Stroke Count Challenge
Swimmers count strokes per width, then try to take fewer while keeping the same effort – rewards efficiency, not speed.
- Stages
- Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Stroke Efficiency
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 7–99 years
- Group size
- 2–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 6 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Swimmers face down counting – stagger starts.
What it develops
- Swim with fewer, longer strokes
- Improve stroke efficiency on all strokes
- Keep technique and stroke count as distance increases
How to run it
- Swim a width at an easy pace and count arm strokes.
- Swim again trying to take two fewer strokes – longer reach, better glide or kick.
- Compare: what changed?
- Final width: add a little speed but keep the lower count.
Teaching cues
- Count your strokes.
- Longer, not faster.
- Stretch and glide.
Make it easier
- Count kicks on a kick width instead.
- Aim for one fewer.
Make it harder
- Stroke count plus time – lower the total ('golf score').
- Keep the count over a whole length.
Common faults
- Gliding so long the swimmer nearly stops.
- Kicking harder instead of improving technique.
Corrections
- Set a steady pace and keep it.
- Focus on reach and push to the thigh.
Assistant / L1 role
- Record each swimmer's count on a board so they can see their improvement.