If you’re coaching kids over the age of ten, their days of Marco Polo, pool noodles, and Fish Out of Water are probably behind them. Because slightly older swimmers have more focus and athleticism to go along with their energy, incorporating dynamic pool games into your swim classes or practices can help harness their enthusiasm while improving their skills. So if you’ve got time to kill at the end of a group session or simply want to reward your swimmers for all their hard work, here are five dynamic pool games that are perfect for them.
1. Water Polo Blitz
Turn your pool into a water polo arena with Water Polo Blitz. Divide swimmers into teams and set up goals on each side of the pool. Players must strategically pass and shoot the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Encourage them to embrace fast-paced gameplay and teamwork–all while enhancing their agility and water maneuverability. On the whole, this game provides a thrilling introduction to water polo’s dynamic nature.
2. Dolphin Dash Relay
For this game, your swimmers will have to be as multi-talented as the game’s slippery namesake to succeed. Divide the group into relay teams and designate a series of challenging tasks, such as underwater somersaults, streamline glides, and flip turns. Each swimmer completes their task and tags the next swimmer to continue the relay. This game promotes technique mastery, breath control, and quick transitions, pushing swimmers to their limits.
3. Aqua Fit Circuit
Combine fitness and fun with the Aqua Fit Circuit. Set up stations around the pool focusing on different exercises, such as flutter kicks, scissor kicks, treading water, and underwater squats. Swimmers rotate through each station, completing the designated exercise before moving on. This game improves overall strength, endurance, and flexibility, all with a healthy dose of variety and challenge. Don’t be afraid to add a timed element to up the ante.
4. Diving Board Challenge
The Diving Board Challenge doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it can reinvigorate your athletes competitively and creatively. Swimmers take turns performing different dives from the board, such as front flips, back flips, and twists. Encourage inventiveness and provide guidance on technique improvement after each dive. This game enhances diving skills, courage, and body awareness, making it a perfect fit for adventurous teenage swimmers.
5. Sprint Showdown
Heat up your swim class with the simple (yet extremely competitive) Sprint Showdown. In a designated sprint lane, have swimmers compete in short, intense races against each other. You can vary the distances and strokes to keep things exciting. This game boosts speed, starts, and turns, fostering a competitive atmosphere and pushing swimmers to shave off seconds from their personal bests.
Embrace gamification
By tailoring these competitive pool games to your practices, you can unlock the potential of your non-beginner swimmers. A healthy mix of challenge and joy helps cultivate skill growth, team unity, and the excitement of rivalry, amplifying their love for the sport in the process.
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