Vol. XX, Issue 1 Supplement / 2019 G Y M N A S I U M Scientific Journal of Education, Sports, and Health 131 Original Article The Importance for the Pupils to Learn Survival Swimming Vizitiu Elena 1 * Galeru Ovidiu 2 1 "Ștefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, 13 Universității St., Suceava, Romania 2 "Vasile Alecsandri" University of Bacau, 157, Calea Marasesti Av., 600115, Romania DOI: 10.29081/gsjesh.2019.20.1s.11 Keywords: swimming, survival, pupils Abstract The purpose of this paper is to popularize survival swimming, which is currently the almost sole focus of utilitarian swimming. The survival swimming skills are reduced among the Romanian populace, even among the people in urban areas, with higher education. In rural areas, survival swimming skills tend to zero. The study has three objectives: to identify the swimming skills in a group of pupils who has started to learn how to swim in the Swimming and Physical Therapy Complex of the "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava; to improve their reaction ability in life-threatening drowning situations by teaching them essential swimming skills; and to increase the distance that the subjects can swim over independently by practicing survival swimming strokes. 1. Introduction Survival swimming strokes can help both the experienced and the beginner swimmers. In a Romania Libera (Free Romania) article of August 29, 2016, author Cristian Hagi wrote about the risk of drowning in the Black Sea, a fact confirmed by the lifeguards. Paradoxically, the most common victims of drowning are relatively good swimmers, but who ignore the danger of currents and swim in strong wind, when the red flag is up. By learning the survival strokes, the swimmers can prevent getting panicked and can form a strategy to avoid extreme fatigue, thus having real chances of getting to the shore. In another article, published in the Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, on November 27, 2015, Angus Thompson wrote about the focus on survival strokes over freestyle in kids’ swimming training overhaul. The idea is that in 10 to 20 lessons the children should learn enough to be able to save themselves in potentially dangerous situations. The goal is not to do away with a certain stroke, but to teach the children what to do in open water and the key abilities that they need to use at the right time. A research by Life Saving Victoria Education Services shows that two thirds