Swimming technique doesn't have to be drill after drill. Especially if you're working with children, you want to add a little variety and fun into swim improvement. By doing so, you can teach swimmers better skills and increase their enjoyment of the sport. Most games that improve swimming technique require that swimmers are adept in the water, as they focus on skill mastery, not basic technique. Make sure that a lifeguard is on duty as well.
Hula Hoop
The beginning of every race starts with a dive. It's not just a critical component of an individual's race, but also can impact the result of a relay team. To help kids learn to streamline off the blocks -- hold their hands on top of one another, head tucked, core tight and toes pointed -- add some music and a hula hoop. Turn on a favorite tune and let the swimmers dance on the block. After playing music, have a coach hold a hoop in front of each of the blocks, perpendicular to the water. Have the swimmer aim for the center of the hoop and dive through in proper form. Older swimmers can also use this game to practice their turns, having a coach hold the hoop under water as swimmers approach and then push off the wall.
French Manicure
Also called a finger tip drill, this game involves focusing on the recovery portion of your arm movement when swimming free style. The goal is to trail your fingertips in the water rather than raise your arm up-and-out. Have the coach watch as swimmers swim a lap, aiming to keep their tips -- the part typically covered by a French manicure -- submerged throughout their stroke. The winner can be rewarded with a gift card to a nail shop.
Corkscrew
The corkscrew game has swimmers to combine strokes, focusing on freestyle with one arm and backstroke with the other. For little kids, watch their heads at the ends of the pool as swimmers can get dizzy doing this drill/game. Swimmers swim a lap, using their right arm only for a freestyle arm stroke, and the left arm only for a backstroke arm movement. The result is a swimmer using the same kick, but corkscrewing through the water. Have the swimmers focus on arm entry and correct hip movement to help their rotation in the water.
One-Armed Fly Relay
For those working to improve their butterfly stroke, the one-armed fly drill can be set up as a relay. Since the drill includes one arm kept straight out in front while the other arm completes a standard butterfly stroke, give the swimmer something to hold onto in that hand, such as swim missile and pass off to the next swimmer on the relay team. Set up four swimmers, two at each end, and give the first swimmer the missile, for example, to start as she completes her lap and focuses not only on speed, but also on keeping her non-fly arm out straight. With the other arm, she focuses on the snap of her hands in and out of the water. Have her pass the missile to the next swimmer when she reaches the end of her lap.
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