Sitting Splashes
Swimmers sit on the edge and kick with long legs – an early kick practice that also builds confidence with splashes.
- Stages
- Stage 1
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Water Confidence, Front Kick
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 3–8 years
- Group size
- 1–15 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Swimmers sitting on the edge must be supervised to avoid slipping in unexpectedly.
What it develops
- Move forwards about 5 metres
How to run it
- Swimmers sit on the pool edge with legs in the water and hands on the side.
- Kick with long legs from the hips, making small splashes.
- Call 'little splashes' and 'big splashes' to vary the effort.
- Progress to lying on the tummy on the edge and kicking behind.
Teaching cues
- Legs long, toes pointed like a ballerina.
- Kick from the hips, not the knees.
- Little fast splashes.
Make it easier
- Assistant holds the swimmer's feet and moves them to show the action.
Make it harder
- Kick holding the wall on the front, face in.
- Kick holding a float across the pool.
Common faults
- Bending the knees like cycling.
- Feet flexed.
Corrections
- 'Straight legs, floppy ankles.'
- Touch the knees gently as a reminder to keep them straight.
Assistant / L1 role
- Walk along the line guiding swimmers' legs and feet into the correct shape.