Flags to Wall
Swimmers count their backstroke strokes from the flags (or a marker) to the wall so they never bump their head.
- Stages
- Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Water Safety, Backstroke, Turns
- Equipment
- None, Floating Toys
- Age
- 6–99 years
- Group size
- 1–10 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- An adult should be at the wall end until swimmers are confident.
What it develops
- Swim about 10 metres on the back
- Use simple water safety skills
- Swim backstroke with a recognisable arm action
- Basic turns with a streamlined push-off
How to run it
- Point out the backstroke flags or place a marker a few metres from the wall.
- Swimmers swim backstroke; when they pass under the flags they start counting strokes.
- They note how many strokes it takes to reach the wall safely.
- Next time, they reach for the wall on that number.
Teaching cues
- Flags, then count.
- Reach for the wall on your number.
- Keep your head still.
Make it easier
- Kick only with arms by the sides and count kicks.
- Teacher calls the count.
Make it harder
- Swim the whole width at a steady pace, reaching the wall without slowing.
- Count strokes for the full width.
Common faults
- Turning round to look for the wall.
- Counting inconsistently.
Corrections
- Tell them the flags do the looking for them.
- Repeat until the number is the same twice.
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand at the wall end with a hand ready to cushion any swimmer who miscounts.