Workouts and Techniques That Help with Drownproofing (SAFELY)
Many people need to work on their water confidence. Treading water, swimming, swimming underwater is one way to build a moderate level of confidence in the water. Add in gear, equipment, clothing, and for some units hands tied / feet tied and you have a high level of water confidence that is required in many of the nation's special ops units like Navy SEAL, Air Force PJ, and USMC RECON. Some rules:
1 - Don't swim alone
2 - Do NOT practice underwater swimming alone
3 - Do NOT do underwater breath holds for max time.
Deaths occur when people do this and there is no reason for it.
Checkout this article on the topic from Military.com: for one of my favorite workouts that turns the drownproofing test into "just another workout". 
Here is a drownproofing simulation (DO NOT TIE HANDS / FEET EVER!!)
On Mobility Days, we will do this workout that mixes in some conditioning swims alongside challenging events of the drownproofing tests:
Swim and Drownproofing Events Workout
(tied hands / feet are simulated)
It's best if this is done in a 9-ft. deep pool with simulated tied hands for DP events in bold italics.
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
Bottom bounce 2 minutes
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
Float 2 minutes
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
Travel 100 meters (only using dolphin kick)
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
Front flip. Start flip off bottom of the pool and repeat 2-3 times in 2 minutes.
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
Back flip. Start flip off bottom of the pool and repeat 2-3 times in 2 minutes.
Swim 100m freestyle of side stroke
Mask Retrieval (pick up mask with teeth from bottom of the pool)
These are all of the events of the Navy SEAL Drownproofing test, but let's add in a few more events.
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
Tread holding 5-10 lbs. weight (mix of no hands snd one hand) for 2 minutes
Swim 100m freestyle of side stroke
Simulate buddy breathe with snorkel while treading on the surface (AF PJ test) for 2 minutes.
Swim 100 meters freestyle of side stroke
- Never swim alone.
A Break-Through Workout For Aspiring Special Ops Candidates Seeking to Crush the Swim of the PST
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