Category: Level 2 – Glides and Crawls

Core Skill:

Front glide and recover independently

Name:

Glide and Catch

How:

The instructor gives the group of 4 or 5 a basket of balls or other floating objects.

One swimmer glides on their front as far as they can or to a bench, then recovers to a standing position. If you’re using two benches, place them close enough to be comfortable for each swimmer to glide there independently.

One team mate throws a toy at the swimmer that just did a front glide.

If the swimmer catches the toy, then they all get a point. If the swimmers get to 10 points, then they get to “dunk” the instructor or gain some other reward like an extra challenge.

Once the swimmer has caught or not caught the toy, they should hold it in Position 11 and glide back to the starting area. Place the toy to the side.

The next swimmer takes a turn. They glide across the benches, attempt to catch a toy, and return with it to the original bench.

Take turns throwing the toys so everyone gets a turn; typically this is the swimmer that is set to go after the gliding swimmer.

What:

This game helps level 2 swimmers practice their front glides and recoveries, as well as their coordination and teamwork skills. It also adds an element of fun and challenge to the lesson.

Who: This game is suitable for level 2 swimmers who can jump in from the side, fully submerge their head and hold their breath, front float and recover independently, and perform combined arm and leg actions on front¹.

Challenges for advanced age group swimmers: To make the game more difficult for advanced swimmers, the instructor can:

• Increase the distance between the teams or move them to deeper water.
• Use smaller or heavier objects that are harder to catch or carry.
• Add obstacles or rules that require the swimmers to perform certain skills or movements before or after gliding, such as rolling, turning, diving, etc.

I hope you like this game and find it useful for your swimming lessons. Please let me know if you have any feedback or questions.