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Challenge –

3 x lay on bottom with belly button, nose, and 1 big toe touching bottom

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Challenge –

Spin in a circle with your whole head above water without touching the ground. Do it again 2x. Do it again without using your hands! and again with 10 toes above the water.

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Challenge –

Do a handstand with your legs together and toes pointed to the ceiling. Hold it for 2 seconds (or 3), then do a front flip where you land on your feet without otherwise touching the bottom.

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Game 100 Point + Challenge

Set:

10 x 50 on 2:00 2 FLY off first SL, FREE entire rest of 50. (can be any set you want. Ideally the same thing for a long time)

1-5 with FINS 6-10 no FINS

Rules:

Give each lane 100 Points.

If a lane member misses their interval (when they leave on the clock, deduct 5 points.

Earn extra 5 points per round for every challenge (1 per 50) lane creates and executes before 2:00 is up (or whatever appropriate interval is for swimmers with enough time to communicate about challenges).

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• No touching
• Only Streamline
• Must flip after pushing off wall
• Must do a second flip before touching other wall
• Must do Airplane the whole time (not streamline).
• Race whoever gets there first wins.

As people fail and get out send them to an unused side. Wait there until there is one winner.

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Challenge –

Do a streamline to the flags with your big toe dragging on the bottom of the water.

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Challenge –

Float on your back with your face above water and all 10 toes and both of your thumbs (but not hands).

Or all of your fingers but NOT your thumbs.

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Challenge – Streamline Launch

Form partners.

One person floats on the surface on the back or stomach in streamline. No kicking or breathing, or falling out of streamline.

Other person pushes their feet to launch them forward in streamline.

The pushing person can’t go past the flags or the “T” mark. Set a distance that the streamliner needs to travel to pass the challenge, without falling out of streamline or kicking.

Pusher can use the wall to push. This is encouraged.

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Challenge –

Push off in Airplane, do 1/2 FLY stroke with 1 kick to get to Flags.

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Push off the wall in streamline briefly.

Pike at the belly lifting the hips above the water so that the butt breaths over the waves.

Hands down, head down, and legs down.

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Like what you see? Get daily updates when you subscribe to the Developmental Swim Practices.

You’ll follow along with the challenges, games, and aerobic exercises I do every week to get my beginner swim team practices filled with fun and effective instruction.

This is the system I use to lead my USA Swimming Level 4 team’s Developmental swim program. I give it to my assistant coaches and they follow along on their phones. We put it on our TV screens and the kids see the practices.

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Challenge:

Float on BK and change direction (orientation) only using BR Kicks.

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Challenge:

Underwater place the crown of your head against the middle of the + mark.
While staying underwater, and keeping head pressed to the wall, do 3 Breaststroke Kicks

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Challenge:
Float on your back, on the surface, keep both feet touching the wall. Hold it for 5 seconds.

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Challenge –

Challenge – swim to 1/2 way with no breath and only 3 strokes

Freestyle no kicking.

BONUS: Do it in 3 breaststrokes (including breath)

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Challenge:

Fly Kick on your side from wall to the flags ping ponging off the lane lines at least 3 times.

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Challenge:
Float on your back, on the surface, keep both feet touching the wall. Hold it for 5 seconds.

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[reblex id=’22077′]

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Challenge:
Do an IM from wall to flags; must do at least 1 stroke of each stroke.

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Challenge:
With two hands on the horizontal line of the + (mark on the wall), do 20 Flutter kicks staying underwater in position 11.

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Challenge:

Float on BK and change direction (orientation) only using BR Kicks.

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Challenge:
Roll like a stone from the wall to the flags; breath as much as wanted but never touching the ground.

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Challenge:

Underwater place the crown of your head against the middle of the + mark.
While staying underwater, and keeping head pressed to the wall, do 3 Breaststroke Kicks

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These challenges are designed to help swim instructors and competitive swim coaches to teach swimming skills, improve technique, and increase motivation and enjoyment. Here is a summary of some of the challenges and their benefits:

• Float on your side, like you’re laying down on your side reading a book exactly in the middle of the water from the surface and from the bottom. This challenge helps swimmers to develop balance, body position, and core strength in the water. It also teaches them how to breathe on their side, which is useful for freestyle and backstroke.
• Do a handstand with your legs together and toes pointed to the ceiling. Hold it for 2 seconds (or 3), then do a front flip where you land on your feet without otherwise touching the bottom. This challenge tests swimmers’ coordination, flexibility, and agility in the water. It also helps them to practice somersaults, which are essential for flip turns.
• 10 x 50 on 2:00 2 FLY off first SL, FREE entire rest of 50. (can be any set you want. Ideally the same thing for a long time) Give each lane 100 Points. If a lane member misses their interval (when they leave on the clock, deduct 5 points. Earn extra 5 points per round for every challenge (1 per 50) lane creates and executes before 2:00 is up (or whatever appropriate interval is for swimmers with enough time to communicate about challenges). This challenge is a fun way to add some variety and competition to a regular set. It encourages swimmers to work as a team, be creative, and challenge themselves with different skills and drills.
• Line all swimmers up on one wall, close to each other. Must streamline only from one wall to the other. If you touch anyone else you’re both out. If you do anything but streamline, you’re out. As people fail and get out send them to an unused side. Wait there until there is one winner. This challenge is a simple but effective way to reinforce the importance of streamline, which is the fastest position in swimming. It also teaches swimmers to maintain their speed and direction without kicking or stroking.
• Do a streamline to the flags with your big toe dragging on the bottom of the pool. Float on your back with your face above water and all 10 toes and both of your thumbs (but not hands). Or all of your fingers but NOT your thumbs. These challenges are examples of how to make floating more interesting and challenging for swimmers. Floating is a fundamental skill that helps swimmers to relax, breathe, and control their buoyancy in the water.

These are just some of the many challenges. You can use them as inspiration for your own lessons or practices, or create your own challenges based on your goals and needs. I hope you find them useful and fun! ?