They have taught over 100 children in the last year, many as young as six months.
“We feel like super heroes with a unique mission of helping families keep their children safe in and around the water,” said Miguel.
Silvia, his partner, agreed, “Babies, toddlers and children will learn breath control, self-orientation and appropriate swimming postures to allow them to rotate onto their backs, float like a starfish and swim like a dolphin.
“Once mastered they can happily float and rest comfortably. Floating like a starfish is a key stepping stone to water confidence, independent safe swimmers for life.”
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While the footage may seem extreme, Miguel says the full unassisted emersion underwater is only done once the child has been taught the correct methods to be an independent swimmer.
“We teach the child to float on their back,” he said.
“Once your child has achieved the floating, we teach them how to self-orientate themselves underwater and come up and float.
“This is a very well built learning process and it is only when the child knows how to roll over and float that we release our hands.
“When your child has learnt how to walk or ride a bike, mum or dad slowly release their hands off of them to let them experience, get feedback and learn. This is the same.”
Silvia and Miguel, who have been teaching this method since 2014, believe conventional swimming lessons teach children “a false sense of security in the water”.
Silvia said: “They teach children to rely on floats, goggles, adult’s support and an unrealistic situation where they swim with a float from one side of the pool to the other.
“The issue lies at the grass roots, most swimming schools and classes do not teach ‘Swim-Float-Swim’.
“This is a simple yet revolutionary swimming method that empowers confidence and courage in swimmers from the offset by teaching the most important water skill, the ability to float and swim.”
Miguel said their method ensures kids are “water confident” and helps them “solve problems in the water”.
Silvia added: “This method is also valid for special needs children. We have 100% teaching success which means all our children can roll over and float in any situation.
“If they can do it your child can do it.”
Did you know a child can drown silently in as little as 5 cm of water, in less than 2 minutes.
When you started swimming lessons with your little ones, did they do this?
Share your comments below.
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