Lifeguard Training Tips: How to Become a Lifeguard

For a lot of people, there’s a dilemma between doing something that pays well and pursuing a profession where you can actively help people. Fortunately, those who choose the career as a lifeguard won’t have to choose between the two. Moreover, it’s a career choice that will earn you a no small degree of respect and appreciation. Not to mention that it’s one of the fields in which you can display your physique and look even cooler by doing this. Still, how does one become a lifeguard and what are some things that one looking to become a lifeguard needs to know? Let’s find out!

Physical Preparations

The first thing you need to do in order to become a lifeguard is to prepare physically for the project. One of the things you need to do is swim 300 yards continuously, which will demonstrate both your stamina and your breath control. Front, crawl, and breaststroke are all acceptable swimming techniques in this regard.

Now, seeing as how extracting someone from water usually ties your arms, you need to be able to tread water without using your arms for 2 minutes straight. Ideally, your arms should be placed under armpits, in order to partially simulate a real-life scenario.

The pace at which you swim is of the essence, seeing as how, in the moment of crisis, it might make a difference between life and death. A timed event on the lifeguarding course needs to be completed in less than 1 minute and 40 seconds for you to pass.

Your diving abilities will also be tested, which is why you need to be able to retrieve a 10-pound object from a pool that is 7-10 feet deep.

Seeing as how all of these are requirements for you to receive a certificate of a lifeguard, it should be more than clear in which direction your preparations should go.

Other Skills to Develop

Other than your physical abilities and swimming skills, there are several other skills you’ll need to develop in order to become a successful lifeguard. First, you need to learn first aid basics. Ideally, even before pursuing a career as a lifeguard, you would earn your first aid certification online. With this knowledge, you’ll already have a head start.

Most importantly, you need to study human psychology in order to become more aware of the situation. Let’s say that you’re a lifeguard at a public pool. You need to pay attention to all the patrons in order to identify people who are less careful, or whose swimming skills are subpar. You also want to try and identify out-of-shape patrons, as well as those who appear to be weak of heart (keep in mind that this is nearly impossible to determine ocularly).

When trouble occurs, you need to make a decision on the spot. You won’t have too much time for the analysis of the situation, which is why you need to make a decision, jump in and analyze the victim later on. It’s a question of reaction.

Your Personality Type

Let’s make one thing clear – this is not a career, it’s a calling. A lifeguard is putting their own life on the line to save someone. People drown while saving others from drowning all the time. In some cases, it is possible for the rescuer to die while the drowning victim survives.

This is attributed to the so-called drowning person syndrome, which makes the person in mortal danger willing to do anything they can to keep their mouth above water. They are actually so focused on this that they forcefully submerge the rescuer. In other words, they’re using their rescuer as a “floating object” out of fear and in a state of full panic. They do not want to hurt anyone! They’re not even aware of what’s going on.  

Knowing the risk ahead of time is important. You need to know what’s at stake. You also need to understand why grabbing them from behind is the only safe way to extract them. Remember, there are not a lot of fields in which your life is in such great danger. This is why this is only for those who are the most courageous.

Stay In Shape

One of the most important things for a lifeguard is that they should never let their guard down (no pun intended). Namely, if you’re a lifeguard on a beach, it’s easy to let yourself go out of shape during the winter. In order to avoid this, you need to hit the gym or, better yet, find a closed pool where you can either work or keep your swimmer’s shape.

If you’re a lifeguard at the pool, you need to stay focused the entire time. For starters, just because there aren’t as many people at the pool (not a busy hour), this doesn’t mean that you can relax. If the pool is busy, you need to double your efforts because it will be harder for you to spot every single detail.

Lastly, we’ve mentioned that you need to analyze the situation and monitor everything. There are a lot of things that you just can’t see. Just because things look safe, this doesn’t mean they are. Young, in-shape people can suffer a sudden heart attack and drown out of the blue. Even though kids are there under parental supervision, this doesn’t mean that they’re 100% safe. Getting lulled in the false sense of safety is incredibly dangerous. It’s a luxury you just don’t have.

Wrap Up

While being a lifeguard may not be as glamorous as what you’ve seen on Baywatch, in reality, this career choice is even more impressive. If you’re an empath, the idea that you’re saving lives is all the persuasion it takes. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, there’s nothing like being a lifeguard. Seeing as how difficult and terrifying this can be, there are never enough lifeguards and these positions are always in demand. It’s definitely a career path worth considering and, for some, even worth pursuing.