Home › Artistic Swimming – Stage 8
Follow the Leader Patterns
A line of swimmers follows a leader around simple pool patterns – a curve, a figure of eight, a circle – keeping even spacing.
- Stages
- Artistic Swimming – Stage 8
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Head-Up Swimming, Synchronisation, Artistic Movement
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 3–18 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Keep patterns away from walls and other groups; head-up swimming so swimmers can see.
What it develops
- Move in time with a partner
How to run it
- Groups of four to six line up behind a leader.
- Swim slowly (breaststroke or head-up front crawl) following the leader's path: straight line, curve, circle.
- Keep about two metres between each swimmer.
- Rotate the leader each round.
Teaching cues
- Even gaps.
- Follow the exact path.
- Head up to see.
Make it easier
- Walk the pattern in standing depth first.
Make it harder
- Leader adds a stop and a tuck that the whole line copies.
Common faults
- Bunching up behind the leader.
- Cutting corners.
Corrections
- 'Two big steps between you.'
- 'Swim where they swam.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Walk the pattern on poolside alongside the leader so they know where to go.