Swimming Skills and Drills

This article includes an outline of skills and drills that are necessary for swimming. There are drills for those that are just learning to swim as well as skills for the expert swimmers. Enjoy!!

Swimming

1. Drafting – helps students gain confidence as a swimmer.
2. Bubble bobs- students holds on to the edge, arms are shoulder width apart.
3. Safety bobbing- the students slowly submerges under water.
4. Whirl Pool-get students used to the water
1. Have all players stand or sit against the wall of the pool, spreading out equal distances from each other.
2. Walk or pull yourself along the wall of the pool.
3. Have all players do this in the same direction. Slowly, with everyone moving in the same direction, the water will begin to flow along with you.
4. Keep moving faster - the rotation of the water will make it easy to do so.
5. Relax and float around in the whirlpool, once it really gets going. Get into a small rubber raft and ride around the pool.
5. Front glide- student pushes gently away from the wall.
6. Pull and Glide Race-
1. Gather an even number of players in waist-deep water in a pool
2. Designate a race course, and Pair off into two-person teams.
3. Grasp the wrists of your teammate, and assume a glide-float position while your teammate remains upright (or vice versa).
4. Race the designated course with the upright player walking backwards and pulling his or her floating partner by the wrists.
7. Front beginner stroke- consists of front glide with a small kick.
8. Back beginner stroke- Coordinate your arms and legs so that both go up, out and together all at the same time.
9. Front crawl- the fastest strokes, used for fitness swimming.
10. Marco polo- game should be played in the shallow end of the pool.
1. Close your eyes and call out "Marco”.
2. Listen for the other players to answer with "Polo”
3. Swim with your eyes closed in the direction of a voice
4. Call out "Marco" several more times if you like, always waiting to hear "Polo" in response
5. Tag any player, and you are no longer Marco
11. Back stroke- resting stroke provides amply time to rest. 
12. Breast stroke- also used as a resting stroke
13. Sharks and minnows- game should be played in the shallow end of the pool
1. Teacher is the shark
2. Line all the other players on one side of the swimming pool in a row. These are the minnows.
3. Choose a category, such as colors, and have each minnow choose a color.
4. The teacher stands on the side of the pool opposite the minnows with your back toward them.
5. Shout out a color at random, and Listen for any minnows with the chosen color as they try to swim quietly to your side of the pool.
6. Jump into the pool to tag a minnow. Be careful not to jump directly on top of a minnow - just jump beside him or her
7. Let the minnows that reach your side of the pool without being tagged return to the original side and then Call out another color and continue the game if you didn't tag anyone.
14. Side stroke- used when saving someone who is drowning in a pool or lake.
15. Slide and dive- The most basic of all dives.
16. Sitting dive- the student is sitting in the pool before the dive takes place.
17. Swim meets-
1. Students will compete in a freestyle swim
2. Students will compete in a relay race.