Safe Relay Changeovers
Teams practise safe relay takeovers – wait until the incoming swimmer touches, enter safely, move away from the wall.
- Stages
- Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Water Safety, Coordination
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 6–16 years
- Group size
- 6–20 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Never allow diving over incoming swimmers; one team per lane.
What it develops
- Build continuous swimming distance
- Know how to stay safe and help others safely
- Swim continuously at a steady pace
- Use floating and signalling for self-rescue
- Swim further with pace awareness
- Apply self-rescue and water safety knowledge
- Swim continuously with controlled pace
- Water safety and rescue awareness
How to run it
- Explain: the next swimmer starts only after the touch.
- Waiting swimmers stay in the water holding the wall (or enter by the agreed method).
- Swim short relay legs focusing on clean, safe changeovers.
- Finished swimmers move to the side of the lane.
Teaching cues
- Wait for the touch.
- Go, then clear the wall.
- Stay in your lane.
Make it easier
- Walk-through first.
- Kick-only legs.
Make it harder
- Add a push-off streamline to each leg.
- Relay including a turn.
Common faults
- Leaving early and colliding.
- Waiting swimmers blocking the wall.
Corrections
- Assistant taps the next swimmer's shoulder on the touch.
- Mark a waiting spot.
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand at the changeover end and check each takeover happens after the touch.