Swimming Activities For A Fun Training Session

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Some swimmers provide themselves with small objectives before the beginning of each practice, to assist them in staying concentrated. As an illustration, they could aim to make every turn as precise and efficient as possible.

Adding Variety To A Training Set

Senior Swimmers

Older swimmers in the club are looked up to as examples by numerous younger swimmers.

Arrange for a senior swimmer to demonstrate new drills and skills.
Or arrange for a senior swimmer to train with the younger swimmers.
These are great ways of adding motivation, fun and variety.

Individual Medley

The advantages of a personal medley-style exercise regimen are numerous, including:

All-Round Stroke Development

Training in an individual medley style improves the technique for all four competitive swimming strokes. This leads to a lot of swimmers taking part in multiple competitions.

Fitness

Varying both the speed and rhythm of strokes during individual medley practice will help enhance a swimmer’s aerobic strength and all-around conditioning.

Variation

Incorporating individual medley exercises into one’s routine helps to make it more diverse and even.

Stroke Count

Stroke count is the number of strokes it takes for a swimmer to complete a given number of lengths/laps. A swimmer’s stroke count is largely influenced by their technique.
The more technically efficient the swimmer, the longer their distance per stroke and therefore, the fewer strokes they will take to complete a length/lap.
By counting their strokes, swimmers will not only help improve their technique but will add variety to their training sessions.

Breathing On The Weaker Side

Most swimmers tend to find it harder to inhale or exhale on one side while doing the freestyle stroke.

Introducing freestyle sets where a swimmer can only breathe on their weaker side, not only develops a key swimming skill but also adds variety to the set

Using The Pace Clock

Many trainers, especially those teaching younger or less confident swimmers, often check the speed clock for them.

To add variety, coaches should sometimes let them work out their own set, rep and recovery times.
For senior or more experienced swimmers, giving them odd sets, reps and recovery times can add variety to a set.
For example, 10 x 50m freestyle on 57 seconds.

Swim Odds Set Distances

Swimming varied lengths, like 125m or 175m, can add diversity and help the swimmer stay on their toes as they need to be prepared for diverse distances and meet certain times.

Adding Fun To A Training Session

Below are some suggestions for making swimming practice more enjoyable.

Stroke Variation

Mixing different styles of strokes is a good way to make swimming exciting and allow swimmers to progress. For example,

Butterfly Arms, Freestyle Legs

Performing butterfly arms with a freestyle leg kick can help to increase a swimmer’s stroke rate.

Double Arm Pull Backstroke

Performing backstroke with a double arm pull is a great drill for helping the swimmer to develop a ‘little finger in first’ backstroke pull.

Water Polo Freestyle

Water polo freestyle is a great but simple drill for improving a swimmer’s freestyle stroke rate.
- Raising the swimmer’s head will lower the legs in the water and shorten their stroke, this will ensure that when performing this drill there will be plenty of resistance to overcome.
- This will ensure that the swimmer will increase their stroke rate.

Doggie Paddle

Doggie paddle is a great fun sculling drill, that can be used as a part of a warm-up or cooldown

Kicking Speed Play On The Whistle

Beginner’s Guide: This exercise is both enjoyable and challenging and will help strengthen the legs for the freestyle stroke.

This drill starts with a push and glide from the end of the pool. The swimmer should begin with a slow, steady freestyle leg kick, utilizing a kickboard.

The coach then blows a whistle which is the signal for the swimmer to perform a fast freestyle leg kick at sprint speed until the coach blows the whistle again, and the swimmer then returns to a slow and steady kick.
Repeat these bouts of random fast and slow kicking, initially over 50m/100m.
Gradually increase the intensity of the set, by a combination of longer fast intervals, shorter rests or by slowly increasing the distance.

Swimming Widths

If they can, swimmers of all ages and levels of ability should try to find swimming lanes – these can be immensely advantageous, helping to increase speed, perfect turning techniques, and providing an ideal environment for learning to do dolphin kicks.

Stop The Training Swims

Occasionally a coach can observe that the swimmers they are coaching need to take a rest from the stringent demands of exercising or require an added spark to accomplish a certain accomplishment.

Some coaches challenge their swimmers, to achieve a certain goal that will put a stop to the planned session and let everyone do a fun drill or relay.

For example, no one takes a breath directly out of a freestyle turn.

Using Equipment

Here are some ways to make swimming practice more interesting by utilizing common and uncommon pool gear. For example,

Resistance Swims:

Swimmers can increase their stroke rate when they use bungee cords, drag pants, or drag belts when swimming for resistance.

Woggles/Noodles Kicking

This is a great fun kicking drill.

Three to four swimmers, each position themselves lengthways behind a woggle/noodle.
They hold the woggle/noodle lengthways with both hands.
Then proceed to group kick for a length/lap of the pool.

Paper Cups

Paper cups can be utilized to assist in cultivating a swimmer’s posture about backstroke.

The swimmer half fills a paper cup (with a flat bottom) with pool water.
Whilst still holding the cup, they then float on their back.
They then balance the cup on their forehead, without the cup falling.
Once mastered, the swimmer attempts to scull on their back for a length/lap of the pool, again without the cup falling.
Once mastered, the swimmer attempts to swim backstroke for a length/lap of the pool, again without the cup falling.

Fun Relays

T-Shirt Relay

Relay Overview

Races between teams of swimmers take place, whereby each individual swimmer completes their leg of the relay while wearing a t-shirt, and must swap it with the next person on their team before beginning.

Stroke/Drill

All competitive strokes

Team Criteria

Groups of four to six swimmers of similar capabilities and swiftness compete against one another.

Equipment Required

One large tee shirt per team. The best is for them to all be XXL in size and as thick as possible.

Relay Description

The starting swimmers start with the t-shirt on and swim the prescribed distance.
On completing their leg, the first swimmer gets out of the pool.
There they grasp the wrists of the second swimmer and both swimmers lower their heads.
They exchange the t-shirt, with the help of their teammates.
The teammates help to pull the t-shirt over the head of the first swimmer, onto the body of the second swimmer.
The relay continues with each team swimming a leg in the t-shirt.
The winning team is those who complete the swim the quickest

No Goggles Relay

Unfortunately, sometimes a swimmer’s goggle slips off during competition.

A great way of preparing the swimmers for such an eventuality is to introduce them to swimming without goggles.
These can be simply straight freestyle, breaststroke or butterfly relays
Or you can use your imagination and come up with something far more interesting.

Water Polo

Aquatic fanatics find pleasure in participating in the long-standing swimming sport of Water Polo. Going back to the 19th century, water polo has brought joy to swimmers, providing them respite from their laborious swimming routines and exercises.

Split swimmers in half, setting teams against each other. Position two objectives at opposite ends of the swimming pool employing either nets or flotation devices. The team that scores the most goals wins.

Underwater Rugby

This is an excellent option for increasing lung capacity and strengthening aquatic abilities. Split the swimmers into two groups and employ a weighted object that goes to the bottom.

At the start of the game, the ball is positioned in the centre of the pool, and the teams must try to move it into the designated space between the flags and the edge of the pool.

Swimmers should not spend too much time underwater and should make sure to take a breath when necessary. The squad scoring the highest number of goals in the endpoint will emerge victorious.

Car Races

Car Races can be a great activity for practising underwater kicking and increasing your breath-holding capacity. It can be played with or without fins. The game involves racing cars at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Each swimmer has their own special vehicle – this could be anything from a Hot Wheels vehicle to a floating toy or even a pull buoy if there are no other toys around.

The swimmers submerge themselves in the pool with their “vehicles” and follow the black line on the pool floor, like a roadway, using it as a guide. Competitors swim with each other to the finish line of the pool, and the swiftest participant is the victor.

Pigeon

Pigeon is an amusing and challenging activity that requires lots of time and energy, and keeps swimmers quick and fit. The focus of the narrative shifts between rounds; it could be the coach or a swimmer who takes on the role of the storyteller at any given time.

The rest of the players arrange themselves in a line at one end of the pool, and then the storyteller starts up a story, using his or her own creative mind to make it up.

Whenever the storyteller mentions the word “pigeon”, the swimmers have to swim across the pool as quickly as they can. The person at the far end of the pool is the last one to leave, thus being eliminated from the competition.

The goal of the game is for the narrator to fool the swimmers by using words with a “p” sound that can be confused with “pigeon”, thus forcing them to make a premature start.

These swimmers are barred from participating until a new round begins. The individual who is the last to remain in the game is the victor.

Marco Polo

A game similar to a tag called Marco Polo is played when one person is designated as the primary individual and has to keep their eyes shut while attempting to find the other players. The primary individual yells, “Marco!” and the participants must respond by calling out, “Polo!” so that the main person can pinpoint their location and locate them.

Gladiator

This game is perfect for developing power and velocity for kicking. Split the swimmers into two groups, one beginning at each end of the swimming pool. Swimmers can employ kickboards and this activity can be done with or without swim fins.

The coach is positioned in the centre of the pool and sets off a cue for the swimmers to start kicking swiftly towards their teammates.

When they come together, they position their scooters on their sides and push against one another as if they were kicking up against a wall. They must give it their all and put in maximum effort to shove their partners towards the wall on the other side.

Amazing Race

The Amazing Race is a challenging yet fun contest that tests a range of skills, including scuba diving, exiting the pool, stamina, speed, and muscle power. Swimmers assemble at one side of the pool, jump in, and race to the further end of the tank.

When they leave the pool, they do exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, star-jumps, and others, and then plunge back in and swim back. It is a race between swimmers to finish first.

T-Shirt Relay

The T-Shirt Relay is an enjoyable activity which the entire team can join.

Split the swimmers up into groups that will compete with each other, and make each swimmer go a certain distance while wearing a t-shirt. At the end of their lap, they hand off the relay to the next team member before starting their own swim.

The swimmers at the beginning of the event begin with a t-shirt on and compete to reach the opposite end.

After they finished their turn, the initial swimmer left the swimming pool, removed their shirt, and with the aid of their teammates handed it to the next swimmer. Everyone on the team can contribute to speeding up the changeover to the new t-shirt.

When the t-shirt is placed on the second swimmer, they start competing on the opposite side, where they will put the same t-shirt on the third swimmer. The team that finishes first is the winning team.

Invisi-Bottle

This is a great way to finish off an exercise routine that focuses on managing one’s breath and increasing lung capacity while injecting some enjoyment at the same time. Put water in a container and screw on a white lid securely to close.

Players stand in a line alongside the pool and have their backs to it while the coach tosses a container full of water into the water. At the given cue, the swimmers will plunge into the water and attempt to locate the container, which will camouflage itself into the environment. The person who locates the bottle in the water first will be declared the victor.

Fishy in the Middle

This game is suitable for swimmers with any skill level, no matter how deep the pool is. Swimmers who have much swimming experience can take part in activities in the deep end of the pool, such as treading water, which provides good exercise for the body’s core and lower body.

You can have three individuals involved in playing the game (one in the middle taking on the part of the Fishy) or you can divide the group into two teams, each having numerous players in the centre.

The objective of the game is for two players or teams to launch a ball at one another without the middle participant(s) or the Fishy intercepting the ball. If the Fishy can retrieve the ball, the one who threw it takes the Fishy’s spot in the centre.

Noodle Joust

Noodle Joust is a game that requires abdominal strength and poise. Swimmers can perch on top of their kickboards or occupy them while standing, and they must endeavour to get the other swimmers off their own boards by jousting with each other. Beginner swimmers can sit on noodles instead of kickboards.