How to Create Fun and Effective Swim Games: A Coach's Tutorial
In this brief video tutorial, we’ll go through the first crucial step of creating fun and effective swim games: identifying exactly who you are working with. Before designing a single game, understanding your participants is key to success.
The initial portion of the book (and our lesson!) gives you the steps needed to clearly identify the people you are going to play your games with. Remember that the first step in figuring out what you’re going to work on and what your game will eventually be, is to clearly isolate exactly who you have with you at that moment.
The Three Pillars of Game Planning
To ensure your games are both fun for the swimmers and effective for their skill development, we need to look at three main areas:
- Who do you have that day? (The demographics and energy level of the group.)What is their ability level? (Are they beginners, intermediate, or advanced?)How can you integrate your pool facility and location with your current group of participants? (Using the available space and equipment.)
Here is a helpful resource that covers these steps in depth:
For a deeper dive into the methodology, check out these recommended resources:
book (Amazon Link 1)
💡 Coach Tip: When assessing your group, don't just look at the highest and lowest skill level. Look for the *middle*. The middle ground is often where you can create the most inclusive and fun activities that challenge everyone slightly!
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