Swimming Games for Fun and Gains!

As a coach, swimmer, and parent, I don’t always agree with the idea that practices need to be all work and no play. Play is a healthy expression for kids, and the willingness of a coach to make practice fun and challenging shows great character. So, how do we leap outside the box of Marco Polo, sharks and minnows, and water polo? Answer: training games! I’ve got a few favorites, maybe one or two might be new to you. I’ll detail a few games a week and take ideas from comments. If you have anything you’d like to share, please do!

Blue vs Orange (or whatever your team colors might be)

Divide your group in half (make an effort to keep them even). You can score points through a whole practice with rewards at the end, or you can use it for individual sets. Two of my favorite sets to keep team tallies with are as follows: Widths: For use in an eight lane pool. Fins for those12 & under - those 13 & over go barefoot. They are swimming the width of the pool, so under the lane lines, wall to wall. Complete four rounds of five widths where swimmers remain underwater in a streamline doing dolphin kick. After each round of five, reset with a :30 second to 1:00 break. Have one color be in the first group, and the second group will be the remaining color. Run them 10 seconds apart. Reward each team with one point for each swimmer that makes their widths. Descends: Say your main set is a series of swims where the athletes are challenged to get faster with each repeat. Add a level of fun and competitiveness with tallies and teams. Again, for simplicities sake, let’s say your set is 6 x 200’s descend 1-3 twice, the second round faster than the first. A big dry erase board adds a whole new level to the challenge, if you have one use it! Award points on round one if a swimmer descends #1 to #2, and #2 to #3. The second round issues a dual challenge, they can still earn points for descending one to three, but those points double if round two is faster than round one with each repeat.

So, how do you reward the winners?

That’s up to you, but make sure this is something desirable to your swimmers. Sometimes simple declarations of, "You are the winners today!" is enough. Maybe they get out five minutes earlier than the other team and do some stretching, or maybe they get to do relays while the other team has to complete another set. Tangible rewards in the form of a treat are okay on occasion, but keep in mind they don’t need to be sugared up regularly.