What it is
Every lesson follows a three-segment formula: two related skill activities that build on each other, then one challenge that applies the skill in a game-like context. The format is deliberate—short bursts of intense focus followed by a fun palate cleanser—and applies to all levels.
Essentials
- Exactly two skill activities, then one challenge; skill before application.
- Activities are related and progressively more difficult or complex, building on each other.
- Short distances (5–10 yards) to keep effort powerful and focused; longer swims are restricted.
- Each activity: 3–5 attempts per swimmer, ideally 3–5 minutes of active swimming.
- Specific, actionable feedback after every attempt, delivered as the swimmer walks back.
- Nobody stands still: circle swim or walk back between attempts.
Progression
- Water-safety check (ratios, reach, visibility) before every activity and before the challenge.
- Activity 1 — Isolated skill practice: one skill, one cue, repeated in short 5–10 yard attempts.
- Activity 2 — Related and progressive: builds on Activity 1 as a connected or thematically related skill.
- Challenge — Game-like test of the practiced skill with one clear success criterion announced before the attempt.
What goes wrong
- Challenge drifts into free play → it must test a specific skill with a clear, announced target.
- Swimmer refuses submersion in a challenge → redirect to a non-submersion version and rebuild trust; never force.
- Something isn't working in the water → adapt in the moment; change it.
- Hands stop mid-stroke on backstroke → rest in soldier position (at sides near hips) rather than holding an incomplete Position 11.
How you know it worked
The swimmer meets the one clear success criterion of the challenge (e.g., glides through two floating hoops without breaking Position 11).
How you teach it
The formula is deliberate: you want swimmers to give full energy and attention to the activities, then release into a fun, engaging challenge that resets attention and reinforces learning. Short distances are a design choice, not a limitation—restricting longer swims forces the swimmer to spend their energy in a brief burst of powerful, focused action rather than coasting.
Start and Position 11 rules apply to every push: the swimmer begins in streamline, then moves into Position 11 while gliding on the surface. The backstroke exception lets beginners push off in soldier position (hands at sides) and work up to streamline on the back over time. For backstroke, Position 11 is the target for the arms to enter the water at without stopping; if the hands stop, they rest in soldier position. These rules govern activity starts, challenge starts, and any wall push.
Feedback is specific and actionable, delivered as the swimmer walks back to the start—this keeps the group moving and ties the correction to the attempt while it is fresh. Repeatable lesson plans are run without variation until instructors and students internalise the framework, then you iterate with small changes. If an activity or challenge isn't landing, adapt in the moment rather than forcing the plan.
Example (Streamline Glide): Activity 1 — push off the wall in streamline, move into Position 11 while gliding. Activity 2 — same start, add flutter kick. Challenge — glide through two floating hoops without breaking Position 11.