Dryland Activities:
Question of the Day: When is the last day of Coho Practices for Winter?
Correct = Celebrate spring break for 20 seconds.
Wrong = Lament the end of swimming season with 10 situps.
Warmup in water:
100 IM Kick
2 x 25 position 11.
Review 3 things for Streamline before first 25.
1) Lock your thumb.
2) Squeeze your ears (back of head).
3) Look down (with your whole face).
Review 3 things for Position 11 before second 25:
1) Keep your arms straight.
2) Stay at the surface (even when you breathe).
3) Look down (with your whole face).
Fail Box Game
Fail Box:
Fail box game. The focus was on streamline and ever more difficult activities after.
Everyone in the lane does #1. In this case, Streamline underwater.
Round 1 is a practice round, round 2 is the final test round.
Coaches give thumbs up for success (they did the skill correct) or a thumbs down, or fail, if the swimmer does ANYTHING incorrect.
If anyone fails their attempt the lane does the Fail Box activity 1.
If everyone succeeds, then lane does the Success Box 1.
Go down the line not repeating fails or success box items.
Builds upon a few expected systems in place:
- SL + [something], swimmers should understand this concept and be familiar with short distance training and feedback.
- Knowledge and awareness of what those [something] activities are. you have to teach them before you can play this game.
- Be able to read the board and know what the shorthand means.
Game descriptions:
Flop – a – Fish: lay on your back (floating) and partner slaps your hand. Flop over on your belly, partner slaps your back, you flop back on your back. Basically flop back and forth like a fish when tapped by your partner.
Spider game, and cannonball push can be found on the website: www.swimminglessonsideas.com
Game – Save the pool
Create some “event” that explodes or creates shards or trinkets. We used a single hand paddle as our trinkets.
Place them at the bottom of the pool so swimmers need to “find” them.
Once they get the trinket swim with it for 1 length.
Determine if it is a good or evil trinket.
If good, do things to make it more powerful, powerful enough to repair the pool from whatever destruction happened in your made up story.
Must hold the trinket throughout the activities. Stuff in swim suit or wear if appropriate.
If evil, do things to cleanse the evil off the trinket and keep everyone safe.
Create two separate tracks with unique activities (Good and Evil).
Throughout, provide commentary.
If a swimmer does a good streamline and they’re holding a good trinket say something like:
- “You realize that you don’t need to go to the bathroom as frequently.”
- “With that good streamline you feel less hungry, like your food provides more energy.”
- “That powered up your good trinket so much you now feel like you can taste more things.”
If a swimmer holding an evil trinket makes it cleaner say something like:
- “When you picked up the evil trinket you suddenly sprouted nose hair down to your belly button. It all fell off.”
- After holding the evil trinket you emitted a horrible stench. You know smell like a young child.”
When finished with activities “cure the cataclysm” with the cleansed and powered trinkets in a group effort.