Aquatics Coaching Guide - Special Olympics

Teaching Aquatics Skills – Learn to Swim
Water Familiarization
Coaches Tips for Water Familiarization – At-A-Glance
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Tips for Practice
1. If a new swimmer is anxious, sit quietly beside the pool and distract him/her, talking about or
looking at other things.
2. Make the pool environment look interesting – add floating and sinking objects.
3. Use a small blocked-off area rather than a large, open pool space.
4. Activities initially include feeling the water, walking or crawling down swim ramp, moving in
shallow water, walking in water and progress through all of the initial stages until buoyancy and
submersion have been conquered.
5. Practice walking in water, blowing “eggs” or ping-pong balls across surface of water – progress to
races against other swimmers.
6. Train in thigh- to waist-deep water, with a peer group of competitors.
Tips for Competition
1. Assisted walk can be a successful activity for the swimmer who has just reached this stage.
2. Teach to hold wall at start and start on signal.
3. Train in completing distance and reaching for the finish point.
4. Reward all swimmers as soon as they reach the finish point to develop a sense of accomplishment.
Special Olympics Aquatics Coaching Guide
Created: February 2004