Swimming Game – Driving the Stake

You’ll need a deep pool to play this game!

Have your swimmers find a partner.

One swimmer gets in as straight as a body position as possible, hands at sides, feet together, and head in line with the spine (basically streamline with hands at hips).

The partner pushes the straight swimmer by the shoulders straight down.

The goal is to get to the bottom as fast as possible while keeping the body straight.

Each pair should perform the pushing down 3 times to their partner, and then switch and do 3 times.

Put rings or toys at the bottom for the swimmers to “aim” at to make more challenging and fun.

This game works on teamwork and, most importantly, body position.

In swimming, maintaining a strong core and almost rigid body position is crucial for gaining significant speed in freestyle and backstroke. Rotating from the hips and locking the spine and legs in as straight of a line as possible ensures a faster swim.

Playing this game tricks the swimmers into practicing a straight body in a way they may not always experience: going feet first and down. The hidden benefit is that the more they are used to getting long, tall, straight, strong body line, the more likely they’ll remember that feeling as they swim doing their streamlines, glides, or freestyle.