Tunnel Glide
Swimmers push off under the water and glide through a tunnel of hoops or a partner's legs.
- Stages
- Stage 3
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Submersion, Streamlining, Push and Glide
- Equipment
- Hoops
- Age
- 6–12 years
- Group size
- 2–8 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Tunnel holders must lift the hoop immediately if touched.
- One swimmer at a time.
What it develops
- Submerge confidently and retrieve objects
- Breathe out in a controlled way underwater
- Streamlined push and glide on front and back
How to run it
- Hold one or two sinking or weighted hoops upright just under the surface (or partner stands legs wide).
- Swimmer takes a breath, sinks, pushes off the wall under the water.
- Glide through the tunnel in a streamlined shape, breathing out slowly.
- Surface after the tunnel and stand or swim on.
Teaching cues
- Sink, then push.
- Arrow hands.
- Slow bubbles through the tunnel.
Make it easier
- Tunnel just below the surface.
- One hoop close to the wall.
Make it harder
- Two hoops in a row.
- Kick through a longer tunnel.
Common faults
- Pushing up and hitting the top of the tunnel.
- Arms apart, catching the hoop.
Corrections
- 'Push along the floor, not up.'
- 'Hands together like an arrow.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Hold the tunnel hoop and watch the swimmer's body line underwater, telling them whether they were 'arrow straight'.