Activity, Activity, Challenge

# Activity, Activity, Challenge

Type: method

Status: proposed revision for author approval

Purpose

Every lesson uses three segments: two skill activities, then one challenge. The activities build a skill; the challenge applies it. This format applies to all levels.

Start and Position 11 rules

• Every push or start begins in streamline. While gliding on the surface, the swimmer moves into Position 11.
• Backstroke exception: beginners may push off in soldier position (hands at sides) and will eventually work up to streamline on the back.
• For backstroke, Position 11 is a target for the arms to enter the water at without stopping. If the hands stop during the stroke, they should rest in soldier position (at sides near hips).
• These rules apply to activity starts, challenge starts, and any wall push.

Structure

1. Water-safety check (ratios, reach, visibility) before every activity and before the challenge.
2. Activity 1 — Isolated skill practice. One skill, one cue, repeated in short 5–10 yard attempts. When the skill starts from the wall, apply the start/Position 11 rule; for backstroke beginners, allow soldier position. Keep the group moving: circle swim or walk back.
3. Activity 2 — Related and progressive. It builds on Activity 1 as a connected skill or a thematically related skill (e.g., freestyle with freestyle; long-axis with long-axis). Same start, rotation, and feedback rules as Activity 1.
4. Challenge — Game-like test of the practiced skill, with one clear success criterion announced before the attempt. It is not free play (R4). If it involves submersion and a swimmer refuses, redirect to a non-submersion version and rebuild trust; never force (R7).

Attempts and timing

• Each activity is 3–5 attempts per swimmer.
• Ideally each activity is 3–5 minutes of swimmers actually doing the activity.

Rules

• Exactly two skill activities, then one challenge.
• Skill before application.
• Specific, actionable feedback after every attempt; deliver it as the swimmer walks back (R8, proposed).
• Nobody stands still: short 5–10 yard bursts, circle swim, walk back.
• A challenge tests a specific skill in a game-like context with a clear target.

Example: Streamline Glide

• Activity 1: Push off the wall in streamline, then move into Position 11 while gliding on the surface.
• Activity 2: Same start, then add flutter kick.
• Challenge: Glide through two floating hoops without breaking Position 11.

Connections

• Position 11
• Backstroke Soldier Position
• Rotation Method
• Feedback on Every Attempt
• Challenges (method)
• Underwater Progression (for submersion-based challenges)