Home › Artistic Swimming – Stage 9
Circle Formation Swim
A small group forms a circle, swims it round together, then opens and closes it on counts – learning to keep a formation.
- Stages
- Artistic Swimming – Stage 9, Artistic Swimming – Stage 10
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Sculling, Synchronisation, Artistic Movement
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 4–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 6 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Allow space between groups; deep-water formations only for confident swimmers.
What it develops
- Move to counts and rhythm
- Swim and hold patterns with spacing
How to run it
- Groups of four to six form a circle in back layout or treading, facing inwards.
- On the count, everyone sculls feet-first to make the circle bigger, then head-first to make it smaller.
- Then all swim a quarter of the circle round in the same direction and stop.
- Check the spacing is still even.
Teaching cues
- Even gaps around the circle.
- Move together on the count.
- Look across the circle to check.
Make it easier
- Hold hands to make the circle, then let go.
Make it harder
- Add tub turns on the spot at the end.
Common faults
- Circle becomes an oval.
- One swimmer drifts out.
Corrections
- 'Look at the person opposite.'
- 'Small sculls, same speed.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Count the formation changes aloud and point to any swimmer drifting out of line.