Swim Lesson Guide

Swimming Game – Dancing Jumps

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Name Dancing Jumps Core Skill The core skill developed in this game is jumping entries with proper body positioning and control. Swimmers will practice maintaining specific poses in the air and during their water entry, improving balance, body awareness, and transition into swimming skills. Who This game is designed for level 2, level 3, level …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Flip Flop Flap

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Name Flip Flop Flap Core Skill This game helps swimmers develop balance and coordination while transitioning between front float and back float positions. It also introduces the concept of controlled movement in the water and promotes water confidence through dynamic activities. Who Suitable for swimmers of varying skill levels, from beginner to intermediate. Perfect for …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Macarena Position 11

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Name Macarena Position 11 One-liner Streamline then Position 11 across the pool;hile kicking in Position 11 rotate palms up and then down one hand at a time to the beat of the song “Macarena.” Core Skill The core skill developed in this game is maintaining Position 11 with hands stretched outwards at the surface or …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Noodle Scull

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Name Noodle Scull Core Skill The core skill being developed in this challenge is sculling. Swimmers will learn how to use their hands to push against the water to move. This helps them understand the feeling of water resistance and how their efforts translate into movement. Who This game is suitable for Level 1, Level …

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Swimming Game – Treasure Dive; variation on diving for toys

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Name Treasure Dive Core Skill This game focuses on building confidence and improving underwater swimming skills. Who Suitable for Level 1 and Level 2 swimmers who are comfortable submerging their heads underwater. What Participants will need a few small waterproof toys or objects to serve as “treasures.” These can be placed at the bottom of …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Kick on Side Helicopter Arm

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Name Kick on Side Helicopter Arm Core Skill This challenge focuses on improving the swimmer’s front crawl (freestyle) technique, particularly enhancing body rotation, arm movement, and kicking strength. Who This challenge is suitable for: What The “Kick on Side Helicopter Arm” challenge involves swimmers pushing off the wall in a streamlined position on their belly, …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Position 11 Cartwheel

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Name Position 11 Cartwheel Core Skill The core skills targeted in this challenge are Position 11, Streamline, and Flip Turns. These are essential for developing efficient swimming techniques and improving overall performance in the water. Who This challenge is designed for Level 3, Level 4, and Developmental swimmers. These swimmers have a foundational understanding of …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Hurdles and Limbos

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Name Hurdles and Limbos Core Skill The primary skill developed in this game is underwater comfort and breath control. Swimmers will practice going underwater and holding their breath, which is essential for building confidence in the water. Additionally, this game helps improve coordination and body control as swimmers navigate over and under obstacles. Who This …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Superman, Save Me!

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Name: Superman, Save Me! Core Skill The core skills targeted in this game are streamline, position 1, and position 1 breathing to the side. These skills are essential for developing efficient swimming techniques and improving overall water confidence. The game also encourages fun and engagement, making learning enjoyable for young swimmers. Who This game is …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Be a submarine

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Name: Challenge – Be a Submarine Core Skill: Buoyancy Control and Breath Control This game focuses on helping swimmers improve their buoyancy control and breath-holding skills. It also enhances their ability to maintain a stable position underwater while managing an additional challenge. Who: This game is suitable for swimmers of all ages who are comfortable …

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Making a Splash: How Effective Supervision Makes Summer Swimming Lessons a Success

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Summer beckons with its promise of warm days, sunshine, and cool water. For many children, this also means the opportunity to participate in summer swimming lessons. These lessons are invaluable for developing water safety skills and building confidence in the pool. But behind the scenes, ensuring a safe and positive learning environment hinges on one …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Singing in the Rain

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#swimgame #challenge #level1 #guppies #goingunderwater Name Sing in the Rain Core Skill The core skill focused on in this challenge is water comfort. Swimmers will practice being comfortable with water on their face and head, which is essential for developing confidence in the water. Who This challenge is designed for Guppies and Level 1 swimmers. …

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Swimming Game: Secret Messages

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Name Secret Messages Core Skill The core skill of this game is going underwater and observation. It encourages participants to go underwater and open their eyes as players try to decipher the secret messages. Who This game is inclusive and can be played by anyone who can go underwater, including non-swimmers or weak swimmers. They …

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Guppies: Playing with Parents and Toddlers

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Welcome to our guide on running a successful Guppies swim class. This post is designed to provide Aquatic Professionals with practical advice on training staff to create an engaging, educational, and fun environment for both toddlers and their parents. We’ll cover the importance of instructor energy, parent engagement, and tips for empowering young instructors to …

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Swim Lessons: On-Boarding, Training, & Longevity Plan

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Hire a swim instructor Put up a job application somewhere online. The application should follow your hiring rules with a job description, expected work hours, pay rate, compensation, and typical activities. Schedule an interview with your applicant. I prefer to do things digitally and remotely because it lets me to a lot of meetings without …

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Swimming Game – Fill the Bucket, Empty the Bucket

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Name Fill the bucket, empty the bucket Core Skill This challenge aims to improve the swimmers’ streamline, arm strokes, back float, and coordination skills. Who This challenge is suitable for swimmers of Levels 1 to 4. It can be done in two separate lanes or in one lane with an even number of swimmers. What …

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Membership Benefits: Online Courses

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Swimming Ideas currently has 4 online courses. 2 of the online courses are intended for teaching and learning new material: Level Structure and Teaching Swimming. The other 2 courses serve different needs. Downloads, Tools & Tutorials is a “holding” course where you can find all your downloadable files like lesson plans, visual skill sheets, workbook …

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Membership Benefits: Lesson Plans; Games & Challenges

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Aquatic Professionals know that we don’t all know everything. We reach out for more information, we like to connect with others, and see how other instructors and professionals tackle common problems. My goal with Swimming Ideas and the All Access Memberships is to provide clear and simple tools that make your training, instruction, and swimming …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Giving Love; your favorite toy

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Name Giving Love Core Skill Sharing and swimming skills Who This challenge is suitable for swimmers who can swim at least 50 yards or meters with different toys, tools, or aids. What This challenge is a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day by sharing your favorite swimming items with others and trying new ones. How …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Striking Love

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Name Striking Love Core Skill Throwing accuracy and swimming skills Who This challenge is suitable for swimmers who can throw objects over a distance and swim different strokes. What This challenge is a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day by throwing “Cupid’s Arrows” into floating hula hoops and swimming to retrieve them. How Difficulties the …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Cupid’s Heart

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Name Cupid’s Heart Core Skill Cardiovascular endurance and social skills Who This challenge is suitable for swimmers who can swim at least 25 yards or meters without stopping and can find their pulse. What This challenge is a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day by combining swimming, heart rate monitoring, and positive affirmations. How Difficulties …

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What makes a lesson plan good?

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Swimming lesson plans are essential tools for swimming teachers to deliver fun and effective lessons to their students. A good lesson plan should have the following characteristics: Provide a clear progression of level relatable skills A good lesson plan should have a clear aim and objective that is relevant to the level and ability of …

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Instructor Training Challenge: Name and Food Match

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Name Name and Food Match Core Skill This challenge tests the participants’ memory and observation skills. What The participants will try to remember and match the names and food preferences of everyone at the training. How Difficulties participants might face Some possible difficulties that participants might face are: How this challenge relates to swim instruction …

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Instructor Training Challenge: Max Class Setup Pictures

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Name Max Class Setup Pictures Core Skill This challenge tests the participants’ planning and organizing skills for setting up a pool for multiple classes. What The participants will draw a picture of how they would arrange the pool, the benches, and the toys for different levels of classes. How Difficulties participants might face Some possible …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Diving Ring Pickup Progression

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Name Diving Ring Pickup Progression Core Skill This challenge aims to improve the swimmers’ underwater skills, such as breath control, body position, buoyancy, and coordination. Who This challenge is suitable for intermediate to advanced swimmers who are comfortable with diving and staying underwater for a few seconds. What The swimmers must each have their own …

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IPRA Conference 2024: Aquatic Operations

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Three big areas people are interested in: Tracking swim lesson levels, skills, and report cards. You can use SwimLessons.Pro, our online lesson management system when you’re an All Access Member for Teams. This is a constantly evolving system based on a simple site that is custom built for your team. You have full control over …

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Swimming Game – Magic Mirror

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Name Magic Mirror Core Skill This game can help swimmers practice their breath control, underwater vision, and body awareness. Who This game is suitable for swimmers who can submerge their heads comfortably and hold their breath for at least 10 seconds. It can be played with a minimum of two swimmers and a maximum of …

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Collaborative Leading for Managers

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Collaborative Leading: How to Lead a Successful Swim Program with Your Team Collaborative leading is a leadership style that fosters teamwork, trust, and empowerment among co-workers. It is especially useful for managing a swim program, where you have to coordinate with different staff members, instructors, lifeguards, and participants. In this post, we will explore what …

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New Years for a New Program

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Why New Year’s is the Perfect Time to Start a New Swimming Lesson Program New Year’s is a time for new beginnings, new resolutions, and new opportunities. If you are an aquatic professional looking for a way to improve your swimming lesson program, this is the perfect time to start with Swimming Ideas. Swimming Ideas …

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Swimming Game – Reindeer Jump

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Name Reindeer Jumping Core Skill This game helps swimmers practice their fly stroke and explosive power. Fly stroke is one of the four competitive swimming strokes, also known as butterfly. It requires swimmers to move both arms simultaneously over the water, while using a dolphin kick to propel themselves forward. Explosive power is the ability …

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Swimming Game – Tic Toc Around the Clock

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Name Tick Toc Around the Clock Core Skill Freestyle arms recovery, where to enter the water, and where to initiate an arm pull. Who Level 3 swimmers who are learning front crawl arms independently. What A game that teaches swimmers how to do freestyle arms in the correct position with each recovery How ** Note: …

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The Three Pillars of Effective Teaching for Swimming Instructors

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Teaching is a complex and rewarding profession that requires a combination of skills, knowledge and passion. In this blog post, I will share with you the three pillars of effective teaching that I have learned from my experience as a swimming instructor and coach. These pillars are: follow the formula “activity, activity, challenge”, provide a …

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Swimming Game – Do the Twist w/ Mirrors

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Name Do the Twist Core Skill Freestyle hip rotation Who Level 4 swimmers who can swim freestyle for at least 25 yards What A game that uses in-water mirrors to help swimmers practice and compare different ways of rotating their hips while swimming freestyle Want some in-water mirrors for your program? We use these: https://amzn.to/3MZYNXV …

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Swimming Game – 3 Thanksgiving Activities for Developmental Swimming Practice

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How to Make Your Swim Practice More Fun and Festive with Thanksgiving Games Are you ready for some festivities at practice? Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with family and friends, enjoy delicious food, and express gratitude for all the good things in life. But it can also be a time to spice up your …

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Swimming Game – Singing and Rolling

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Name Singing and Rolling Core Skill Gliding independently, Side breathing for front crawl Who Level 2 swimmers who can float and glide on their front and back with minimal support What A fun game that challenges swimmers to sing a song while gliding on their front and rolling their body or head to breathe How …

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General Lesson Plans: When it’s time to let your instructors experiment.

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The Swimming Ideas All Access Memberships provide many tools for your swimming lesson program. One of those tools is the general lesson plan. This guide is a good reference if you are using Swimming Ideas’ levels and lesson plans and will serve as a reference guide if you’re creating your own levels and lesson plans, …

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Training Module: Fixing non-position 11 free arms

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Critical Issue with Free Arms One of the most common problems that swimmers face when learning freestyle is not using their free arms correctly. At a recent audit of Level 3 swimmers doing freestyle swimming not a single one was reaching forward in position 11. Instead I saw a disturbing amount of freestyle swimming with …

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Swimming Game – Mirror, Mirror, Pose

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Name Mirror Mirror Pose Core Skill This game helps swimmers to improve their streamline, stroke technique, and body awareness by using swim mirrors to observe their own movements in the water. Who This game is suitable for level 3 swimmers who have learned the basics of freestyle, breaststroke, and butterfly, and can swim at least …

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Swimming Game – Halloween Practice with Coach Drake

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This series of games comes from Coach Drake and the Nazareth Easton YMCA. If they played these exciting games on Halloween then I think they must have had an exciting practice full of laughing memories and joyful learning. Keep up the great work Coach Drake and thank you for sharing your ideas and PDF for …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Witch Which Witch

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Name Witch Which Witch Core Skill This game helps swimmers practice their streamline position, balance, and coordination. Who This game is suitable for swimmers who can swim at least 25 meters without stopping and are comfortable in deep water. What This game is a swimming challenge where swimmers pretend to be witches flying on broomsticks. …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Halloween Costume Stroke

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Name Halloween Costume Stroke Core Skill Freestyle swimming with creativity and fun Who Level 3 and Level 4 swimmers who are familiar with the freestyle stroke and can swim at least half a length of the pool. What The challenge asks swimmers to identify what costume they’re going to wear for Halloween. Then, they must …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: One Stroke FREE w/ Mirror

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Name One stroke FREE mirror Core Skill Freestyle stroke technique Who Level 3 swimmers who can swim at least 25 yards of freestyle with proper breathing and body position. What A challenge that requires the swimmer to push off the wall in streamline, do one freestyle stroke over a mirror on the bottom of the …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: One Finger Floating

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Name One Finger Floating Core Skill The core skill of this challenge is to develop the swimmer’s confidence and balance in the water, as well as to introduce the concept of buoyancy. Who This challenge is suitable for level 1 swimmers who are learning the basic skills of swimming, such as breathing, floating, and gliding. …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Puppet Master Freestyle

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Name Puppet Master Freestyle Core Skill Front crawl breathing Who Level 3 swimmers in small groups of 3-4 What A fun and challenging game that involves one dummy and the rest puppet masters in each lane. The puppet masters have to manipulate the dummy’s body to perform three full strokes of freestyle with one side …

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Why swimming games are a crucial component of a swim lesson

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Swimming is a great way to stay fit, have fun, and learn a valuable life skill. However, learning how to swim can also be challenging, boring, or even scary for some people. That’s why swimming games are a crucial component of a swim lesson. Swimming games can help participants get better at real swimming skills …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: One Breath Waltz

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Name One breath waltz Core Skill Side breathing for freestyle Who Level 3 swimmers who have mastered the basic freestyle stroke and want to improve their breathing technique and coordination. What A swimming challenge that involves doing a streamline underwater, then at the surface they should take one freestyle breath while leaving the other arm …

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Giving Feedback during swimming lessons

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This is a summary of the pages found in the Lesson Coordinator Handbook. The handbook is included in the All-Access membership, or available for direct purchase as a PDF or print book. As a swim instructor, one of your most important tasks is to give feedback to your swimmers. Feedback is the information you provide …

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Swimming Game – 6 Jumps from the blocks

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Name Jumping off the Blocks Core Skill This game helps swimmers practice their jumping or diving skills from the blocks, as well as their underwater swimming and wall exit. Who This game is suitable for swimmers on a developmental swim team or in level 4, who have some experience with jumping or diving from the …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Backstroke Kick Count

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Name Backstroke Kick Count Challenge Core Skill Backstroke and kicking to the wall Who Level 3 swimmers who can swim at least 15 yards of backstroke with proper body position and arm movement What A personal challenge game where swimmers try to touch the wall on their back with the least number of kicks after …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: 25 Position 11 Freestyle

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Name 25 Position 11 Freestyle Challenge Core Skill Freestyle arms reaching to position 11 with every stroke Who Level 4 swimmers who can swim at least 25 yards of freestyle with proper breathing What A personal challenge game where swimmers try to swim a 25 with as few strokes of position 11 freestyle possible, which …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Stroke Switch

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Name The Stroke Switch Challenge Who Level 4 swimmers who can swim 50 meters of front or back crawl, and have some experience with breaststroke and butterfly. What A personal skill challenge that involves switching strokes. Swimmers must do at least 3 strokes of each of the 4 competitive strokes, Fly, Back, Breast, Free before …

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Fighting Burnout

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How to Avoid Burnout as an Aquatic Professional After the Summer If you are an aquatic professional, you know how hectic and rewarding the summer season can be. You get to manage a large and diverse staff, oversee the operations of outdoor pools, and create memorable experiences for your guests. You also face many challenges, …

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Swimming Game – Bubble Pop; AI generated

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Name: Bubble PopObjective: To teach toddlers how to blow bubbles in the water and control their breath.Materials: A pool noodle or a long inflatable toy.Instructions: Benefits: Source: Conversation with Bing, 8/29/2023(1) 5 fun and easy games that teach your kids how to swim. https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/teach-kids-swimming-with-five-fun-and-easy-games/.(2) Learn to Swim games | Videos & descriptions | Games to …

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Swimming Question: How should I prepare for the first day of practice as a new High School Swimming Coach?

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I get a lot of questions about swimming from a diverse range of people. Sometimes they’re interesting enough that I can share them with the world. This is one such question. I implore you to look at the list from SwimSwam. USA Swimming is a fantastic resource for coaches of all levels and skill. Dear …

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Swimming Game – Mirror Me

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Category: Personal Challenge Core Skill: Any swimming skill or activity Name: Mirror Me How: I would describe the Mirror Game for swimming to a swim instructor like this: The Mirror Game is a fun and easy game that can help swimmers practice their coordination, balance, and imitation skills. It can also encourage creativity and social …

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Using feedback in a swimming lesson effectively

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Feedback is an essential component of any learning process, especially in swimming. Feedback can help swimmers improve their skills, correct their mistakes, and increase their confidence. However, not all feedback is equally effective. In this blog post, we will discuss some principles and tips for using feedback in a swimming lesson effectively, based on the …

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Swimming Game – Spray Dance Streamline

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Category: Group activity, physical movements Core Skill: Learning swim terminology, practicing on land, following directions Name: Spray Dance Streamline How: The instructor leads the activity by introducing the directions and then demonstrating the pretend play and movements. It is super important that the instructor Demonstrates and participates in this activity. They must set the tone. …

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Swimming Game – Animal Hunt (splashpad)

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– **Swimming Game – Animal Hunt**: A pretend play game for 2-4 year olds in the splash pad where they have to rescue animals that escaped from the zoo by imitating their sounds and movements.
– **Core Skill**: Listening, playing, and following directions. The instructor leads the game by demonstrating the animal actions and the swimmers mimic them¹[1]. The goal is to build trust and encourage the swimmers to join in the fun²[2].
– **Examples of Animals**: Elephants, giraffes, lions, monkeys, snakes, and alligators. Each animal has a different water feature and a way of interacting with it. The instructor should make the motions goofy, funny, and interesting³[3].
– **Free Resources and Community**: The document invites the readers to join a free community of aquatic professionals and provides contact information and categories of swim lesson games.

Tips for New Hires

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If you are a new hire at a swimming pool and you are 15 years old, you might feel nervous, excited, or overwhelmed by your first summer job. You might wonder how to do your best as a swim instructor, how to get along with your coworkers and supervisors, and how to have fun while …

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How to create swimming challenges/Streamline through Hula Hoops; an AI article

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**Written by Bing Chat using www.swimminglessonsideas.com as inspiration. Edited and updated by Jeff N.** I’m constantly impressed by the quality of these articles and feel like they’re somewhat cheating, though they summarize and disseminate information from this website so well it seems stupid to waste time typing myself. Does it cheapen the information if it …

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Get ready! Lesson Coordinator Handbook

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The companion book for swim lesson managers is well underway! Are you ready to have a training guide for in-person staff on-boarding? Ready to have a resource that goes into detail for each of our Levels? We have the book for you: Lesson Coordinator Handbook: a companion guide for fun and effective instruction. This book …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Elite; DO 4 BR kicks on back

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The belly should remain at the surface of the water; ideally with the belly button over the surface. Do 4 breaststroke kicks keeping your knees underwater. This challenge works on balance and body control and is extremely difficult to do even for more elite swimmers. Pay special attention to the belly button and the knees. …

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Lesson Formula: Activity, Activity, Challenge

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Better lessons and easier instruction starts when you can lean into a proven pattern. Your teachers will be more effective, be able to teach complex skills with predictable effectiveness and still provide a fun and exciting lesson for younger swimmers. Why use a formula? When you work with a large staff and have multiple lessons …

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Swimming Game – Challenge: Streamline on Side to flags

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Name: Side Streamline Challenge Core Skill: Body Position and Balance Who: Swimmers who have mastered the basic streamline position and can kick on their front and back. What: A challenge to practice maintaining a horizontal and streamlined position on the side, while looking at the wall. How: Swimmers start at one end of the pool, …

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About Swim Lessons PRO

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Swim Lessons PRO gives you the power to create your own levels and skills, track them, and have parents see their own child’s progress. Want to modify Swimming Ideas’ level structure to fit your personal site-specific needs? You can do that! Want to use an easier method for tracking your swimmer’s progress? See each swimmer’s …

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Easily add your own Levels and Skills

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Setting up your swimming lesson program online has never been easier. You can now log into our online lesson management and create your own levels and skills within a few short minutes. Add your own levels: Click on “levels” then using the menu at the top click, “Add Level.” Type in the name of the …

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Creating your own swimming lesson levels

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Swimming Ideas’ levels are designed to be quick and easy target points for skill assessment. They’re refined and concise to make testing and placement easier.  When I was sixteen, over 25 year ago, teaching my first swimming lessons we followed the American Red Cross level system.  At the end of the week we had to …

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Covid-19 and Swimming

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I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, happy, and safe. All of us are struggling with either stay at home orders or a reduction in hours and livelihood.   Our businesses hinge on having people in the water. If we get more people we’re more successful. Moving forward the suggestion is that large …

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Creativity through Failure.

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Yesterday I sat through a webinar about how to leverage your creativity and empower your employees. It was lead by a veteran of the parks and recreation industry. She wasted our time. I know. Harsh. Scandalous.  If you’re going to have your staff sit through an hour long powerpoint presentation then give actionable insight. Provide more …

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Using a TV at swimming

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I’ve always felt that one of the biggest impediment to using technology on the pool deck was getting it to work quickly. swimminglessonsideas.com has been an excellent resource and tool I frequent when I’m running swim lessons or training new staff. Recently I purchased a television and mounted it on wheels so that I could …

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Help teach streamline better

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When you do streamline like a thousand times, a hundred thousand, then you forget that it can be difficult for beginners to do well. I work with kids that are transitioning from swim lessons into swim team. They don’t know how to push off in streamline. What comes naturally for me, now, is totally foreign …

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Manager Training Tips going into Fall .2019

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Summer is about to finish most swim professionals, aquatic professionals, are wrapping up their summer outdoor programs in the United States. That means we are struggling to find staff after our college workers had gone back to school and our high school staff is left covering the same pools with fewer people and an additional …

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Swim Lessons and Hypotonia

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Hypotonia is a condition commonly known as “floppy baby.” I found the wikipedia entry to be excellent and drastically expanded my understanding of the condition when working with swimmers. Looking back, I know that this is what one family tried to tell me about that i didn’t realize the full extent of. A reader sent …

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Swimming Game – Give a Gift, Take a Swim

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Category: Group activity, Social Core Skill: Coach’s choice Name: Valentine’s Day Practice I like to do different things for the holidays. Most of the kids that participate on our swim team are in grade school or middle school. They’re somewhere between 5 years old and 13 on the developmental swim team. For Valentine’s Day I …

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SIP 081: Sun protection for swim instructors

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[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/swimmingideas/SIP_081.mp3″ title=”SIP 081: Sun protection for swim instructors” artist=”Swimming Ideas” ] SUN SCREEN! SUN LOTION! SUN BLOCK! This is the most essential product you can buy. I’m talking about sun tan lotion. Sun block. We use this gallon jug. You can use this too. I suggest making it mandatory for all swim instructors to …

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Swimming Game – President’s Day Trivia

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Category: Group Activity Core Skill: General Swimming / Quiz Name: President’s Day Trivia This game is actually a trivia portion with a bunch of little mini-games inside of it associated with each President. Holidays are a good excuse to do something different or new.  I remember inventing the baseball swim game for our swim group during the …

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Swimming Game – Streamline Line Walk

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Category: Group Activity Core Skill: Dryland / Core Strength / Streamline Name: [Streamline] Line Walk     Ideas come from many different areas. This game was inspired by talking with another coach about her exercise training she was doing at her gym. The basic concept is like what I call an “indian run.” Thought I’m sure there …

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Are you respected or feared?

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“Oh my god! Coach Jeff! How are you?” Or the more common smile and hide behind the parent’s leg, but still want to tell me a story in too many random details like children tell stories. That is what I most often hear and see when I run into swimmer families around the community. I …

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Starting a new private swim program

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“If you build it, they will come.”  Maybe you’re like me and you remember watching this movie all the time. But was that mantra from the 80’s and 90’s, that iconic saying really true? Can you just “build” something and clients will magically show up? I don’t think so. Swimming Ideas is a business. I …

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Preparing for Fall 2017 Swim Lessons

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Most of you are looking at swim lessons starting in the next few weeks. August and September is traditionally when school starts (K-12).  The college kids skate away to their universities, and you’re left with the local population, the local community college, and high school kids to fill your staff holes. Fall is a tough …

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When to take a step back

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We all make mistakes. I’ve done this before too, and I know there’ll be equally as avoidable mistakes I’ll make in the future. But hopefully we learn from those errors. I watch swim lessons every day, or I am coaching. It is rare that I’m not around a pool. It is what I do. Today, …

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SIP 058: The One Thing

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How to be a better coach or instructor [smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/swimmingideas/SIP_058.mp3″ title=”SIP 058: The One Thing” artist=”Swimming Ideas” ] Episode 057 with Meighan Julbert: “Focus on the 2-3 things totally essential for swimmer’s success.”   Episode 055 with Karis Mount: “My coaches focused on the one thing that would make me improve. We were focused.” Episode …

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Swim Lesson Update

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We had swim lessons yesterday and I wanted to give you an opportunity to learn from good ideas and some mistakes. In reading this you will learn about how we set up a weekday swim lesson that is open to 5-year-olds and older that can go underwater. The goal of this class is to introduce …

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Are your ARC lessons efficient?

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The most popular swim lesson program is the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim. I grew up teaching them, and was even certified as a Water Safety Instructor, ARC’s version for advanced swim instructor training. I remember feeling so official, so empowered and enthusiastic about finally being able to “sign the cards.” And then I filled out …

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Swimming Game – Election

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Category: Group Activity Core Skill: Swimming Knowledge / General Swimming Name: Election! We played this game on the fly on November 8th, the night of the american election. With the results in, and Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote by 3 million, and Trump seeming the next president, it highlights some of the interesting things about american …

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Swimming Game – Baseball World Series

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Category: Group Activity / Personal Challenge Core Skill: Swimming Knowledge Name: Swimming Baseball Were you caught up in baseball world series fervor? The Cubs finally won the series for the first time in 108 years, and in honor of their last game, we played “Baseball” at swim practice. It was AWESOME! The kids had a blast, and …

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Swimming Game – Personal Challenge

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Category: Personal Challenge Core Skill: Varied Name: (Category of Game)   You want to play games in your swim lessons and at swim practice. It makes your students more engaged because they have more fun, and it resets their attention allowing you to intersperse your repetitive practice with fun and interesting activities. Games are fun, and they …

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Swimming Game – Flip a Coin

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Category: Group Challenge, Chance Core Skill: Coach’s choice Name: Flip a Race You’ll need two large coins. Quarters will do. The coach flips a coin, then a swimmer flips a coin. Swimmers take turns flipping one of the coins. There will be four options: Coach Heads, Swimmer Heads Coach Heads, Swimmer Tails Coach Tails, Swimmer Tails Coach Tails, Swimmer Heads …

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Swimming Lesson Guide – Giving feedback

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Report cards, Certificates, Evaluations: The ins, outs, and positive sandwiches of giving praise and criticism Swimming Lessons Ideas was initially designed as a resource for my own program, and as an online repository for swim lesson games and ideas. I am so fortunate to interact with a diverse and resourceful community of people looking …

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Training Module: Line of Sight

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Download the PDF guide and handout here: [button link=”https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/wp-content/uploads/Training-module-Field-of-View-1-1.pdf”]Download PDF[/button]   Training: Line of Sight Key Points: Keep whole class in front of your face Create clear expectations Guard the leapers going past you Set up your training Start in one large group. Handout a copy of this PDF (found at the top of this …

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Training Module: Going Underwater

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Download the PDF handout and guide here:[button link=”https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/wp-content/uploads/Swim-Instructor-In-service-Module-Going-Underwater.pdf”]Training: Going Underwater[/button] Training: Going Underwater Key Points: Offer excessively multiple opportunities to go underwater Instructor must go underwater first and often. No dry heads. Push the next step of the underwater progression, not 2 steps ahead. Incremental Underwater Progression; all 7 steps. Set up your training Start …

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Swimming Game – Statue Master

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Category: Personal Challenge (in groups) Core Skill: Body position, body control, mimicking Name: Statue Master   Statue master is an interesting game that at first looks like you are wasting time or doing nothing. We first played this game with our beginning developmental age group swim team using the formula found in the book, How to Create Fun …

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How to teach swimming lessons – Treading water

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This brilliant swim lesson hack, tip, and guide comes from swim instructor Teresa from Arizona. She has been teaching swimming for 10 years and has a wonderful swimming lesson tactic for teaching treading water. I found her description to be excellent; brief, concise, and so obviously awesome it needed to be shared. If you’ve taught …

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Swimming Game – Human Cannonball

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Category: Group Challenge/Skill Core Skill: Streamline Name: Human Cannonball Check out the picture first.   We played this game because I noticed at swim practice our streamlines were really lazy and slow. The swimmers were doing them correctly: locked thumbs, squeezed ears, looking down. They were just, slow. Not very energetic or powerful pushes. We played this …

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Swimming Game – Underwater Picture

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Category: Individual Challenge Core Skill: Going Underwater, Recovering to surface Name: Underwater picture game This game idea comes from one of Swimming Ideas’ members. She uses this game in her swimming lessons and it is a wonderful way to encourage younger swimmers to put their face in the water and begin opening their eyes behind the goggles. The …

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Swimming Game – Roll the dice game

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Category: Group Activity or Challenge Core Skill: All, depending on instructor/coach choice Name: Roll the Dice then Go   Who: This game is good for all abilities and all groups. The pictured example was done with a developmental swim team group. Ages 5-12, minimum requirements 25 freestyle with breathing, 25 backstroke. Swimmers in that group are learning breaststroke arms …

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Effective Teaching – Series 3 of 3

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Surrounded by indifference? I am so thankful for your attention. I know you have a busy life, especially during the summer when swimming seems to be much more in the forefront of our minds. Thank you for both opening this email, and for your interest in www.swimminglessonsideas.com. I want swim lessons in general to be …

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Make an ‘attempt,’ do not “try”

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The language we use as swim coaches and swim instructors is important. Even subtle language has a profound impact on our participants. I make an effort with every sentence to speak exactly with instruction as literally as possible. Yoda had it right when he says in Star Wars, “Do, or do not. There is no …

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Swim Lesson Guide – Underwater Progression

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I created this short, 10 minute training video to supplement the SLI Swim Instructor Training Workbook. This goes along with the first section, Going Underwater. When you teach swimming, sometimes you need a guide to teach going underwater. This is an introductory explanation of the Underwater Progression we use in the SLI swim lesson world. …

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Swimming Game – Swimming Musical Chairs

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Category: Group Challenge, Race Core Skill: speed, stroke work chosen by instructor Name: Swimming Musical Chairs It isn’t really musical chairs, and there isn’t any music unless you want there to be. I use that name because it conveys the general rules of the game very well. Get a group of participants. Generally, between 4-8 people. Have them …

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Swimming Game – If you’re Happy and you know it

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The best swimming games are also songs that you can play and sing with multiple groups of people. Ideally you will use this song and game for your Parent Tot classes (infants) and with your beginners who are learning to go underwater. You could adapt this to a more advanced class, but the simplicity of the song and game make it better suited to younger participants.

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Swimming Game – Streamline Launch

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We should all know that streamline is the most essential and foundational swimming skill. Every stroke uses it and every portion of each competitive stroke goes through a streamline position with each stroke. In an effort to always approach the benefits of streamline without being dry, boring or needlessly repetitive, we approach good quality streamline …

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Swim Lesson Toys and Games to play

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The toys to buy for your swimming lesson program:
These are the best swimming lesson toys that you can get for your swim lessons or swim lesson program. If you use American Red Cross, Starfish Aquatics, or Swim America, you’ll benefit from any or all of these swim lesson toys. Every game, song, or activity is possible, or made better by using these toys.

Swim Lesson Templates and Plans: Learn How and When to use them and Create your own

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Think of a lesson plan for swimming as the roadmap for your instructors to follow. Lesson plans are the guideposts along the path to a successful swim lesson. They help with the class’s flow and skill transitions. With a well written lesson plan you’ll naturally flow from one swimming skill into the next. You’ll gracefully move from underwater activities to glides to arm strokes

Getting Level One in the water

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Getting in the water can often be overlooked by most lesson plans and teaching programs. It is generally the first contact that the teacher has with their potentially hesitant participants. We recommend having an established routine. At our pool we have the students come in and go right to their teacher who is waiting on …

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Swimming Game – Choice Grid

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Use your chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster and create a grid on it.

 

Activity 1
3x streamline + 3 strokes Free		 Activity 2
3x streamline + 2 fly strokes no kick		 Activity 3
3x streamline + 3 BK strokes		 Activity 4
3x streamline + 2 BR strokes
10 Flips 10 Handstands 10 Streamline Jumps 10 Handstands that turn into flips
4×25 FLY K 4×25 FR K 2x 50 BK 1×100 BR
Float on back from bottom to surface Put nose, belly button and 1 big toe on bottom for 2 seconds 3x Do 5 second front float, then flip 5x Find place in lane to do 3 creative streamlines

 

Here is an example grid that you could use. Notice how it is a mix of games, workouts, short distance skill work.

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Swimming well secret; What is the Magic formula?

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Spend time in the water.

 

Woah, I have to stop answering the question before I write anything else. Unfortunately, there is no secret, there is no magic. The “poof” moment when the smoke clears is simply time spent in the water doing purposeful practice. Here is some science proof for you, should you want it: BOOK.

The book basically says that just doing something repeatedly for 10,000 hours doesn’t make you an expert, but rather purposeful deliberate practice, preferably under the tutelage of a master teacher will get you to mastery.

 

Science is awesome, but why do I care and how does it relate to swim lessons?

Take your children to swim lessons. Drop them off, and let them spent 30 minutes of corrective, deliberate instruction with a “professional.” Now, you will likely have a high school kid teaching your child, but the skills are very basic, and require a modicum of understanding to teach. If you are going to send your child to a swim team where they are exercising and advancing to the more competitive areas of the sport, you want to send your swimmer to a professional coach, preferably one with ASCA certification.

When your child spends time in a swim lesson they are contributing to the 10,000 hours of practice, but are also getting constant and repeated feedback specifically targeting their deficient points. If you read my previous article about the swim instructor’s curse, then you’ll know you’re paying some novice to teach you child something you could easily do.

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The Swim Instructor’s Curse

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You will not be able to teach your own children how to swim easily.

 

I don’t have children. What I’m about to say is from my experience as a swim teacher and swim coach over the last 15 years. I have seen parents that swim take their kids to swimming lessons and always thought, “Why don’t they just teach them their selves?” Most times i was thinking, why is this swimming professional trusting my band of high school kids more concerned about themselves to teach their children how to swim?!

 

What could they be thinking?!They are thinking “long game”

Swimming professionals understand that progress does not happen over night. Learning swimming takes time and effort, and most importantly, time in the water. Most swim lesson parents that also teach, spend their time playing in the water with their children, and let the high school kids do the receptive classical conditioning for their children. These parents are looking down the road 3 years from now, 10 years from now and hoping that their children are excited about swimming, love being in the water, and associate positively with pools and water. When parents try to teach a repetitive skill, the child may resent the parent for forcing them to do something they don’t want to do at the time. Parents want their children to be happy and have fun with them in the water because it makes for happier children and memories. Parents want to avoid fighting with their child in a public place, and that confrontation my create bad associations with the water and pool. By forcing skill work on a child as a parent, your love of the sport may backfire and make the child rebel against what you are pushing.

Swim professionals bypass that backfire possibility by having a teenager teach their kids and take the brunt of the angst or boring repetition.

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Swimming Game – Spider

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Game Name: Spider. Skills Developed: Breath control, confidence and swimming under water. This game is meant for private classes that do not have too many learners. There are two roles: one swimmer will act as the web while another acts as the spider. The thing that should act as a pre-requisite for this game is …

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What to do if a child is crying

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At swim lessons and a child starts crying. What do you do? As a parent there is a long list of things you should do to help your crying child and the swim program that you’re at. We are going to first go through what a parent should do to keep their child from crying …

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Swimming Game – Jumps

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Swimming lessons idea game: Jumps This seems like a stupid thing to write about or talk about. Jumps. Really? something that simple?   Yes.   Jumping into the pool w/ assistance or without works on a number of different skills and can be a good gauge of trust and progress. Here are a few: Go …

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Swimming Game – Buckethead

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This is the best swimming lessons game of all time. Buckethead’s success is directly proportional to the amount of enthusiasm the instructor puts into it. With action, fearlessness, and boldness this can be the most successful game of all time. Get a bucket/pail/bowl Fill it with water pour it over the participant’s head while shouting/singing/saying …

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How to find Swim Lessons in your area

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Google is your friend. That is the real key to the whole process, though Bing or any other search engine will do. Before typing in your location and “swim lessons” I recommend you go to your local park district first.  Find your local park district here Park districts often have quality swimming pools of varying …

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Swimming Game – Monkey Walks

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A great swim lesson skill for smaller and younger swimmers is called Monkey Walks.The teach Monkey walks in a learn to swim class follow these steps: The swimmer essentially walks along the side of the pool using their hands and feet to move along the edge. I’ve included a video demonstrating the action. This is …

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Swimming Game – Bake a Cake

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Bake a Cake -Get a hoola hoop, or a circular object and make that your “cake” -Have swimmers circle around the hoola hoop and hold the sides. -Take turns asking each swimmer what they would like in their cake. Exp: “Susie, what would you like in your cake?” “CHOCOLATE!” “Ok, lets put some chocolate in …

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