Learn rescue towing as in the DLRG test: armpit, head and wrist tow, inverted breaststroke kick, 25 to 50 metres. Progression, mistakes and safety explained.
Towing means: you transport a second person in a back position over a distance, with their face above water. The honest answer to "Can I rescue someone with this?": only after training with an instructor, and even then swimming is often not the first means. This guide shows you the practice progression under supervision, not use in a real emergency.
The DLRG examination rules set the bar. The junior lifesaver (from 10 years, with Swimming Badge Gold) must tow 25 m with the armpit tow. For Lifesaver Bronze (from 12) it is 50 m, one half with a head or armpit tow and the other with the standard wrist tow. For Silver (from 14) you tow 50 m in at most 4 minutes, both partners in clothes [1]. 50 m is two lengths in a standard pool.
The test rules matter: only the grips described in the DLRG teaching material apply, others are not permitted. When towing, the face of the person towed must be above water, and the person towed must not help [1].
Be realistic: the strength for 25 m often comes after a few sessions. Safe and calm with all grips usually takes several weeks (experience, not a study value).
Swim 50 m of inverted breaststroke. The arms end in the glide phase in the overhead position again, the legs work symmetrically [2]. Milestone: 50 m calm, without a pause, with a stable back position.
Your partner lies relaxed on the back, passive, and lets themselves be carried. You swim next to them and get used to the weight. Milestone: you can swim 10 m next to the partner without them sinking.
You grip from behind under the partner's armpits and pull them in a flat back position. Your inverted breaststroke kick drives you both forward. The partner's face stays above water [1]. Milestone: 25 m as for the junior lifesaver [1].
You hold the partner's head from both sides and tow them in a back position. Here too the face stays above water [1]. Milestone: 25 m without the partner going under.
For Bronze you additionally need the wrist tow. You learn it in the course with your instructor, because only the taught grips are permitted [1]. Milestone: 25 m with the wrist tow, clean and calm.
Now combine two grips: one half head or armpit tow, the other with the wrist tow. For Silver it becomes 50 m in at most 4 minutes, both in clothes [1]. Four minutes for 50 m is two minutes per length, so no sprint. Milestone: 50 m in 4 minutes, without a pause and without help from the partner.
If fins are allowed, use the flutter kick for towing, not the dolphin kick. In a trial with 16 lifeguards, towing with fins using the flutter kick (47.1 s for 50 m) was clearly faster than with the dolphin kick (52.8 s), although the approach took equally long [3]. The flutter kick is easier to control, and the authors conclude that the dolphin kick is the more difficult skill when towing. Whoever learns towing gains more from a simple, safe kick than from an elegant one.
For the junior lifesaver 25 m with the armpit tow, for Lifesaver Bronze 50 m with two grips, for Silver 50 m in at most 4 minutes, both in clothes [1].
Only those described in the DLRG teaching material: head, armpit and wrist tow. Other grips are not permitted [1].
No. The person towed must not help and their face must be above water [1].
It is symmetrical and economical, the back position stays flat, and the strong kick carries even under load [2].
Underwater Distance Swim: 10 to 25 Metres, Built Up Safely