Wall Approach
Swimmers learn to judge the wall using the T on the pool floor and stroke counting – safer, more confident turns.
- Stages
- Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Stroke Efficiency, Turns
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 7–99 years
- Group size
- 1–14 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Swimmers look down – stagger arrivals at the wall.
What it develops
- Basic turns with a streamlined push-off
- Swim with fewer, longer strokes
- Turns with streamlined push-offs and underwater phase
- Improve stroke efficiency on all strokes
- Turns suited to each stroke
- Keep technique and stroke count as distance increases
How to run it
- Point out the T-mark on the floor near each wall.
- Swim front crawl; when the head passes the T, count strokes to the wall.
- Repeat until the number is the same twice.
- Use that number to time a turn.
Teaching cues
- See the T.
- Count your strokes.
- Same number every time.
Make it easier
- Walk the approach and count.
- Glide into the wall from the T.
Make it harder
- Use the count to set up a tumble turn.
- Backstroke: count from the flags.
Common faults
- Looking up to find the wall.
- Different count each time.
Corrections
- 'Trust the T.'
- Slow down and keep stroke length even.
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand at the wall and tell each swimmer their stroke count from the T.